The Programs

Specialty Court programs support children & families in crisis.

Legacy Family Court Foundation supports three Dallas County Specialty Family Courts in their efforts to reunite families that have been separated due to parental substance addiction and secure permanent care placement for children under CPS care.

  • Presiding Judge Jean Lee

    The 303rd District Court serves children and families, with a particular focus on those who are deemed high risk due to a number of issues, including:

    • Drug & alcohol issues co-occurring with mental health

    • Financial disparities

    • Homelessness

    • Trauma

  • Presiding Judge Delia Gonzales

    The Child Protection and Permanency Court serves to find permanent care placement for children who are in CPS custody following the termination of parental rights.

    The court oversees the care of these children, finding them permanent homes, providing them with school supplies and holiday gifts, and offering the support and resources they need to get on solid ground before embarking on their higher education or career journeys.

  • Presiding Judge Tamika Jones Abendroth

    The Legacy Family Court of Dallas County was created to provide a non-adversarial path to family reunification for adults whose children have been removed from their custody due to addiction-related allegations of abuse or neglect.

    The court funds sober living arrangements, outpatient treatment, regular drug testing, incentives for voluntary participation, and other resources that help these adults develop the health, stability, and skills needed to get back on their feet and get their kids back. 

Click to learn more about each court

What do the Specialty Courts do?

Each court is unique in the participants they serve, the resources they provide, and the particular problems they help solve. What unites all the courts is a commitment to helping the children and families of Dallas County find healing, hope, and community, regardless of their circumstances.

Specialty Court Judges share more about their courts’ missions:

Judge Delia Gonzales
Child Protection and Permanency Court

Judge Tamika Jones Abendroth
Legacy Family Court

Hope, healing, and helping hands

These court programs represent an intensive, collaborative effort to support children who’ve undergone the trauma of trafficking or separation from their families, and to support families with substance addiction issues through their recovery process.

Our mission is to support these Specialty Courts in their goals to both provide safe, stable homes and necessary resources for the development of children in state custody, and to achieve successful recovery, rehabilitation, and reunification of parents with their children. We do this by raising funds and awareness for effective court advocacy.

You can support this crucial programming by making a donation to the Legacy Family Court Foundation. Monitored by judicial oversight, these funds pay for the housing, treatment, supplies, and other necessary resources needed to meaningfully impact participants’ lives and help them achieve their goals.

As a humane and cost-effective alternative to incarceration for addicted parents, drug court programming results in reduced crime and drug use. Through these voluntary programs, we’ve seen parents get sober, find jobs, and even return to the program as mentors. We’ve seen former foster care runaways graduate college after taking full advantage of the opportunities available to them through the specialty courts. We’ve seen hope restored and families reunited.

Like us, you recognize the tragedy of a child being forced to grow up too fast, the devastation addiction can cause, and the need to reinforce the societal structures put in place to help those who are suffering.

With your donation, we can bolster the efforts of Dallas County Specialty Family Courts to support traumatized children in their healing and development, placement in permanent homes, and, whenever possible, reunification with their own families. 

Every lost child represents a missed opportunity at a better future for this world. When you support Legacy Family Court Foundation, you’ll feel empowered knowing you’ve helped to transform terrible circumstances into terrific opportunities, and to create a world defined by hope, healing, and communal strength.