Department: District Courts
Department Head/Elected Official: Richard Woods
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant
Project ID (if applicable): FY25_CPS_Court
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): District Courts
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the District Courts for approval to accept from the Office of the Governor/Criminal Justice Division grant funds in the amount of $205,127, with no required match, for the FY 25 CPS Prevention and Rehabilitation Court Program.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Texas Office of the Governor's, Public Safety Office solicited applications for Specialty Court projects as defined in Chapters 121 through 130 of the Texas Government Code. If permitted to accept funding, the grant funding will retroactively commence on 9/1/24 and expire on 8/31/25.
This grant funding will be used to support the Child Protective Services Prevention and Rehabilitation Court (hereby known as CPRC). This program is designed to serve children, parents and families involved in the child welfare system due to substance use as a contributing factor to child abuse and/or neglect. The goal of the program is to serve up to 15 families and 25 delinquent youth. Currently, there is no operational specialty court in Harris County serving families, children or youth in either Temporary Managing Conservatorship (TMC), Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC) or Participation in Services (PIS) status identified as having drug and alcohol use or dependency. As a result, identifying and implementing interventions for these participants will reduce downstream demands and recidivism.
Expected Impact:
Grant funding will allow DCA to hire a full-time program coordinator, and to pay for drug testing, substance abuse and mental health counseling, and to purchase needed technology (desktop computer, laptop, monitor, keyboard, printer and cell phone).
Utilizing integrated substance abuse treatment services and a comprehensive case management approach involving court appointed special advocates, case managers and a multidisciplinary team of professionals, the CPRC will provide children, youth and families intensive services and interventions which would otherwise not be received. The CPRC will assist in the rehabilitation of individuals with substance use disorders in the processing of cases and proceedings under Title 3 and Title 5 of the Texas Family Code. Following the National Association of Drug Court Professionals model, the CPRC allows for monitoring of abstinence through periodic screening for alcohol and/or controlled substances, and the development of partnerships with public agencies and community organizations for ongoing judicial interaction with program participants. This program will protect child safety, provide permanency solutions and reduce further penetration into the child welfare and criminal justice systems.
Alternative Options:
The youth and some families who meet the CPRC target population criteria would not receive the additional counseling and drug testing, nor funding for transportation to services, and CPRC would have to continue operations without a full-time program coordinator.
Alignment with Goal(s):
X Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
1/30/24 |
245 |
Approved by Commissioners Court. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
FY 25 CPS Prevention and Rehabilitation Court |
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
FY24 portion |
FY25 portion |
|
Grant |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$ 205,127 |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Current Budget |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$205,127 |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Request |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
|
Total Personnel |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Anticipated Court Date: December 10, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Richard Woods, Court Administrator, District Courts
Attachments (if applicable):
• Court Order
• CPRC Grant Award Letter