Family drug courts (FDCs) are designed to help abused and neglected children by addressing parental substance abuse within the context of family court child-protection cases. Specifically, FDCs handle cases (1) involving parental rights in which an adult is the respondent; (2) that come before the court through either a civil or criminal process; and (3) that arise out of the substance abuse of the adult parent and deal with custody and visitation disputes; abuse, neglect, and dependency matters; petitions to terminate parental rights; guardianship proceedings; or other laws, restrictions, or limitations of parental rights. According to a recent drug court clearinghouse report, 10 FDCs are operating in the United States and 10 more are in the planning stage.
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