Family Dependency Drug Court Service Modifications During COVID-19

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is colliding with the ongoing opioid crisis, potentially worsening outcomes for people with substance use disorder (SUD). In Florida, family dependency drug courts (FDDCs) are civil problem-solving courts that facilitate parent-child reunification after governmental removal of children due to parental drug use. FDDCs have been forced to modify existing services due to COVID-19, yet little is known about FDDC modifications in response to COVID-19 and its impacts. Therefore, we sought to identify 1) how courts adapted to COVID-19 and 2) the experiences of court staff regarding the switch to virtual technology due to COVID-19. Method(s): We recruited all court staff from five Florida FDDC courts from June 2020 to June 2021 for in-person and virtual focus groups and individual interviews as part of a larger study evaluating their implementation of evidence-based practices. Eight focus groups with a total of thirty individuals and five individual interviews occurred. Data collection from each court occurred at two time periods: March-June 2020 and February-March 2021. Focus groups and interviews were recorded and professionally transcribed. In Dedoose software, we analyzed data using the iterative categorization approach in which a coding template is created based on the research questions, which can be modified during the consensus coding process. These coded excerpts were then labeled with summaries in spreadsheets and used to identify themes within and across codes. Result(s): FDDC service modifications involved switching to virtual court services and allowing court clients to access treatment virtually (e.g., telehealth, peer support, 12-step groups). The experiences of court staff regarding the switch to virtual technology due to COVID-19 included: 1) client engagement in virtual services has decreased;2) client access and participation to virtual court services has increased;3) clients may lack the technology to use virtual court services;4) relationship between staff and clients has suffered due to virtual technology;and 5) pre-existing familiarity with technology and institutional support helped staff with adapting during COVID-19. Discussion(s): COVID-19 precipitated the justice system's rapid modification of operations by utilizing virtual technology. This is an opportunity to implement systemic changes that could increase accessibility and efficiency in the court, which has historically been slow to embrace innovations;feasibility and acceptability of virtual services offered must be examined for each court's need. Conclusion(s): There are still aspects of virtual services that need improvement. A client's inability to participate in virtual services due to a lack of technology may cause negative perceptions from staff. Considering the current technological divide in the US, the incorporation of virtual services into FDDCs may negatively impact those with limited access to technology. Future research should delve into potential models for hosting in-person, virtual, or a hybrid model of virtual court services meant to maximize the benefits of both court service models.

COVID-19 Impacts on Teaching and Learning: A Collaborative Autoethnography by Two Higher Education Lecturers

The phenomenon of the Covid-19 lockdown in New Zealand during 2020 enabled two Higher Education (HE) lecturers to reflect on grappling with new technologies, changes in lifestyle and livelihoods, and the impact that social isolation had on Bachelor of Sport and Recreation (BSR) students as they shifted to emergency “remote” teaching and learning. This paper presents personal narratives, authored collaboratively by lecturers Anna and Hana (pseudonyms), engaging with a socio-ecological systems framework. The systems framework presents a layered, multi-faceted approach to reveal the complexity of the impacts of Covid-19 on HE teaching and learning. In-depth analysis of the microsystems, mesosystems, and macrosystems making up their systems framework, serve to highlight specifically how Anna and Hana interpreted their own and their university students’ responses to the unprecedented measures imposed on their lifestyle (home), livelihood (employment), and HE experience (online learning). By applying an autoethnographic methodology, this paper acknowledges and celebrates the lecturers’ subjectivity, emotionality, and influence on the presented research. As educators, their critical self-reflections are authentic and timely, expressing key concerns and considerations, while searching for optimal solutions to deliver equal and equitable learning opportunities for all students. A unique characteristic of this phenomenon was the inability (due to COVID-19 restrictions) of students who learn through practical contexts, to enact kinesthetically in a meaningful manner, and the subsequent implications on their learning. This paper presents a snippet of the lecturers’ reflective practice, co-constructed from recollections, memories, and anecdotal evidence, against a backdrop of current Covid-19 research on the effects of the pandemic, on teaching and learning globally. Whilst this paper sheds light on the experiences of two HE lecturers during the COVID-19 lockdown, a collection and analysis of “student” voice, is recommended. This paper concludes that a collaborative autoethnographic approach during exceptional circumstances, such as natural disasters, pandemics, and other disruptive situations, provides an opportunity for professional self-observation and self-reflective practice that is mutually beneficial, and empowering. These insights provide shared critical knowledge to sustain achievement while averting negative impacts, for students and lecturers alike. © Copyright © 2021 Godber and Atkins.