This Family Treatment Court Standards document provides practitioners with a shared definition of the elements required in quality practice and establishes a common language across various systems and programs that work with families.
This document addresses the growing need for a universal set of standards that define quality practice for family treatment courts (FTCs). The FTC Standards represent the accumulated knowledge of more than 25 years’ practice experience and scholarly research for the improvement of judicial, child welfare, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, and children and family service fields. This document provides practitioners with a shared definition of the elements required in quality practice and establishes a common language across various systems and programs that work with families. The standards were developed to meet three broad goals: to guide the daily operations of FTCs; to support federal and state decisions regarding resource development and priorities; and to improve outcomes for children, parents, and families affected by SUDs or co-occurring disorders and who are involved in the child welfare system. The eight standards detailed here are: Organization and Structure; Role of the Judge; Ensuring Equity and Inclusion; Early Identification, Screening, and Assessment; Timely, High-Quality, and Appropriate Substance Use Disorder Treatment; Comprehensive Case Management, Services, and Supports for Families; Therapeutic Responses to Behavior; and Monitoring and Evaluation.