CINCINNATI — Applause echoed through Room 615 at Hamilton County Juvenile Court as four women received gift bags and words of congratulations.
But this wasn't a typical graduation ceremony. These mothers had earned something far more precious than a diploma — they had earned their children back.
Seventeen months ago, Tabitha Dick was pregnant and sitting in a jail cell, having lost custody of her two youngest children and her home. On Tuesday, she stood before a crowd of supporters, holding a certificate that represented a challenging journey.
"I felt hopeless, discouraged. ... I just felt unworthy. I felt like a bad mom, bad person," Dick said.
Dick was one of the four mothers who completed Hamilton County Juvenile Court's Family Dependency Treatment Docket, a specialized program that has been helping parents overcome addiction and reunite with their children for more than 25 years.
Building hope
Chief Magistrate Scheherazade Washington has overseen countless graduations during her tenure, but this ceremony was special — it was the first time four participants reached the finish line together.
"We normally graduate individually, but we had four people who came to the finish line together, so we decided to make it a great big celebration for everybody," Washington said.
WATCH: Four mothers rebuild their lives through Hamilton County recovery court
Washington said that participants typically start the program with nothing.
"When we think about our day, it's just daily, come and go to work, go to the grocery store," Washington said. "We teach them how to get transportation. To us, we get in our car and go to work. For them, it's a challenge to catch a bus or get an Uber and to afford those things."
The program relies heavily on community partnerships to address the complex needs of families in crisis with an approach focusing on healing parents first, then addressing parenting skills.
"If a parent is sober, then we can work with them in their parenting skills, but as long as their mind is clouded with substances, they don't have the ability to parent the way they should and the way their children deserve to be parented," Washington said. "So we start at the beginning and focus on them, and then after we get them to be whole, then we can focus on their parenting."
Children whose parents cannot care for them because of substance abuse issues often end up with a dependency case in juvenile court. This docket directly helps parents and guardians obtain and maintain sobriety, giving them the support they need to adequately care for their children, according to Kelly Leon, communications director for Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
Leon said it avoids ineffective treatment, ill-informed court decision-making and repetitive litigation that impede reunification of the family.
Kassi Setty, another graduate, said she was homeless and pregnant when she entered treatment.
"It was either go to treatment or die, and sometimes that's what I wanted to do," Setty said.
Setty's one-year sobriety milestone is tomorrow. She now works in construction and has been reunited with her children.
The power of peer support
Both Dick and Setty said they credit their fellow participants with helping them through the most challenging moments of their recovery.
"It was great (hearing from my peers today). I love them. They've been a major part in my support system, and I probably wouldn't have made it this far without their support," Dick said.
Setty said she found strength in connecting with others who understood her struggles.
"I met a lot of really great people in recovery. I have a really good social recovery service support network, and I rely a lot on those people because they've been through what I've been through, and they help guide me through my recovery," Setty said.
Both women told us the chance to rebuild relationships with their children was a motivator for them. Dick said she feared that her unborn son would be taken from her at birth.
"I was pregnant with my son, Levi, and I joined family recovery court. And even when I was pregnant, I was told that they were going to take custody of him when he was born, and it was just the most devastating thing ever, and he ended up coming home from the hospital with me," Dick said.
Now Dick has overnight visits with her older children on weekends and full-time custody of her son, who will turn 1 next month.
Setty said sobriety meant her children could finally know the real her.
"My three youngest kids, they didn't know me sober. My oldest one did, and she watched me fall and she's watched me rise back up, and she's here today and I'm grateful that my oldest child is able to see me get back on my feet and get my life back together," Setty said. "And I'm grateful that I have an opportunity to raise my three youngest kids sober."
Looking forward
While Setty said she has difficulty looking too far into the future, she told us she remains focused on the present.
"I know I'll be clean. I know that most of my days are just focused on today," Setty said.
Both graduates spoke about their hopes for their children and their determination to break generational cycles.
"I just want (my kids) to be happy. I want them to succeed in life. I want to give them all the tools for success so that they don't have to end up where I've ended up," Dick said.
Dick told us her advice for others facing similar struggles: "You have to work on yourself, because at the end of the day, you're stuck with yourself. If you don't work on yourself ... you're going to lose everything."
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