13 people will graduate from Riverside County's Family Preservation Court Friday afternoon and Supervisor John J. Benoit will be on hand to offer congratulatory messages.
The program helps parents recover from substance abuse, keeps families together and keeps children safe. It also saves millions of dollars in social services and court costs. In fact, the program has helped save $42 million over three years by reducing dependency petition filings by 48 percent. It has also saved $28 million each year to the county by decreasing children’s services worker case load and foster care costs. The program is paid for with federal grants and state funding.
According to a press release, in 2005, Riverside County became the first in the country to implement a pre-filing dependency drug court.
This is accomplished through the implementation of an innovative, comprehensive, and family-centered approach to keep families together prior to the removal of children from their home and filing of the petition with the court. As long as the parents stay engaged with the program a petition is never filed.
“Having seen the tragic effects of drug and alcohol abuse on families, I’m encouraged to see these graduates get the help they need to lead responsible lives free from dependence," Supervisor Benoit said.
The graduation ceremony will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the jury assembly room of the Larson Justice Center in Indio (46-200 Oasis Street, second floor).
For more information about Friday’s ceremony, call Pamela Miller, Collaborative Justice Coordinator, at (951) 304-5334.
