Foundational Training - DUI and DWI Courts

Free Foundational Training

Applications for 2023 DWI Court Foundational Training are now open!

Application deadline: March 31, 2023

Ready for some time away from the office with your team to implement or overhaul your DWI court? In 2023, NCDC is back to offering its in-person, 3.5-day foundational training, where your team travels to one of our DWI Academy Courts to attend the training and receive mentoring from the host court.

Here’s how it works: Your DWI court team will travel to an academy court, receive in-person training, be connected with one of our expert faculty members for one-on-one facilitation, and observe the host court.

Foundational training is provided at little to no cost to you (details in the application on how to receive funding for travel costs) and is the result of NCDC’s partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Foundational training is for DWI courts that are:

Pre-implementation
Programs still in the planning stages
Post-implementation
Recently implemented programs that have not participated in formal training
In need of a refresh
Established programs that have experienced significant turnover in staff
Never formally trained and facing challenges
Established programs that have never participated in formal training

Why should your program participate?

It's free!
As part of the training, teams will observe an operating DWI Academy Court.
Operational courts have rated this the best foundational training, whether they were recently implemented or addressing transition.
Our staff and a cadre of nationally renowned treatment court experts and practitioners work with select teams to implement evidence-based practices, develop policy and procedure manuals, and build team unity.

How to apply:

Form a planning committee

Review the application process

To participate in NCDC's DWI Court Foundational Training, each interested jurisdiction must download and complete the application by March 18, 2022, and submit it to their state highway safety office (SHSO) for consideration. Each jurisdiction must also submit a letter of commitment from the presiding judge.

NCDC expects each jurisdiction to honor its commitment to attend the training. NHTSA and NCDC expect to serve up to 20 jurisdictions through this foundational training process, using four 3.5-day foundational training events. Each training can accommodate up to five teams. Once the capacity of 20 teams has been met, a waitlist is initiated. Waitlisted teams are accepted into training if/when space becomes available.

Review available training dates

Review the training curriculum

Sample training sessions during the training include:

Ten Guiding Principles of DWI Courts - Our expert faculty review the 10 best practices of DWI courts and assist court teams in identifying practical application strategies to maximize program effectiveness and efficiency.
Responding to Client Behavior: Incentives and Sanctions - This session presents the scientific principles of behavior modification among impaired drivers, and teaches how best to apply incentives and sanctions based on the risk and need level of program participants.
DWI Treatment Continuum - This session reviews the growing body of evidence on treatment best practices in DWI courts in an effort to ensure both the court team and program participants see positive results based on personalized treatment plans.
DWI Court Target Population - This session will use best practices to help DWI court teams identify their target population, which will best leverage resources while maximizing the court’s impact on the justice system and local community.
Community Supervision and Alcohol/Drug Testing - Our expert faculty provide critical information related to monitoring and supervising DWI court participants, as well as the importance of consistent alcohol and drug testing.
DWI Court Phases and Requirements - This session addresses the need for distinct phases of progress for DWI court participants on their path to program completion.
Multidisciplinary Team - Each team member plays a vital role in the success of DWI court. This session enables teams to discuss and identify the responsibilities of each team members while engaging in activities to improve cohesion.