CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia today announced it has received more than $1 million in grant funds through the Public Defender Services of West Virginia that will temporarily sustain the state’s Family Treatment Courts over the next year.
The Court has been awarded up to $1,162,038 through the Public Defender Services’ Impacting Child Abuse and Neglect (iCan) grant program. 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.
“Additionally, I would like to thank our staff in the Supreme Court’s Administrative Office for their exhaustive and dedicated efforts over the last several months to pursue any and all available funding opportunities for this critical program,” Chief Justice Wooton said.
Family Treatment Courts are specialized, problem-solving courts designed to support parents in overcoming substance use disorders while working toward the safe reunification of their families. The Legislature created Family Treatment Courts as a pilot program in 2019, later making them a permanent program under supervision of the Supreme Court in 2021. There are currently 14 Family Treatment Courts operating in 18 counties.
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 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 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 other funding opportunities were pursued.
While the iCan grant funds will support Family Treatment Courts for the remainder of the current fiscal year, justices reiterated they 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. “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. We remain committed to working with legislators in the upcoming session to support this critical program.”
“I have seen firsthand that this program helps people change their lives,” said Justice Tom Ewing, who presided over the Fayette County Family Treatment Court program. “It helps to ensure children have a safe home environment, while empowering parents to overcome the addictions and struggles that led to their situation. We need to provide certainty and stability for our Family Treatment Court participants and employees. 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.”
