Volunteers are needed to serve on the Citizen Review Board to review the cases of children who are in foster care.

Citizen Review Board volunteers are court-appointed, trained and meet on a Tuesday every other month to provide case review and a citizen voice to the cases of children/families in foster care.

Children in foster care in Harney and Grant counties — who have suffered abuse, neglect or unsafe living conditions in their homes — need help from their community to help ensure them a safe, permanent home as soon as possible. The primary goal is to return them safely to their families, or if that cannot be accomplished, to find a significant and safe permanent home through adoption or guardianship or another suitable permanent plan.

Department of Human Services Child Welfare caseworkers, parents, relatives, attorneys, tribal representatives, foster parents, other service providers and the children are invited to discuss the issues of the case. For each case, volunteer board members read case materials, listen to input from the parties of the case and make legal findings and recommendations that are given to the court, DHS and other legal and required parties in the case.

For more information, contact John Nichols at 541-233-8142, john.a.nichols@ojd.state.or.us or the volunteer resource coordinator at 503-986-4535, CRB.Volunteer.Resources@ojd.state.or.us.

• There are over 8,700 children in foster care in the state of Oregon.

• Studies show 1 in 4 former foster youth will experience homelessness after they exit the foster care system.

• By the age of 24, 80 percent of young men who left the foster care system at the age of 18 will have been involved in the criminal justice system.

• Less than 8 percent of all youth that age-out of foster care will earn a two- or four-year degree by age 24 compared to 48 percent of the general population.