SF kicks off Prevention & Family Recovery initiative

“The Court understands the impact of intergenerational poverty and drug addiction on the children served by Dependency Drug Court. This initiative will help the Court strengthen its partnerships and provide targeted services to nurture parent-child relationships and family stability.”

 – Presiding Judge Cynthia Ming-mei Lee 

San Francisco was selected as one of four sites to receive a Doris Duke Foundation Prevention and Family Recovery (PFR) grant to enhance services for families participating in Dependency Drug Court (DDC). Representatives from San Francisco's multidisciplinary team attended the PFR Leadership Development kick-off meeting this month in Newport Beach, CA. 

L-R: Eden Woldemariam (Homeless Prenatal Program), Katie Best (HealthRIGHT 360), Sylvia Deporto (Human Services Agency), Lynn Dolce (Department of Public Health), Jennifer Pasinosky (Superior Court), Dora Miranda (Superior Court), Miriam Silverman (Infant Parent Program), Jill Gresham (Children & Family Futures), Hon. Linda Colfax (Superior Court), Theresa Lemus (Children and Family Futures) Not pictured: Kimberlee Pitters (Department of Public Health)

The PFR initiative is overseen by Children and Family Futures, a nonprofit leader in the field of Family Drug Courts. Through this grant, DDC will provide evidence-based in-home parenting education to all participating families with children 0-5 years old and implement a “One Family, One Plan” strategy to ensure parent, child, and family services are integrated and highly coordinated across systems.

DDC's efforts will build upon the Interagency Service Collaborative (iASC), San Francisco's response to the Katie A. settlement agreement in California, requiring county governments to "improve the provision of mental health and supportive services for children and youth in, or at imminent risk of placement in, foster care in California."

The PFR grant also includes intensive technical assistance and program evaluation to support systemic change, identify best practices, and disseminate findings to other Family Drug Courts across the country. The other three sites were Robeson County, NC, Tompkins County, NY, and Pima County, AZ.

DDC's partners are excited for the opportunity to provide enhanced parenting services and implement systemic changes that help strengthen families and support long-term success. The project implementation date is July 1, 2014.

Click here to view the Superior Court’s press release.