CHARLESTON, W.Va. – For the first time since their inception, West Virginia’s Family Treatment Courts are financially backed by the state legislature.
The program, which operates courts in 13 of the state’s judicial circuits, was previously grant-funded, but the legislature included $1.4 million for FTCs in the budget at the request of the state Supreme Court of Appeals.
“They understand that funding is guaranteed and the program is recognized by the legislature as something of value,” Supreme Court Justice Thomas Ewing said.
The special courts were created as a pilot program by House Bill 3097 in 2019 with the intention of helping break the cycle of parental substance use disorder and child welfare involvement. Two years later, then-Governor Jim Justice made the program permanent by signing House Bill 2918 into law.
Ewing believes budgetary support provides solid ground for existing courts and paves the way to bring FTCs to unserved regions.
“Having the funding in the budget, I think, is critical for the stability of those programs. Additionally, the funding amount included enough to possibly expand the program to other parts of the state,” he said.
According to Ewing, discussions are ongoing about where that expansion could take place. He said starting a Family Treatment Court will require a circuit judge who is committed to the program’s success.
“The reason why the programs are successful is that the judges that are running them believe in the program and are presiding over the courts because they see the value in having those courts in their community,” he said.
Family Treatment Courts attempt to assist parents with substance abuse treatment with hopes of reuniting them with their children in safe environments more quickly than traditional abuse and neglect proceedings. As the judge overseeing the Fayette County FTC, Ewing got a personal look at what success looks like for the program.
“I’ve seen the change that it’s made in the lives of the people that I had before me in my program. I’ve seen it in the other programs across the state, especially now that I’m a justice and I get to go out to the graduations and talk to people,” he said.
Family Treatment Courts reported 1,070 children served between 2019 and 2025.