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Judge Christopher Kelly swears in Traci Brownen to serve as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, assisting abused/neglected children through the court process. Photo courtesy of Christopher Kelly.
Washita County will soon be opening a new type of treatment court program, a family treatment court, which will function as a combination of adult drug court and the child welfare court. The new program will assist families in the child welfare system through the Department of Human Services and who have parents with substance abuse issues. OKDHS statistics show beteween 60 and 80 percent of all child abuse and neglect cases involve substance abuse by a parent or guardian.
District Judge Christopher Kelly, who applied for the grant to fund the program and who is the judge for three treatment courts in Washita and Custer counties, said the new program will provide the tools to help treat those families in crisis.
“Family Treatment Court is similar to Adult Drug Court in that the parents receive intensive treatment and supervision to deal with their substance abuse issues,” he said. “I am excited that we will be able to offer this service for our parents and families here in Washita County and know that Judge Dirickson will do an excellent job of operating the court. Now that the funding is in place, I look forward to this court getting started in the very near future.”