New WV Family Treatment Court launches in Cabell to help parents safely reunify with their children

by Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
July 15, 2025

A new Family Treatment Court launched in Cabell County on Monday with the goal of helping parents in child abuse and neglect cases get help for their substance use disorder then safely reunify with their children.

West Virginia’s foster care system is overwhelmed, and most children enter the system due to abuse and neglect and parental substance abuse. 

“Children are separated from their parents. Parents struggle to find the way back, and too often, this cycle repeats,” said Sixth Circuit Judge Sean “Corky” Hammers, who volunteered to preside over the Family Treatment Court.

“But today in Cabell County, we say enough. The Family Treatment Court is here to break that cycle,” he continued. “Keep in mind, this court is not about punishment. It’s about rebuilding.”

The voluntary Family Treatment Court Program offers 24/7 support for parents as they navigate recovery and work towards reunification with their children in the foster care system. It includes intensive case management, parenting services, housing referral assistance and more for a period of typically nine months with continued support.

“It takes strength to admit they need help, and determination to stay the course,” Hammers said. “This court will support that journey every step of the way, with treatment, accountability, guidance and grace.”

Cabell County — previously referred to as “ground zero of the state’s opioid epidemic” — has West Virginia’s second highest number of child abuse and neglect cases.

Cabell Family Treatment Court coordinator Clarissa Mills-Pyles said, “Cabell County needs the services of a Family Treatment Court,” said 

It’s the 14th Family Treatment Court in West Virginia. The courts, which serve 18 counties, have served 635 parents and 887 removed children. They have graduated 280 participants so far, with 418 children reunified with their families.

Children in child abuse and neglect cases typically spend around 18 months in West Virginia foster care; the family treatment programs reduce that time to a little more than 10 months. Twelve percent of the children have re-entered foster care within two years. 

Parents in the Family Treatment Court undergo frequent court monitoring, substance use testing and counseling while participating in the program.

“This program is intense and will be hard work, but these participants will have a full team behind them,” Mills-Pyles said.

The program in the Sixth Judicial Circuit is a cooperative effort of the court, Child Protective Services, substance use disorder treatment providers, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and others. 

Musician and comedian Cledus T. Judd, who is in recovery for substance use disorder, attended the opening ceremony at the Cabell County Courthouse in Huntington. While Judd did not attend a specialized treatment court, he said he hoped to inspire participants that recovery is possible.

“My love for my child was my recovery,” Judd said. “It’s not a child’s job to save a parent’s life, but it’s a parent’s job to save a child’s life … You can become something, because I did.”

As a result of the foster care crisis, West Virginia’s courts — from circuit courts all the way to the state Supreme Court of Appeals — are inundated by child abuse and cases and appeals. The state’s ongoing shortage of CPS workers has also impacted the court system, causing delays in cases and finding children a permanent home.

The Family Treatment Court often moves the cases along faster, leading to quicker permanency for children in the foster care system. Hammers noted that it was also saving the state money.

According to the state Supreme Court of Appeals, West Virginia has saved $7 million in foster care or kinship subsidy payments through Family Treatment Courts.

The programs have been funded through grant dollars, most commonly from federal grants and McKesson Corporation opioid settlement funds administered by the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy. Family Treatment Courts cost around $85,000-$100,000 per year to operate.

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.