Learning Opportunities

Harm reduction is broadly defined as a set of strategies to promote public health by reducing negative consequences associated with drug use on individuals, their families, and the community. It aims to reduce risks and improve quality of life for people experiencing a substance use disorder. Within the treatment court setting, there is a place for harm reduction principles and approaches; however, what this looks like in practice may vary across treatment courts and treatment court team members.

This webinar will discuss ways to apply what fits in the treatment court setting and how each team member can play a role in supporting harm reduction. Attendees will receive guidance on ways to implement harm reduction measures without compromising the fundamental principles of drug courts and with respect to the role that each team member plays on the treatment court team.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this webinar, participants should be able to:

• Develop an expanded understanding of harm-reduction practices and how they relate to the recently updated Adult Drug Court Best Practices Standards.
• Discuss how treatment court team members may have different roles in implementing harm reduction measures.
• Share examples of how treatment courts have successfully implemented harm reduction practices into their operations.

*Please Note: This webinar is not registered for CEU credit. A certificate of attendance will be provided for personal portfolio use only.

Substance use disorders can have a genetic component but are preventable. For adolescents with adverse childhood experiences, substance use may be a mechanism to cope with trauma or unaddressed socioemotional or mental health concerns. Fortunately, prevention science has advanced in recent decades. Evidence-based research now focuses on risk and protective factors, a developmental framework, and a continuum of care. This Practice Academy reveals how professionals seeking to support family recovery must consider the risk factors, needs, and mental health of children and adolescents while strengthening family protective factors. Family treatment court (FTC) teams can help parents and caregivers implement science-based strategies and interventions and support positive childhood experiences to disrupt the cycle of substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges.

Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate the developmental nature of substance use disorders and recognize why child development and family wellness are foundational to prevention.
• List risk and protective factors for children while examining factors specific to those affected by childhood adversity and familial substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.
• Adopt age-appropriate strategies and identify interventions for children and adolescents based on substance use prevention science.

Join the National Family Treatment Court Program for the June Idea Exchange, where the topic will be a continuation of the conversation following the Practice Academy course—Navigating Risk: Disrupting the Cycle of Substance Use for Children and Adolescents. Family treatment court (FTC) teams can help parents and caregivers implement science-based strategies and interventions and support positive childhood experiences to disrupt the cycle of substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges. Come take part in a lively conversation with peers from across the country and discuss strategies, share innovations, and brainstorm solutions to challenges and barriers!

The opioid crisis hit a historic new height during the pandemic. In the 12-month period that ended in July 2023, 81,027 people died of an opioid overdose. To address this epidemic, communities need robust continuums of care to prevent and treat opioid use disorder. Judges and judicially led teams are in a unique position to advocate and promote services and resources that will serve the families in front of them as well as the community at large. This event will bring together judicially led multi-disciplinary court teams of four participants from jurisdictions across the country to learn about best practices and emergent solutions, prioritize their communities' gaps in care, and develop action plans to address those gaps in their communities. At the end of the training, participants will have a personalized and specific action plan to fill the gaps in care in their jurisdiction and the skills to enact their action plan.

This event will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 20, 2024.

Please contact the registrar, Gloria Torma, Program Specialist, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), at gtorma@ncjfcj.org if you have any questions.

Family treatment courts (FTCs), like all drug courts, historically focused on treating substance use disorders (SUDs). However, FTCs cannot maintain this singular focus since 45% of adults with an SUD in the general population also live with a co-occurring mental health disorder. People with an untreated co-occurring disorder are less likely to complete substance use treatment or achieve sustained recovery; they are also more likely to experience unemployment, homelessness, child welfare involvement, incarceration, and suicide.

Many dependency court professionals recognize the prevalence of co-occurring disorders. Still, due to complexities in screening, assessment, diagnosis, and securing mental health services, FTCs may not appropriately identify and treat parents with co-occurring disorders. This session examines the interactive nature of substance use and mental health disorders, while providing strategies for improved approaches and outcomes for parents and their children.

Learning Objectives:

• Summarize definitions and prevalence rates of co-occurring disorders and explore theories of how and why substance use and mental health disorders co-occur.
• Identify complexities and opportunities in screening and assessment to more accurately identify parents with co-occurring disorders.
• Apply evidence-based approaches for integrated treatment and recovery.
• Adopt strategies from FTCs that successfully serve parents with co-occurring disorders.

Join the National Family Treatment Court Program for the September Idea Exchange, where the topic will be the continuation of the conversation following the Practice Academy course—Intentional Integration: How to Identify and Support Parents With Co-Occurring Disorders. Many dependency court professionals recognize the prevalence of co-occurring disorders. Still, due to complexities in screening, assessment, diagnosis, and securing mental health services, family treatment courts may not appropriately identify and treat parents with co-occurring disorders. Come take part in a lively conversation with peers from across the country and discuss strategies, share innovations, and brainstorm solutions to challenges and barriers!

Recovery is a process, and family treatment courts (FTCs) are a time-limited acute intervention in a family’s life. FTCs must blend aftercare planning into their program design to best support parents and their children after case closure. Aftercare plans, also known as “continuing care plans,” can provide parents with structure, accountability, and needed ongoing services to both parents and children after child welfare, treatment services, and the FTC no longer remain a central part of their lives. This Practice Academy shares the "do's and don'ts" of aftercare planning, highlights innovative approaches to continuing care, and offers strategies and examples that FTC teams use to support sustained family recovery.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the purpose and process of aftercare planning.
• Establish do's and don'ts of aftercare planning.
• Apply lessons about aftercare planning successes and challenges from FTC alumni in sustained recovery.
• Adopt strategies from recovery research and innovative FTCs focused on sustained recovery.

Join the National Family Treatment Court Program for the December Idea Exchange, where the topic will be the continuation of the conversation following the Practice Academy course—Sustained Recovery: Don’t Make Aftercare an Afterthought. Recovery is a process, and family treatment courts (FTCs) are a time-limited acute intervention in a family’s life. FTCs must blend aftercare planning into its program design to best support parents and their children after case closure. Aftercare plans can provide parents with structure, accountability, and needed ongoing services to both parents and children after child welfare, treatment services, and the FTC no longer remain a central part of their lives. Come take part in a lively conversation with peers from across the country and discuss strategies, share innovations, and brainstorm solutions to challenges and barriers!