FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – A series of virtual town hall meetings will take place in mid-October to give Kentuckians the chance to provide input on the state’s foster care system.
The meetings are among the reforms called for in legislation passed in 2018 to address issues with foster care and adoption. The legislation requires Citizen Foster Care Review Boards, or CFCRBs, to offer such regional meetings at least twice a year to allow for public comment on the foster care system.
In the October meetings, CFCRBs will lead discussions on family preservation, services for reuniting families, foster parent rights and racial and ethnic disparities in the foster care system. The event will also cover support for relatives and family friends who serve as caregivers for children. The meetings will include open discussions with participants. Due to confidentiality, specific cases will not be discussed.
Participants should attend the meeting for their county and must register in advance.
Feedback from the meetings will be reported to the Kentucky CFCRB and will be included in its annual recommendations to the governor, legislature and Supreme Court of Kentucky.
The regional schedule is as follows:
October 13, 10:30 a.m.-noon CT/11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET
For residents of: Allen, Ballard, Barren, Breckinridge, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Daviess, Edmonson, Fulton, Graves, Grayson, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, LaRue, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, McLean, Meade, Metcalfe, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Ohio, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, Union, Warren and Webster counties.
Click here to register. You will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom meeting information.
October 15, 10:30 a.m.-noon CT/11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET
For residents of: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Elliott, Floyd, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Marion, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Taylor, Washington, Wayne, Whitley and Wolfe counties.
October 19, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET
For residents of Bullitt, Fayette and Jefferson counties.
October 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET
For residents of: Anderson, Boone, Bourbon, Boyle, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Clark, Estill, Fleming, Franklin, Gallatin, Garrard, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Jessamine, Kenton, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, Mason, Mercer, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Robertson, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble and Woodford counties.
CFCRBs are teams of court-appointed volunteers who make a difference in the lives of local children who are in foster care in Kentucky. The children are in care 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.
CFCRBs statewide need volunteers. Get more information and apply here.
The Kentucky General Assembly created the Kentucky CFCRB in 1982 to decrease the time children spend in out-of-home care. In Fiscal Year 2019, volunteers reviewed 27,530 cases involving 13,737 children in out-of-home care.
Author, Tom Latek Kentucky Today
