From Crisis to Stability: How Thrive Is Helping Families Reunite
Thrive, previously called Safe Babies Court, is an Early Childhood Therapeutic Intervention court. Supported by the Strophy Foundation, it provides guidance, resources, information, and wraparound services to both help and reunite families.
Star Jones is the Community Coordinator for Thrive. Like so many others on staff, she is a therapeutic court alumnus, graduating from drug court in 2020. Also, like many of her fellow alumni, Jones was eager to give back by dedicating her time and talent to helping others navigate these rigorous, restorative programs.
“I had no idea about Safe Babies Court,” she laughingly admits, “but applied when I saw the opening because it was part of the therapeutic courts. I always wanted to be back because it changed my life in such dramatic ways and it’s been one of the best career choices I could have made.”
Jones explains that she had “heavy experience” in the criminal side of the court system while working through her own addiction. But, she says, “I remember how it was going through this extremely difficult and stressful time and I wanted to help.”
The courtroom, says Jones, can be a scary, confusing place where you’re left unsure of what to do or say. Thanks to Thrive, however, “for the first time these families can tell us what they need and we can support them in creating that.”
She appreciates how many people involved with therapeutic courts have lived experience. Jones believes that a peer work mentality makes them amazing champions for families navigating the system. “Seeing people very close to my background helped me to know it’s possible to make this kind of change.”
Families first hear about Thrive from their case’s judge, the defense attorney or Public Defenders Office, assigned social workers, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, or their child’s guardian ad litem.
Thrive’s programming is individualized to each person’s specific needs and doesn’t follow a set schedule. Graduates typically take between 16 and 24 months to finish. It is often in tandem with other treatments to meet the person’s specified needs and goals.
Thrive helps fill in gaps on their road to success. These needs—which “vary dramatically,” says Jones—include housing, help returning to or finishing school, assistance working with a special needs child, or everyday guidance around cooking, shopping, or creating a home budget.
To maintain productive and forward-moving momentum, Thrive holds regular family team meetings for each participant. These include assigned social workers, legal representatives, Thrive staff, relatives, and the child’s placement caregivers. These strength-based meetings are parent-led and allow families to ask questions, receive updates, and request support in specific areas.
Staff have also worked to reimagine the setting versus a standard ‘As Seen on TV’ courtroom. Everyone sits in a circle around the table, there is a resource area for the adults, a play area with toys for kids, and everyone is more relaxed and judgement-free. Thrive team members receive cultural aspect and trauma-informed training so their approach is less formal and more welcoming for families. Jones says this approach is unique and rare for Safe Babies Courts both in our region and beyond.
To learn more about the program, Jones welcomes questions by phone (360.709.3097) or email (star.jones@co.thurston.wa.us). Loved ones are also welcome to attend the monthly court hearings and see for themselves how easy it is to Thrive with skilled guidance and a helping hand.