Family Preservation Court

 Introduction

Lafayette Family Preservation Court began in May 2010. Family Preservation Court is an alternative to regular dependency court and is designed to improve the safety and well-being of children in the dependency system by providing parents access to drug and alcohol treatment, judicial monitoring of their sobriety and individualized services to support the entire family. The LFPC has established several community collaborations and relies almost solely on referrals from the Department of Children and Family Services.

Through this collaborative, non-adversarial approach, the Family Preservation Court integrates substance abuse treatment and increased accountability into the process by utilizing the 10 key components of the Drug Court model. The goal is to give parents quicker access to treatment, the ability to stay in treatment longer and more access to treatment as needed. With the intense intervention the LFPC provides, the judge and DCFS are able to make quicker and more informed decisions on the parent's ability to parent. This leads to cost-savings and better outcomes for the children.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Lafayette Family Preservation Court is to provide judicial accountability and enhanced access to comprehensive treatment services, to improve the safety and the welfare of children, and to support the recovery of their parents from alcohol and drug abuse.

Target Population

Parents must be residents of the 15th JDC and must be the legal and primary caretaker of a child who has been placed, or is in danger of being placed, into DFCS care outside of the parental home. The parent must have allegations arising from substance abuse or dependence and must voluntarily enter the program. Exclusionary criteria include prior substantiated reports for child sexual abuse, a mental health or cognitive disability that prevents full participation in substance abuse treatment, chronic or terminal medical condition requiring extensive treatment, previous convictions for felony violent crimes or felony child abuse (can be waived by a judge).

Program Goals

• The program is designed to reunite parents with their children in less time by providing accelerated services and quickly linking them to treatment services which include but are not limited to: substance abuse counseling, parenting and nurturing skills, life skills and any other services that they need.
• To provide parents with a dedicated and specialized DCFS unit designed to help them satisfy your case plan needs.
• To give parents frequent interaction with the Judge who is supervising your case.
• To give parents access to a public defender who will also advocate for them if you have criminal proceedings pending.
• To help parents understand the treatment process and help them engage in treatment until you complete it.
• To give parents ongoing support and assistance to stay connected with their children while they are placed out of the home.
• To provide parents with increased visitation with their children if they are staying sober and living a healthy lifestyle.

Judge Thomas Duplantier
P.O. Box 3612
Lafayette, La. 70502
Office: (337) 269-5722
Secretary: Ashley Alis: aealis@15thjdc.org
Law Clerk: Sy Savoy: duplantierlawclerk@icloud.com
Court Reporter: Maria West