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Local forum on Kentucky’s children and families involved in state foster care system set for March 30


The public is invited to a regional community forum Saturday, March 30, in Union to discuss improving outcomes for Kentucky children and families involved in the state foster care system.

Citizen Foster Care Review Boards in the region are hosting the forum.

The forum will take place from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Boone County Public Library’s Scheben Branch at 8899 U.S. 42. This is not a library event.     


CFCRBs are hosting six regional community forums across the state March 28-April 18. The forums are among the reforms called for in House Bill 1, which was passed in 2018 to address issues with foster care and adoption. CFCRBs first provided regional forums to get input on the foster care system from August-October 2018.



“We encourage people to come to the forums and share their concerns about foster care,” said Tom Stevenson, chairman of the Kentucky CFCRB, which guides the work of local CFCRBs statewide. “It’s an opportunity to talk about what can be done to make the system better for thousands of Kentucky children and families. These forums are a pipeline from the public to the governor, legislature and Supreme Court. Let’s talk about getting children into permanent homes quickly, ensuring the safety and well-being of children while they’re in care and other issues. I’m hopeful that some forum attendees may also decide to get involved by volunteering with their local foster care review board.”



Findings from the forums will be reported to the Kentucky CFCRB and will be included in the board’s annual recommendations to the governor, legislature and Supreme Court of Kentucky.



Due to confidentiality, specific case information will not be discussed at the forums. 



For information on all the forums, visit the website and click on Forum Schedule.



Citizen Foster Care Review Boards
 are teams of court-appointed volunteers who make a difference in the lives of local children who are in foster care in Kentucky due to dependency, neglect or abuse.

The 700-plus volunteers review cases and make recommendations to state courts and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services on behalf of the children.

The volunteers work to ensure that children’s needs are met while in care and that they are placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. The CHFS administers the state foster care program.  



The Kentucky General Assembly created the Kentucky CFCRB in 1982 to decrease the time children spend in out-of-home care.

In Fiscal Year 2018, volunteers conducted more than 21,500 reviews of the cases of more than 12,400 children in out-of-home care.



Volunteers must complete a six-hour initial training session. To get more information and apply, visit this site. To view the 2018 CFCRB Annual Report, click here.


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