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Committee approves National Center for State Courts contract to evaluate new Family Treatment Court
Summary
The Justice Committee approved a three-year contract with the National Center for State Courts to evaluate McLean County's new Family Treatment Court, which received a Department of Justice grant of about $750,000 and has seven families currently participating.
McLean County's Justice Committee on Feb. 5 approved an agreement with the National Center for State Courts to evaluate the county's recently launched Family Treatment Court, a DOJ-funded pilot program serving parents involved in juvenile abuse and neglect cases.
Committee members were given background that the McLean County Circuit Court and community partners applied for and received a Department of Justice grant in late September 2024. "In late September of '24 they were awarded the McLean County Circuit Court was awarded a 3 year approximately $750,000 grant, for the purposes of operating a Family Treatment Court," a committee speaker said. The Family Treatment Court is modeled on similar courts in Indiana and Iowa and is intended to serve parents whose children were removed from the home by DCFS in juvenile abuse and neglect proceedings.
The evaluation contract with the National Center for State Courts will assess the court's performance and participant outcomes, including recidivism among parents, and is funded from the DOJ grant. Committee members were told the Family Treatment Court began operation in October 2024 and that "we do have seven families participating in the court," and that the presiding judge, Brian Goldrick, reported the program is "exceeding his expectations."
Member Roseman moved approval of the agreement with the National Center for State Courts; Member Ziebart seconded. The committee approved the contract by voice vote.
What this means
The county's Family Treatment Court is intended to provide court-supervised treatment and supports for parents in juvenile abuse and neglect cases; the contracted evaluation will track outcomes over the three-year grant period. Committee members were invited to contact the presiding judge or the chief judge's office for a tour or additional information about the court's operations.
The committee did not set additional conditions in this meeting; implementation and reporting will proceed under the grant and contract terms.
