Edmonton Drug Treatment & Community Restoration Court

Need for Effective Governance, and Philosophy

The need for effective governance of a drug treatment court program was identified at the outset of the development of the Edmonton DTC program. Governance is a key strategic issue in the development of a problem-solving or therapeutic court program, due to the requirements of integrated case management and innovative collaboration between a wide variety of stakeholders. To this end, a collaborative management framework for governance of the Edmonton DTC program was developed and endorsed by a broad base of government and community stakeholders.

 

An agreed approach to governance of the Edmonton DTC program received approval at the final meeting of the Edmonton DTC Steering Committee on November 4, 2005.  At that meeting, which took the form of a facilitated workshop, the Edmonton DTC Steering Committee voted to dissolve itself. The Committee members also agreed to form a new entity, called the “EDTCRC Program Management Committee.” To facilitate the organization of the management body, the Steering Committee also, upon dissolution, reformed itself as the “Strategic Planning Committee of the EDTCRC.” The Executive Director of the Alberta John Howard Society was nominated and installed as its interim Chairperson of that successor Committee.

 

Essential principles for collaborative governance were also approved during the facilitated workshop session. The governing principles were reflected in the “Framework for Collaborative Governance”, published in November 2005, which are reflected in this paper. Full implementation of the framework for collaborative management of the Edmonton DTC program was subject to:

The treatment and rehabilitation component of the program, which distinguishes it from “ordinary” adult criminal courts, is founded upon policy and program development, and relies upon treatment regimes as currently in place in Alberta and available in the Edmonton area. The Edmonton DTC Program does not purport to change the addiction treatment and rehabilitation sector, or the various supporting agency policies, rules or programs, but rather seeks to operate within them. However, it may be that certain treatment programs may be amended, augmented, or developed in service of the DTC program. The program is intended to coordinate a community response to achieve the restorative goals of the program through community mobilization and involvement. However, in this regard, the program does not intend to alter community agencies, their policies, or programs, but rather work effectively with them.

 

The result is that the Edmonton DTC Program required a carefully crafted and purposeful form of governance, where parties, key actors and stakeholders are enabled and empowered to contribute to successful program development and operations according to their individual function, capability and responsibility to the program. The higher principle, referred to as collaborative management, is juxtaposed to the set of established limitations and elements that exist due to the operation of law, Government structure and policy, as well as existing programs that may support the Edmonton DTC Program yet are independent from it.