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West Virginia Supreme Court announces grant to fund Family Treatment Court program

(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

CHARLESTON — A grant will keep the state’s Family Treatment Courts funded for the remainder of the fiscal year, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia announced this week.

The court was awarded up to $1,162,038 through the Public Defender Services of West Virginia’s Impacting Child Abuse and Neglect program, a release from the court said. The source of the funding is federal, based on participation under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, which supports legal services in child welfare cases.

“I want to thank the Public Defender Services, including Executive Director Dana Eddy, for their willingness to step up and provide funding for our Family Treatment Courts for the coming year,” said Chief Justice William R. “Bill” Wooton. “These funds will ensure our Family Treatment Courts’ mission of providing safe home environments to our state’s most vulnerable children continues without interruption.”

Wooton also praised the work of the court’s administrative staff “to pursue any and all available funding opportunities for this critical program.”

Family Treatment Courts are intended to support parents in overcoming substance use disorders while working toward the safe reunification of families. They were created by the Legislature as a pilot program in 2019 and made a permanent program under the Supreme Court’s supervision two years later.

There are 14 Family Treatment Courts operating in 18 counties, including Wood County. In the past, these courts had been funded through federal grants and McKesson Corporation settlement funds administered by the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy, the release said.

The Supreme Court sought additional funding for the treatment courts in its fiscal year 2026 budget request, but the increase was not allocated.

In August, the court announced $280,000 in State Opioid Response grant funding to support the program through Sept. 30.

Justices in the release reiterated the need for more sustainable funding options going forward.

“We are committed to working with lawmakers as they craft next year’s budget bill to include funding for Family Treatment Courts,” said Justice C. Haley Bunn, who will serve as chief justice during 2026. “The Court will provide lawmakers with information on the benefits of Family Treatment Courts to demonstrate how the program eases the burdens on our state’s foster care system and ultimately saves taxpayers money. As we share more about the positive outcomes from this program, our hope is that lawmakers understand the need to provide stable funding for it.”

Bunn spoke about the need for funding for the court when she attended a graduation ceremony for three participants in Wood County’s Family Treatment Court in August.

“These (Family Treatment) Courts are problem-solving courts,” she said at the time. “The goal is to reunite these families and have everyone in a safe and happy home.”

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