The public is invited to a regional community forum today in Covington 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 5:30-7 p.m. at Embassy Suites by Hilton Cincinnati RiverCenter at 10 E. Rivercenter Blvd.
CFCRBs are in the process of hosting seven regional community forums across the state Aug. 22-Sept. 26.
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. The legislation calls for CFCRBs to offer regional forums at least twice a year to get public input on the foster care system.
“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.”
CFCRBs 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.
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,” Stevenson said. “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.
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.
CFCRB
