Discuss, consider, and take appropriate action on request to authorize the County Judge to sign final submission documents related to a grant application through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in support of the Family Recovery Court Program.

The Commissioners Court has approved a grant application through the Office of the Governor (OOG) to fund the Family Recovery Court program (FRC).  We have not yet been notified of the success of that pending application.   Out of an abundance of caution, and considering the importance of the Family Recovery Court program to the welfare of the children of Williamson County, the Judges hearing Child Welfare Cases have decided to submit a second grant application to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) so that, in the event that we are not successful in our state grant application, we have another potential avenue to fund the program.  If approved, this OJJDP grant will fund the FRC program for 3 years. 

Williamson County's Family Recovery Court is an alternative to the traditional processing of CPS cases involving moderate to severe substance abuse. The FRC centers on a collaborative court model that facilitates work between the court system and community partners in cases where substance abuse has led to the removal of a child from their home.  Parents, who are ready to embrace meaningful life change, the court system, and community partners work in concert toward the common goal of a healthy and permanent reunification of the family.

The Court approved a preliminary submission of application materials on June 15, 2021.  This agenda request seeks approval to submit of the final application, and authorization for the County Judge to sign any necessary documents. The OJJDP Grant for Establishing New Family Drug Courts does require a 25% match.  We have identified that in-kind services provided by Williamson County, the State of Texas, CASA, and other partners to support the Court constitute 41% of the total program cost, well within the 25% match required, so authorizing this grant does not create additional fiscal impact to the County. 

It is important to reiterate that this grant application is our 'fall back' grant application, and if we are successful in the OOG grant, we will abandon this grant request.