The Blanket that Wraps Around the Family
BY VIVIAN LaMOORE, Inaajimowin Editor
Band Assembly recently distributed a bill for public comment that would establish a Healing-to-Wellness Court within the Judicial branch of the Mille Lacs Band government. The bill is sponsored by District III Representative Wallace St. John and is available for public comment until December 2, 2021. The bill will also be discussed at a formal public hearing on December 8, 2021, at 10:30 a.m.
What is the Healing-to-Wellness Court?
Healing to Wellness in Ojibwe is Noojimo’wgamig Inaawanidiwag, meaning healing journey. Theresa James is the Healing-to-Wellness Court case manager in the Mille Lacs Band Court of Central Jurisdiction. James explains that this program is “designed to provide families the support and resources they need to be successful in their journey to wellbriety and reunify families sooner.”
The program is modeled after the popular and successful state drug courts that are used in courtrooms across the nation. This approach provides intensive services and frequent court intervention to facilitate the reunification of Band families and to prevent the breakup of such families; to promote positive behavioral health and wellness for participants, their families, and Band communities; and to reduce recidivism rates of alcohol and controlled substances and promote recovery, according to Adam Candler, Legislative Branch Legal Counsel.
“Said differently, the Healing-to-Wellness Court is intended to create a ‘road back’ for Band members and their families who are facing potentially adverse consequences in the tribal court system,” Candler said. “The new legislation would allow eligible participants to apply for entry into a special court that would help them to achieve sobriety and other wellness goals.”
The Noojimo’wgamig Inaawanidiwag considers the success of state drug courts and adds essential cultural aspects to the healing to wellness journey. The cases to be considered first in the implementation of the program are the urgent Child in Need of Protection or Services (CHIPS) cases concerning the health, safety, and welfare of children. “One of the most crucial factors in this program is the integration of all of the programs currently available to Band member families. This program will bring all of the entities together to work as one with each individual family.” Jill Tompkins, Judicial Branch Court Attorney said. “Noojimo’wgamig Inaawanidiwag will give the families the tools and skills they need to be successful while also strengthening their connections to Mille Lacs Band culture and community.”
At the time of this writing, Tompkins was reviewing the Legislative bill to make sure the text aligns with the goals of the Judicial Branch before the public comment period ends.
As a means of breaking down the silos that currently exist between the Court and the various Band programs providing services to the families, the program will use a collaborative team. The Noojimo’wigamig Inaawandiwag team will include the Judicial Officer, the Case Manager, a prosecutor, parents’ legal counsel, a Cultural Advisor, a Guardian ad Litem and staff from the Substance Use Disorders (SUD), Mental Health, Family Services, Aanjibimaadizing, and Housing departments. Other relevant persons, such as a child’s teacher, may join the team when they are considering the needs of a particular family.
“Going to court can be scary and intimidating,” James said. “And this program involves intense supervision, meeting with them several times a week, drug testing, going over strengths and needs, changing behaviors, and linking them to supports they need. We will be helping to prepare them for what they need on this journey and be that extended arm and that hand up as they go through this journey.” In this proactive approach, the Noojimo’wigamig Inaawanidiwag looks at proximal and distal behaviors — things we have control over and things we do not have control over. For example, James said, “We have control over deciding to show up for court appointments. We have control over being honest. We don’t have control over our addiction. We don’t have control over all of the consequences. Through this system, we will provide the skills and tools to promote change and allow families to be successful. We provide disciplines that match the behaviors to promote change. We certainly don’t want them to feel like they are always being disciplined. And when we talk about cultural-based programs, that will include such things as ceremony, talking circles, big drum, sweats, sweetgrass, sober supports, to name a few, that will empower them towards recovery.”
The Noojimo’wigamig Inaawanidiwag team will work in a circle with the families and all programs together giving the client a voice in their own journey. “The relationship between departments and the client needs to be transparent to make sure we are not missing services or not duplicating services and provide the best to the clients,” James said. The extended family is also included in the journey, James continued. “Not just the parents; it is the kids, the we-ehs, the aunties and uncles — we all work together — tapping into their strengths and abilities to support the family, hence making the family system stronger. The system is the blanket that wraps around that family.”
Clients who complete the Noojimo’wigamig Inaawanidiwag program and are reunified with their children will be able to have their case dismissed. This is a win-win for everyone. Although the Judicial Branch has been working on the Wellness Court initiative for several years, a recent five-year U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice System grant has made it possible for the program to launch. Pending the outcome of the formal public hearing of the legislation and the adoption of the statute, the Noojimo’wigamig Inaawanidiwag team is developing court rules, policies, and procedures to implement the program. A participant handbook written in plain language that is easy for families to understand will also be drafted, Tompkins said. The Judicial Branch is planning to launch the program by October 2022.
“We recently completed a case in the Urban area using the current child protection system. The individual social worker put in an extraordinary amount of time and effort working to connect the family to services and consequently, the parents were able to be reunified quickly with their children. Replicating that success for every family is what we are going for. That is our goal,” Tompkins said. “Using a collaborative Band-wide team approach — including the family —where every entity contributes and shares a common goal will result in quicker and more lasting family reunifications.
