Dunn County family treatment court expands referrals; coordinators report 50 families served and expedited CPS referral pathway

John Welsh, coordinator for Dunn County Family Treatment Court, described the program’s focus and recent changes to the CJCC Executive and Operations Committee.

Welsh said Family Treatment Court works within the child welfare system to improve outcomes for families impacted by caregiver substance use. The program focuses on parents whose substance use contributes to child-safety concerns and offers structured phases, frequent hearings for accountability and wraparound family supports such as parenting services, housing assistance, family therapy and parent peer support.

Welsh said Family Treatment Court began in 2019. To date he reported the program has served about 50 families and approximately 150 children. He described a recent effort to expedite referrals: child abuse and neglect reports that are screened in and identify substance use as a contributing factor are being pressed to the Family Treatment Court coordinator for faster review. Welsh said this change has increased referrals; he reported having 10 referrals on his desk and anticipating roughly six new admissions in the next one to three months.

Welsh gave an example of family-centered therapy provided through Lutheran Social Services and said multidiscipline collaboration—child-protective social workers, treatment providers, peer supports and judges—was central to the program’s results. He said Family Treatment Court can shorten time children spend in foster care, increase treatment completion rates for parents and produce cost savings compared with longer out-of-home placements.

Welsh said he would continue to coordinate with CPS social workers and other unit staff to refine the referral process and to connect families to services sooner.