Kentucky Court of Justice
Volunteers needed to assist children placed in foster care in Bell, Clay and Knox counties

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Bell County Citizen Foster Care Review Board, Clay County Citizen Foster Care Review Board and Knox County Citizen Foster Care Review Board are seeking volunteers to make a difference in the lives of local foster children. Volunteers are needed to review cases of children placed in foster care because of abuse, dependency and neglect to ensure these children are placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.

Volunteers are not required to reside in the county where the board meets.

The Kentucky General Assembly created the Citizen Foster Care Review Board, or CFCRB, in 1982 as a way to decrease the time children spend in foster care. CFCRB volunteers review Cabinet for Health and Family Services files on children placed in out-of-home care and work with the cabinet and the courts on behalf of the state’s foster children.

All volunteers must complete a six-hour initial training session and consent to a criminal record and central registry check. A recommendation is then made to the chief judge of the District Court or Family Court for appointment.

The board meeting schedules are:

Bell County CFCRB meets quarterly in Pineville. The board meets at 9 a.m. on the first Thursday of the month in March, June, September and December.

Clay County CFCRB meets at 3 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in Manchester.

Knox County CFCRB meets quarterly in Barbourville. The board meets at 3 p.m. on the last Monday of the month in March, June, September and December.

For more information, contact:

Shan Swanner, Field Coordinator
Citizen Foster Care Review Boards
606-677-4241 or 606-416-8252

Nearly 940 volunteers across the state serve as members of the Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board. The boards operate within the Dependent Children’s Services Division of the Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort. The volunteer reviewers help ensure that children receive the necessary services while in foster care and are ultimately placed in permanent homes. The AOC is the administrative arm of the Kentucky Court of Justice and supports the activities of 4,000 court system employees, including the elected offices of justices, judges and circuit court clerks. The AOC also executes the Judicial Branch budget.