Grant to help infants, toddlers impacted by parental substance use

COSHOCTON – Coshocton County Juvenile Court was one of 15 sites and one of three in Ohio, selected to receive a three year, federal NQIC-CCCT grant to help address the needs of infants, young children and families affected by parental substance use.

“We saw the opportunity to apply for this and thought it would enhance our relationships and efforts to work with community partners who serve infants and toddlers and help child welfare with how they are being impacted with cases of substance abuse,” said Doug Schonauer, from juvenile court.

Partnering with them in strategies being tested with the help of the National Quality Improvement Center for Collaborative Community Court Teams (NQIC-CCCT) grant are: Job and Family Services, the city and county health departments, Help Me Grow, Coshocton Behavioral Health Choices, The Family and Children First Council, Allwell and the county board of developmental disabilities.

“As we go through this process we may learn we have to contract for services with others or have more people join our team,” Schonauer said. “We know the maternal and child health clinic is the only provider we have serving mothers from conception to birth and that mothers are leaving the county to give birth. We are going to have to work with others outside of our county for referrals.”

The group’s main goal is to make sure when a child is born to a mother with a substance use issue that they have a safe plan for when they go home and what services will be needed as the child grows.

“We are going to network with hospitals, prenatal providers and let them know who we are,” Schonauer said.

With the assistance of dedicated training and technical assistance change teams, demonstration sites will design, implement and test new and innovative approaches that meet the requirements of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) amendments to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and that better meet the needs of infants and families. Evaluation findings and lessons from demonstration sites will provide the field and local courts across the country with valuable information on the most effective multi-system strategies and approaches to improve the way in which parents and caregivers and their children are served.

The Collaborative Community Court Team will attend a national meeting in California with all 15 sites and work with the Supreme Court of Ohio on this initiative.

Members of the team gathered together for a lunch on June 19 to learn more about what’s ahead of them and hear from some of the people who will be supporting their efforts.

“What we saw in your application (for the grant) was that you all want the best for your kids and family,” said Gail Barber from Children and Family Futures in California, which will be assisting the local team.

Category: People & Places