Subject:
Title
Interlocal Agreement between Pinellas County and the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida for the Dependency Drug Court Expansion Program
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval and execution by the County Administrator of the Interlocal Agreement with the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida for the Dependency Drug Court Expansion Program (DDC).
• This Interlocal Agreement provides funding to for the expansion of the DDC program, enhancing services for families involved in the dependency system due to substance use disorders. The program enhances treatment access, supervision, and support services to improve family stability and child welfare outcomes.
• The Court will hire one full-time Grant Worker (FTE) and provide 0.20 FTE of a Drug Court Manager as in-kind personnel to oversee the program. This agreement ensures compliance with SAMHSA guidelines and aligns with federal grant requirements.
• The Board approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 11, 2024, establishing the framework for County-funded court employees. The Board also approved the grant application and subsequent Notice of Award (NOA) under Legistar file 24-1632A and the services agreements with Westcare Gulfcoast-Florida, Inc. (Westcare) under item 25-0175A.
• Funding in an amount not to exceed $71,391.00 annually has been provided by Grant # 1H79TI087283-01 from Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. No grant match is required. The $71,391.00 was added to the Court's FY25 Revised Budget through a budget resolution and is included in the FY26 Proposed Budget. The agreement includes a fiscal non-funding clause should Grant funding become unavailable.Body
Strategic Priorities:
Healthy and Safe Communities
2.1 Improve public health
2.2 Enhance community safety
Summary:
Summary
This Interlocal Agreement provides funding for the Dependency Drug Court Expansion Program, supporting families in the dependency system affected by substance use disorders. The program enhances treatment access, supervision, and support services to improve family stability and child welfare outcomes.
Funding ensures the continuation of critical court operations, including personnel costs for a full-time Grant Worker and partial salary for a Drug Court Manager.
This agreement is necessary to comply with SAMHSA grant requirements and facilitate the successful implementation of the program expansion.
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Background Information:
DDC Expansion Program aims to enhance services for drug-involved parents participating in the DDC, focusing particularly on those with neurotrauma. This program is designed to provide evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery support services (RSS) for adults with dependency adjudications or open Child Protective Investigations (CPI) cases due to parental substance use.
The program will serve approximately 175 unduplicated adults over five years (35 per year) and is expected to improve outcomes such as increased substance-free periods, reduced recidivism, and improved parenting. Historically, the DDC has proven effective in reducing parental rights terminations and promoting the return of children to their families.
WestCare the contracted treatment provider, will implement evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing to meet the needs of participants. This agreement is essential for sustaining and expanding the DDC's reach and ensuring the program can continue serving a growing number of parents who need these critical services.
Fiscal Impact:
Funding in an amount not to exceed $71,391.00 annually has been provided by Grant # 1H79TI087283-01 from Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s FY 2024 Grants to Expand Substance Use Disorder Treatment Capacity in Adult and Family Treatment Drug Courts. No grant match is required.
The $71,391.00 was added to the Court's FY25 Revised Budget through a budget resolution and is included in the FY26 Proposed Budget. The agreement includes a fiscal non-funding clause should Grant funding become unavailable.
The remaining grant award totaling $328,609.00 is allocated as follows: $309,403.00 to WestCare GulfCoast-Florida, Inc., and $19,206.00 to support the County’s Grant Worker Analyst position.
Delegated Authority:
Authority for the County Administrator to sign this Amendment is granted under Code Section 2-62 (a)(1).
Staff Member Responsible:
Karen Yatchum, Director, Human Services
Partners:
Sixth Judicial Circuit Court
Westcare
SAMHSA
Attachments:
Interlocal Agreement
Appendices