Consider and take appropriate action authorizing submission of a Grant Application through The Children's Commission Court Improvement Program in support of the Family Recovery Court Program.

Williamson County is submitting a grant application to the Children's Commission in order to request funding to support creation of the Family Recovery Court. This grant application is presented as a fall-back. The Court may recall that it has approved submission of an Office of Governor Grant for this program, and initial submission of an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs Grant in order to support this program. We have submitted this grant application in the event that the OOG and OJJDP grant applications are not successful. If either of the other two are successful, we will abandon this grant application. We are submitting this application as the most 'slimmed down' version of the grant application, funding a Specialty Court Administrator and related costs and additional inpatient treatment bed days. 

Like the OJJDP grant, this grant does require a match. We achieve this match easily through the in-kind contributions of members of the Family Recovery Court Team (including Williamson County, DFPS, etc.).  The full investment in the program se funds will allow for creation of the FRC through a novel approach to addressing child protection cases. A key element of this implementation is tracking the effectiveness and the impact of the program. We believe that, supported by the OOG grant, we will prove the effectiveness of the FRC model and make a significant positive impact on families in Williamson County. Our intent is to acquire full financial support for the program through this grant at inception and for as long as OOG Grant Funding may be available.

Williamson County's Family Recovery Court is an alternative to the traditional processing of Child Protective Services (herein "CPS") cases involving substance abuse. Based on evidence and best practices, the Family Recovery Court will apply a non-adversarial, collaborative approach and utilize a multidisciplinary team including the presiding judge, Department of Family Protective Services (herein "DFPS") , prosecutors, attorney and guardian ad litem, case-managers, treatment providers, and existing community resources, including faith-based providers (herein the "Family Recovery Collaborative Team" -FRCT). The Family Recovery Court will utilize incentives and graduated sanctions to reinforce positive behavior and hold parents and primary caregivers (herein "parents") accountable during their participation in the program.

The Family Recovery Court will focus on cases of abuse or neglect involving parents suffering from substance abuse disorders and any other co-occurring disorders. These cases will focus on families where a removal of the child has occurred. The Family Recovery Court Team will help provide better outcomes for families involved in these cases by providing problem-solving court services to the child and parents. To graduate, participating parents must demonstrate continuous level of abstinence from drugs and alcohol for a sustainable long-term recovery, satisfy treatment and safety concerns, and demonstrate the establishment of a healthy household for their children.