The Child Welfare Council oversees cross-agency collaborative work amongst child welfare agencies and professionals in Multnomah County. Chief Family Law Judge Maureen McKnight convenes and runs Council meetings. This is an open meeting, all are welcome.
The Child Welfare Council seeks to:
- Be a forum for identifying, discussing and addressing issues, gaps and barriers in child welfare and juvenile court,
- Establish and track workgroup work related to juvenile court and child welfare system improvements via collaborations with other agencies and committees, and
- Enhance and grow collaborative work in the child welfare continuum, including but not limited to: DHS, Multnomah County, Citizen Review Board, State Juvenile Court Improvement Project, community providers, Judiciary, District Attorney, Defense Bar.
Child Welfare Council current areas of focus:
- LGBTQ Youth: Raise awareness and sensitivity to the needs and appropriate supports for LGBTQ youth in foster care and to improve placement stability for these youth.
- Urgency: Increase sense of urgency in the dependency court system to consistently ask all parties, "what is getting in the way of returning the child/ren home today?"
For more information, contact:
Mary Geelan, MSW
Juvenile Court Improvement Coordinator
503.988.3383
