Seminole County is asking for federal money to start a family treatment court, a program that pairs parents in child-welfare cases with addiction treatment under close watch from a judge.
County commissioners had the request on their consent agenda for Tuesday's meeting. The item seeks approval to apply to the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for as much as $850,000 to establish a Seminole County Family Treatment Court, and to add one new grant-funded position if the money comes through.
It would also let the county manager or a designee sign the grant paperwork. The request comes from the county's Administrative Services Department.
How the courts work
Under the federal funding notice attached to the agenda item, family treatment courts are meant for parents with a substance use disorder who have come into contact with child protective services over abuse, neglect or other parenting problems. A judge keeps frequent tabs on each parent's progress, and treatment can cover mental health conditions that occur alongside addiction.
The rules are strict. Courts paid through the program must drug-test participants regularly for every substance they are known to have used, and must respond with changes to treatment or services when a test comes back positive.
Anyone charged with or found to have committed a violent offense cannot take part, and the Justice Department says it will cut off funding immediately if such a person is found in a funded program. The goals listed in the notice include getting parents into recovery, reuniting families when that is safe and speeding up permanent placements for children.
