Residents have a chance to make a direct difference in the lives of abused and neglected children as Kentucky recruits volunteers for its Citizen Foster Care Review Board.
The recruitment effort comes during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, observed each April to raise awareness about abuse and neglect and to highlight the role communities play in protecting children and supporting families.
The Citizen Foster Care Review Board (CFCRB) is seeking volunteers in 54 counties across the commonwealth, including Martin, Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin and Pike.
Each year, thousands of Kentucky children are removed from their homes because of dependency, neglect or abuse and placed in foster care or other out-of-home settings. Citizen volunteers help monitor those cases by reviewing each child’s progress and making recommendations to the courts and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, volunteers help ensure that children receive the services they need while in care and are moved into safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
“By volunteering with a CFCRB board, community members can play a direct role in improving outcomes for children in foster care,” CFCRB State Vice Chair Mika Tyler said. “National Child Abuse Prevention Month reminds us that protecting children is a shared responsibility.”
Volunteers generally review cases virtually for one day each month, though the time varies by board.
Applicants must complete an application, consent to criminal record and Central Registry checks and complete six hours of initial training. Training includes two Zoom meetings and two self-paced programs.
Once training is complete, the CFCRB recommends the volunteer to the chief judge of the local Family Court or District Court for appointment.
The Kentucky General Assembly created the statewide Citizen Foster Care Review Board in 1982 to reduce the amount of time children spend in out-of-home care. Today, more than 700 volunteers serve on boards across Kentucky. The average volunteer remains in the program for six years.
In fiscal year 2025, 716 CFCRB volunteers conducted 1,698 paper reviews and 18,048 interested party reviews, for a total of 19,746 reviews involving 11,435 children, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
In addition to Martin, Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin and Pike counties, volunteers are also needed in Allen, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Breathitt, Bullitt, Caldwell, Calloway, Campbell, Carroll, Clark, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Fulton, Greenup, Hancock, Henry, Hickman, Jefferson, Kenton, Lee, Leslie, Lewis, Livingston, Marshall, McCracken, McLean, Meade, Mercer, Morgan, Oldham, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Russell, Shelby, Simpson, Trigg, Trimble, Union, Warren, Whitley, Wolfe and Woodford.
More information and volunteer applications are available at kcoj.info/CFCRB. A short video about the program is available at kcoj.info/CFCRBVideo.