Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court Receives Grant Supporting Families First Program

1/11/2023

Announcement

Cuyahoga County, Ohio: Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court Administrative Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze is pleased to announce the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County has awarded a $90,000 grant to the Domestic Relations Court Families First Program.

“The Families First Program represents a collaborative effort between the Domestic Relations Court, the ADAMHS Board, and our community partners to help participants overcome substance use, mental health disorders, and parenting issues,” explained Judge Tonya R. Jones, who founded and has presided over the Families First Program since 2018.

The Families First Program is a voluntary intervention program that links parents with treatment and supportive services necessary to assist with substance use, mental health, and parenting issues that may impact their ability to co-parent. Participants served by the Families First Program have active contested pre-decree, post decree, or domestic violence matters in the Domestic Relations Court.
Graduates leave with a sustainable parenting time schedule that benefits both parents and their children.

The Families First Program was the first program of its type in the state of Ohio and has since been replicated in Summit County Domestic Relations Court. “My work and commitment to families led me to rethink the processes of Domestic Relations Court – to develop a new concept that frames a mix of governmental, community, and individual collaboration to help Cuyahoga County families,” said Judge Jones.

The ADAMHS Board grant provides financial support to assist participants by eliminating barriers to treatment and supportive services that are specific to the needs of each participant. Judge Jones explained, “Linking participants to a wide range of services, including case management, substance use treatment, mental health treatment, and counseling, is critical to the success of our participants and their
ability to successfully co-parent.”

For more information about the Families First Program, please contact Program Coordinator Janessa Hill Slade at jhillslade@cuyahogacounty.us or (216) 698-3417.

To read the full press release, click here.

To learn more about the Families First Program, click here