McLean County the new Family Court accepted its first client and received a $75,000 grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to fund the operation, according to a news release.

On its website, OJJDP describes it the money will primarily finance a coordinator who will provide training and find a peer recovery support specialist, as well as provide other support to the court team and families.

The grant also funds collaborations with several community partners, including Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Carl BroMenn, Center for Youth and Family Solutions and Baby fold.

The county has been working to get a family treatment court operating for a couple of years. It is the first of its kind in Illinois, meant to help parents who are at risk of losing their children and have substance abuse problems.

“By providing comprehensive services overseen by an interdisciplinary team, combined with frequent court appearances and the ability to monitor a parent’s progress in real time, the goal is to address failures more quickly to complete case plan tasks (and get the parent back on track) , and stimulate progress where appropriate, ultimately resulting in more successful completions of treatment and reunifications,” according to the release.

The first participant entered the program on October 16.