The Early Intervention Family Drug Court in Sacramento County is set up to help parents with substance abuse problems complete this program before their children enter the foster care system.
All parents who enter the program are at risk of losing custody of their children due to drug abuse. Many parents are referred to the program because their new born babies have been born drug dependent or because the family has come to the attention of Child Protective Services.
Just 5-10% of the families in the United States who could use family drug court services, have access to them. The program in Sacramento is one of about three hundred and fifty such programs in the country.
Just a third of the client’s entering Sacramento Country’s program complete it. However, the county reports that 10% of the kids with families in the program end up being removed compared to 30% of the children in families who do not participate in the program. This constitutes a major savings to the county- about seven million dollars annually. In addition to the fiscal savings enjoyed by Sacramento County, parents are given the opportunity to enter a life of recovery and re-build their family and relationships with their children.
