Connection Before Consequence: Parents' Perspectives on Compliance in Family Treatment Court

Abstract

Family Treatment Courts (FTCs) are specialized child welfare courts for families with parental substance use disorders designed to increase treatment compliance and, ultimately, reunification. FTCs employ two primary theories aimed at increasing compliance with the program’s interventions, operant behavioral theory and procedural justice. Limited research in FTC settings has explored the mechanisms by which application of these theoretical approaches shape client experiences. This study sought to begin addressing this gap utilizing in-depth interviews with 17 FTC-involved participants.

The current research was a sub-study of a federally-funded project that sought to expand services in a Midwestern FTC. Study participants (n = 17) were parents with active or recently closed FTC cases. Semi-structured in-person interviews were conducted utilizing open- and axial-coding as well as constant comparative coding. Five themes reflected the participants’ views on program factors that contributed to their ongoing participation in the FTC: relationships and structure, changes in internal perceptions of substance use and self, perceived accountability, tiered intervention structure, and external supports. 

The results of the current study illuminate how the structure of FTCs creates a critical interplay between operant behavioral theory and relational procedural justice that may result in increased compliance by participants.