The Court Services Initiative will be one critical component of the larger FIRST 5 System of Care for children prenatal through age five and their families. Working in partnership with the identified courts, FIRST 5 and its partner agencies will provide services and supports for families in which young children are developmentally suffering or at-risk of suffering from exposure to emotional/physical abuse, high conflict relationships and/or other high-risk behaviors by their parents/caregivers.


The Family Court project includes the support and coordination from:

• Seven Family Court Judges and two commissioners
• One Unified Family Court Judge
• Three Juvenile Delinquency Judges
• Four Domestic Violence Criminal Court Judges
• Two Juvenile Dependency Court Judges and two Commissioners
• Four Drug Court Judges
• One Probate Court Judge

Judges, Commissioners and Court staff may refer families with children prenatal through age five to FIRST 5 Program Specialists who are located in the identified courts. Families with young children living in the highest risk zip codes (as identified by FIRST 5 research) will receive priority for services.

FIRST 5 Program Specialists in the Courts will help identify families that are interested in preschool opportunities and will link families with a Family Partner. The Family Partner will assist the family in identifying needs, interests and concerns, and securing the necessary supports and services. Children with suspected developmental delays, disabilities and special needs will be screened, further assessed when warranted, and linked with appropriate services.

Additionally, the program will provide appropriate services and supports for the care-giving adults and their children. Parents/caregivers will receive education about:

• The importance of the first five years and how to promote the healthy development of their children;
• The dynamics of high conflict and its detrimental impact on young children;
• Skills to ameliorate conflict;
• Providing children with safe opportunities to communicate their feelings in order to motivate parents to make the necessary behavioral changes.

FIRST 5 will also continue to work with the Court systems to promote the importance of the first five years. As a convener, partner and advocate, FIRST 5 will promote the systemic changes necessary to ensure that the healthy development of the young children in a family is a primary consideration of all judges when they are dealing with parents/caregivers who come before the Courts.