WV Family Treatment Courts get $1M grant but want long-term funding from lawmakers

The state’s Supreme Court of Appeals announced Sept. 11 that it was awarded up to $1,162,038 through the Public Defender Services’ Impacting Child Abuse and Neglect grant program to operate the Family Treatment Courts. The grant funds are sourced through federal 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.

Funding plan for Family Treatment Courts

The voluntary Family Treatment Court Program offers 24/7 intensive case management, parenting services, housing referral assistance and more for a period of typically nine months with continued support.

In the past, these courts had been funded through federal grants and opioid lawsuit settlement funds administered by the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy.

The Supreme Court included additional funding for the treatment courts as part of its Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, but lawmakers did not allocate budget increases to the judicial branch for the current fiscal year.

In August, the Supreme Court announced it had secured $280,000 in State Opioid Response grant funding for the courts that could support the program through Sept. 30.

While the recent $1 million grant will support the court for the next year, a Supreme Court news release said the courts system “will continue to pursue more sustainable funding options for the program, including seeking funding for Family Treatment Courts in next year’s budget request from the Legislature.�

“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. “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. We remain committed to working with legislators in the upcoming session to support this critical program.�

Family Treatment Courts each cost around $85,000-$100,000 per year to operate.

Lawmakers allocated $900,000 for the programs in their FY 2026 budget.Ìý

Will Thompson, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, started the first Family Treatment Court in Boone County when he was a circuit judge. The program is one of the most efficient programs in government, he said, by helping people more quickly resolve child welfare cases that have overwhelmed the state’s foster system and courts.Ìý

Judges volunteer to preside over Family Treatment Courts, so most of the money is used to pay a coordinator position, Thompson said.Ìý

“The costs are incredibly low compared to the goods they deliver,â€� he said.Ìý

The Family Treatment Court often moves child welfare cases along faster, leading to quicker permanency for children in the foster care system. A child in the program spends 10.8 months in foster care compared to the state’s average of 18.8 months.

According to the state Supreme Court of Appeals, West Virginia has saved $7 million in foster care or kinship subsidy payments through Family Treatment Courts.

“You have people who suffer from an addiction and happen to parents, they’re not trying to beat the system, they’re trying to get their kids back.â€� Thompson said.Ìý

“When you see families reunited. It’s just an incredible feeling. And it’s not just for the parents … It’s the fact that you see that the kids are able to get their moms and dads back,� he added.

Justice Tom Ewing, who presided over the Fayette County Family Treatment Court program, said he said firsthand who the program changes lives.

“We need to provide certainty and stability for our Family Treatment Court participants and employees,� he said. It is a worthwhile investment for our state and I hope we can find the long-term resources that will help these courts succeed to their full potential.�