Volunteers needed to help protect children, improve system

Now is the time for residents of Hennepin County to play an integral role in helping protect children from abuse and neglect. Hennepin County and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) are seeking community members for a Child Protection Citizen Review Panel to offer input on how the state and the County can improve Minnesota's child protection system.

Residents of Hennepin County can offer their insights on how to work together in government, communities, and families to better serve children in the child protection system and to help children remain safe and grow up in loving, nurturing families.

Consisting of 11-15 members, Hennepin County’s Citizen Review Panel will include men and women with a variety of experiences and backgrounds. People representative of the County’s population are encouraged to apply. Panel members will:

1. Offer an outside perspective on the internal workings of the child protection system.
2. Offer suggestions for the state and County to better safeguard children who have been abused or neglected.
3. Provide ideas on ways families and communities can work together to better serve children.

Volunteers will meet regularly, gather information through reports and interviews, and may analyze trends and data, study Hennepin County’s performance, review case files, and make recommendations to key leaders in the child protection system. The Department of Human Services and the County will consult with and provide ongoing support to Citizen Review Panel members.

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners will recommend members to be appointed by the Commissioner of DHS. Volunteers serve a two-year term (with some initial terms of three years for continuity), up to six years, or three terms maximum. These are unpaid positions.

Some out-of-pocket expenses incurred by volunteers that may be reimbursed are:
Child care of up to $50 per month
Mileage
Parking
Bus fare
Long-distance phone calls
Postage

A panel member may not be a current employee of the Hennepin County attorney's office, district court, social services, or court services; a foster care provider; or a paid guardian ad litem in Hennepin County.

Volunteer applicants will need to consent to criminal and maltreatment background checks.

Hennepin County is looking for volunteers who listen well, work as part of a team, and show sensitivity to children's diverse social, cultural, and economic needs. This is a great opportunity to truly make a difference in children's lives.

If you and or others in your organization or community are interested in volunteering for the Hennepin County Citizen Review Panel, please call Anita Keyes at DHS, 651-431-4704, or Anita.Keyes@state.mn.us by January 10, 2009, for an application form and release of information forms for background checks.

We would also appreciate it if you could forward this to others who may be interested. Information is also available on the DHS Web site, at http://www.dhs.state.mn.us - click on Children at top, then Child Protection on left side, then Citizen Review Panels on left side.