Court Program Offers Family Treatment Instead Of Punishment
By Libby Smith
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - The Family Integrated Treatment Court, or FIT Court in Jefferson County, is taking a holistic approach to child welfare cases. It focuses on families where substance abuse caused the court and the child welfare system to get involved.
"FIT Court is a problem solving court," said Judge Gail Meinster, who presides over the court in Golden.
LINK: Family Integrated Treatment (FIT) Court
Meinster sees her defendants as often as once a week in the beginning of the program. The court requires substance abuse treatment, psyco-therapy, regular check-ins with the court. It helps with housing and employment. It's a holistic approach to getting parents and their children back on their feet again.
"Research would say and our outcomes would show that that's much more effective in keeping kids in the home, in getting kids home sooner," Meinster told CBS4.
The court focuses on the children's needs, and the parent/child relationship too.
"There's a lot of damage that's done, and done pretty early, so we're trying to correct that," Meinster explained.
"Children who come from addicted homes are often the first ones to get hurt, and the last ones to get help," said Lindsey Chadwick, a supervisor and counselor at the Betty Ford Center Children's Program.
LINK: Betty Ford Center Children's Program
The court works with the Betty Ford Center Children's Program. It focuses on children ages 7 to 12. In four weeks, counselors use role play, games, and activities to teach the children of addicts some important life lessons.
"What we want kids to take away from this program is that the addiction in their family is not their fault. They can't control it. They can't cause it, they can't cure it," Chadwick told CBS4.
Gabby Gomez is in the 7th grade now, but she went through the program a couple of years ago when her mother was in FIT Court.
"I thought it was good because I got to express what I felt like when she was drinking," Gomez said.
She said that she got support and learned how to express her feelings, not only to her mother but to other people also. Gabby's mother, Jennifer Seals, went to FIT Court when she was facing a child abuse charge. She had to meet all the requirements of the program and eventually graduated.
"It took a while for me to get the hang of everything, but it was the structure that I needed," Seals said.
She went from only caring about alcohol and neglecting her kids, to a sober, happy, single mom.
"Life is fantastic," Seals told CBS4.
Libby Smith is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. If you have a story you'd like to tell CBS4 about, call 303-863-TIPS (8477) or visit the News Tips section.
