Substance abuse one of topics of CFCRB town hall meetings

Town Hall Meetings will be held throughout the month of June

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The public is invited to discuss helping families with substance abuse, especially those with children in foster care, during a series of town hall meetings to be held in June under the auspices of the state’s Citizen Foster Care Review Boards (CFCRB).

Substance use disorder is among the top reasons Kentucky children are placed in foster care and unable to be safely reunited with their families sooner. The public will have the opportunity to discuss improving outcomes for these children and families at four virtual town hall meetings this month, on June 3, 5, 11 and 14. Registration is required online, and once you do so, you will receive a Zoom link .

CFCRBs statewide are hosting the town halls. Community input is vital to identifying needs in each area of the state. Due to confidentiality, specific cases will not be discussed.

Parents/guardians often face obstacles to accessing and remaining in treatment, which results in their children being away from them longer in foster care. Topics for exploration at the town halls are:

--Do families and children in your community have equitable and timely access to substance use disorder assessment and treatment services? 

--What are the barriers to accessing treatment for substance use disorder? 

--What solutions could be identified to remedy barriers to access and treatment and lead to resilience and recovery? 

Findings from the meetings will be reported to the Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board and included in the CFCRB’s annual recommendations to the Supreme Court, governor and legislature. Regional meetings are among the reforms called for in House Bill 1, the adoption and foster care legislation passed in 2018 to improve outcomes for children in out-of-home care.

Here is the schedule. While they are being done on a regional basis, if you are not able to participate in your region’s town hall, you may do so in another.

Monday June 3, from 11 a.m.-noon CDT/Noon-1 p.m. EDT. Register at kcoj.info/June32024. 

This is for those living in 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.

Wednesday, June 5, from 11 a.m.-noon CDT/noon-1 p.m. EDT. Register at kcoj.info/June52024.

This is for those living in 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.

Tuesday, June 11, from Noon-1 p.m. EDT/11 a.m.-noon CDT. Register at kcoj.info/June112024.

This is for those living in Bullitt, Fayette and Jefferson counties.

Friday June 14, Noon-1 p.m. EDT /11 a.m.-noon CDT. Register at kcoj.info/June142024.

This is for those living in 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.

Findings from the meetings will be reported to the Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board and included in the CFCRB’s annual recommendations to the Supreme Court, governor and legislature. Regional meetings are among the reforms called for in House Bill 1, the adoption and foster care legislation passed in 2018 to improve outcomes for children in out-of-home care.

The Kentucky General Assembly created the state CFCRB in 1982 to decrease children’s time in out-of-home care. More than 700 volunteers across the state serve as members of the Kentucky CFCRB.

CFCRBs review each child’s case in foster care at least once every six months, as required by statute. In Fiscal Year 2023, volunteers reviewed 20,142 cases involving 11,905 children in out-of-home care.

The program is looking for people interested in making a difference for the children in their community, by serving as a CFCRB volunteer. CFCRBs throughout Kentucky need volunteers. Get more information and apply at bit.ly/CFCRBvolunteer. Contact the state CFCRB at CFCRB@kycourts.net.

The CFCRB program is administered by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC).