MOTHERS LIVE WITH THEIR CHILDREN WHILE IN TREATMENT 
 
WHAT:  Family Treatment Court Graduation 
 
WHEN:  Friday, July 13, 2007 at 11 a.m. 
 
WHERE:  Jurors’ Lounge, Room 3100, Moultrie Courthouse - 500 Indiana Ave., NW 
 
WHO:   The Honorable Anita Josey-Herring, Presiding Judge of Family Court; Patrice Gaines, journalist, author and motivational speaker  
 
Family Treatment Court Program details:

• Family Treatment Court is a voluntary 18 month comprehensive substance abuse treatment program for mothers and female guardians of children who are the subject of a child neglect allegations.  Those who participate must stipulate the allegations of neglect.

• The first nine months of treatment take place in a treatment facility in which the women reside along with up to four of their children who are under age eleven.

• The treatment facility provides on-site and community-based services, including substance abuse education and treatment, parenting skills, counseling and childcare.

• If the participant successfully completes the residential phase, they participate in a formal graduation ceremony and proceed to the community-based aftercare phase.  It is this formal ceremony – the 8th such ceremony – that will take place Friday, July 13, 2007.

• After graduating, the participant begins the nine-month community-based continuing care phase, where the women are afforded opportunities to obtain housing, jobs, educational opportunities, and mental health needs.

• Only approximately 4 out of 10 women involved in the program will suffer a relapse.

• The DC Addiction Recovery and Prevention Administration is the program’s continuing care treatment provider.

• Through the collaborative efforts of the Mayor’s Service Liaison Office in the Family Court, and stakeholder partnerships, the women who participate in the Family Treatment Court are assisted in efforts to obtain housing, jobs, and educational opportunities. 
 
Patrice Gaines is a well known journalist and motivational speaker.  She has worked as a reporter for the Washington Post and has written two nonfiction books, one an autobiography entitled Laughing In The Dark: From Colored Girl to Woman of Color, A Journey from Prison to Power.  As an inspirational speaker, Ms. Gaines has appeared on Oprah and Dateline and has traveled the country, describing how she has raised herself from drugs, abusive men, and low-self esteem.  She hopes to inspire others to find the determination necessary to better themselves and their family.