“Thrive”—Thurston County’s Early Childhood Court

Adulthood means learning to juggle multiple tasks, day-in and day-out. Work, chores, bills, groceries, friends, family…they all take precious time and energy. But some situations require our full attention, often to the detriment of other responsibilities. Navigating the court system has dozens of mandatory steps, requirements, and milestones. So does parenting. Trying to handle both at the same time can be challenging.

Thrive previously known as Safe Babies Court is an Early Childhood Therapeutic Intervention court program that works to protect infants and toddlers and set up families for long-term success.  To be eligible a family must have a child under three. The program helps parents learn the skills needed to raise their child or children while juggling other court-ordered services. By breaking cycles of abuse/neglect and/or other challenges, Thrive looks to give these families the support they need for a fresh start.

In this process, services are ordered for parents in dependency cases.  A dependency case is a legal term for a type of case that involves a child who is considered dependent on the court for protection. According to Family & Youth Justice Programs (FYJP), a dependent child has suffered abandonment, abuse, or neglect. The term also applies to children without a safe family situation or one receiving extended foster care services.

“In Washington State,” says FYJP, “more than half of all dependency cases involve children aged birth to five years old.  Research has proven that the most rapid period of brain development occurs during this time and impacts every aspect of a child’s future, including academic performance, behavior, and mental health. Many courts recognize the challenges and the opportunities that this presents, and several Washington State dependency courts have focused their efforts on better serving young children and their families.”

Sabrina Craig is the Therapeutic Courts Program Manager for Thurston County Superior Court.  One of her duties in that role is to supervise the Community Coordinator position for Thrive.  She’s worked with therapeutic courts for almost 15 years. She began supervising the Community Coordinator for the Early Childhood Therapeutic Court in 2023.

Craig explains that Thrive works with multiple stakeholders throughout the process. These include parents and the parent attorneys, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) which is represented in these matters by the Attorney General’s Office, and service organizations like Family Support Center of South Sound and Family Education & Support Services (FESS). Throughout a family’s time in SBC, everyone maintains the same goal: to support a family’s reunification or other permanency plan.

Thrive is a voluntary early engagement program. “Entry into the program must occur at or about the time Dependency is established,” explains Craig. “This typically means that sometime during the shelter care process, referrals are made by attorneys, social workers, or are sometimes self-referred after speaking with the Community Coordinator.”

Thrive relies on the Strophy Foundation to provide flexible funds to support parents in navigating the ordered services and addressing barriers to supports that will ultimately allow them to thrive as parents.

The coordinator position is currently vacant, and Craig hopes to recruit and onboard new help in 2025. She’s looking for “someone with a passion for working with families and to develop plans by which to use our Strophy funds to incentivize parent engagement.”

Successful parenting—like adulthood—means juggling, improvising, figuring things out on the go, and learning to ask for help when you need it most. Thanks to the Strophy Foundation’s support, Thrive, and the families we serve get the opportunity to well…thrive.