Chatham County Court and Provider Meeting, 10-06-09. Savannah Georgia

Mollie and Jeff participated in the Provider Meeting with Chatham County Juvenile Court on October, 6, 2009. The meeting was held with multiple agencies attending including the Juvenile Court Judges. (Judge Stone, Judge Bean, and Judge Burke)  The meeting was hosted by the Chatham County Department of Family and Children Services., with  Ms. Yvonnia Brown as the Director.

 Representatives from The Chatham County Juvenile Court included Management Staff, Gary Smith, Scott Brown, Crystal Cooper , and Michelle Jones. Jean Newton Cottier, FDTC Coordinator,  Mary Jo Gajewski, Kidset, and Numerous other staff from Chatham County Court, Ga. Department of Juvenile Justice and Chatham County DFCS also attended the meeting.

Chatham County has developed a Family Dependency Treatment Court whose primary mission is to "improve the lives of children and their families by addressing the deprivation resulting from substance abuse of a parent or care giver". The FDTC Program consists of 3 phases, with a minimum of 1 year and a max of 2 years of in the program. The evaluation process will continue for a period of 5 years.  Phase 1, entry into the program, case management, phase 2 teaches how to reach goals, education,  sobriety, and employment. Phase 3 teaches coping skills and relapse prevention. Jean Newton Cottier  is the FDTC Coordinator.

S&T has a branch office in Savannah and a treatment team which focuses on providing IFI (Intensive Family Intervention Services). S&T will work along with other providers to establish a network of services  for both youth and their families in the Chatham County Area.