COURT DRUG PROGRAM WORKS

But Lack Of Funding Has Put Widely Praised Recovery Program at Risk

Martha is a single mother with six children. She works in the hospitality
industry. These details may not seem extraordinary, but they are. Just two
years ago Martha was in the grips of a longstanding addiction to alcohol,
had lost custody of her children and was facing severe crises in all areas
of her life. In a final effort to get her children back, she voluntarily
submitted to the court-ordered FIRST (Families In Recovery to Stay
Together) Program in Family Drug Treatment Court.

Martha isn't her real name. It's an alias used to protect her identity.
FIRST is a collaborative effort among the Mecklenburg County Drug Treatment
Court, Department of Social Services Youth and Family Services Division and
the Area Mental Health Authority. FIRST coordinates and monitors the
delivery of substance abuse treatment services to all parents involved in
the juvenile dependency process.

During her time in the FIRST program, Martha discovered recovery is not
easy. She participated in outpatient substance abuse treatment for almost
two years. She was ordered to complete two inpatient treatment programs
including one in the Mecklenburg County Jail. Then she resided in a
long-term residential treatment facility to help her slowly transition back
into the community.

Martha has been successful in her efforts. She obtained and maintained
employment for a year at a Charlotte hotel. Her employer was supportive and
arranged Martha's schedule to allow her to attend treatment meetings and
make court appearances every two weeks. Recently she accepted a new job and
a raise in pay at another local hotel. She regained custody of four of her
children earlier this year. The fifth is soon to be reunited with her. The
oldest is now an adult, living on his own.

About 80 percent of child abuse and neglect cases substantiated by the
Mecklenburg Department of Social Services involve substance abuse by
parents. Before FIRST began, the family reunification success rate was less
than one-half of one percent. Now the success rate exceeds 25 percent.

But this nationally-praised program is at risk. At the end of fiscal
2003-2004, primary funding for the program, the Governor's Crime Commission
Grant, expired. The State Department of Health and Human Services and the
Mecklenburg County Area Mental Health Authority committed stopgap funds
through fiscal 2004-2005, but that restores only part of the program and is
for one year. A permanent funding solution is needed.

This week, the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) is holding its
operations training conference in Charlotte. Six drug court teams
representing four states will attend in preparation for developing a Family
Drug Treatment Court in their jurisdictions. They will observe the Family
Drug Treatment Court session today.

The FIRST program continues to help parents like Martha achieve sobriety
and move from dependency to self-sufficiency. To make reunification the
result in more child abuse and neglect cases, we must institutionalize the
funding stream for this vital component of the dependency court. For more
information, please call (704) 417-1948.