What is Family Recovery Court?

Family Recovery Court (FRC) is a voluntary & non-adversarial program that is offered as an alternative to the standard dependency case process. The collaborative FRC team serves each participant's individual needs with evidenced based approaches. In order to achieve FRC goals, the team expedites access to substance use and mental health treatment services, parenting support, and other needed services. Participants work closely with their assigned DCYF Social Worker and service providers. FRC increases the participants' accountability by holding frequent compliance hearings, dependency review hearings and requiring candor with the Court. The FRC Commissioner regularly review participant progress, talks with the participants regarding their struggles and successes, and provides rewards for progress and responses for rule infractions.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Whatcom County Family Recovery Court is to expedite the reunification of children with parents who are capable of providing proper parental guidance and support in a safe, stable, drug free, and nurturing home. Children deserve to live in a loving and nurturing environment with capable parents. In FRC, parents learn how to parent their children in a recovery lifestyle and rejoin their communities as healthy, productive families.

Commitment to Families

Throughout a participants time in FRC, the FRC team is committed to enhancing the participant's opportunities to succeed and achieve a healthy, productive, and recovery oriented lifestyle that will support reunification. FRC provides support, supervision, structure, and accountability needed to keep children with their parents or return children to their parents care. 

Hearings

FRC Hearings are held on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month.

How to Join

If you are interested in Joining FRC, speak with your attorney, DCYF case worker, GAL, or Family Recovery Court staff.