The state is needing volunteers to review cases as part of the Citizen Foster Care Review Boards in over half of the state’s 120 counties.
The volunteers will review the cases of local children in foster care and make recommendations and will have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these children, who are in care due to dependency, neglect, or abuse.
Counties in need of volunteers include Trigg, Marshall, Livingston, Calloway, and Webster counties.
According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, thousands of children are placed in foster and other out-of-home care each year. The review boards are teams of court-appointed volunteers who review the Cabinet for Health and Family Services files on the children and make recommendations to the cabinet and state courts on each child’s behalf. They were created to help ensure children receive necessary services while in care and are placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
Volunteers generally review cases one day a month, with time of day varying.
Potential volunteers must apply, consent to a criminal record and Central Registry checks, and complete six hours of initial training. Training takes place via two Zoom meetings and a self-paced program. Those interested are encouraged to apply as soon as possible so they can be screened and, if approved, scheduled for training.
The boards review the case of each child in foster care at least once every six months, as required by statute. In Fiscal Year 2022, volunteers reviewed over 21,000 cases involving nearly 13,000 children in out-of-home care.
Details on how to apply can be found on the information page on the Kentucky Court of Justice’s webpage.
