FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2005
Contact: Ross Soboleff (907) 465-1611 or Sherry Hill (907) 465-1618
Citizen Review Panel to hold town hall meeting Feb. 7
Second in a series of town hall meetings to gather information on the child protection system
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(Juneau, Alaska) – The Citizen Review Panel (CRP), as part of the Children’s Justice Act Task Force, will hold the second in a series of town hall meetings. The event will occur on Monday Feb. 7 at the Egan Room in Juneau’s Centennial Hall and Convention Center, from 7 to 9 p.m.
“The town hall meetings are also an opportunity to provide information and education to the community about the child protection system,” said Marcia Kennai, DHSS Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Children’s Services (OCS). OCS, Juneau Police Department, and the Children’s Advocacy Center will each make brief presentations at the Juneau town hall meeting.
“The Citizen Review Panel is hosting these meetings to gather information on how the child protection system is working in communities around the state,” said Virginia Walters, Citizen Review Panel Chair.
The Citizen Review Panel is federally mandated as a requirement of the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). The Panel, independent of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and Office of Children’s Services, examines the policies, procedures and practices of state and local agencies and, where appropriate, specific cases.
“This Panel evaluates the extent to which State and local child protection system agencies are effectively discharging their child protection responsibilities,” said Walters. “One of our principal responsibilities is to provide the means for public outreach and comment, so that we can assess the effectiveness of current procedures and practices for children and families across the state. That is the purpose of these town hall meetings.”
The Citizen Review Panel will prepare an annual report summarizing its activities, including recommendations to improve the child protection services system at the state and local levels. Future town hall meetings will be held in conjunction with Children’s Justice Act Task Force meetings, scheduled for April 26, 2005 in Anchorage and April 28, 2005 in Bethel. Specific times and locations of these town hall meetings will be announced in the future.
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For more information, please contact
Sherry Hill
Special Assistant to the Commissioner
Juneau Office: (907) 465-1618
Anchorage: (907) 269-7800
Cell: (907) 321-2838
Email: sherry_hill@health.state.ak.usJeff Kasper
Project Director
Juneau Office: (907) 465-8194
Email: jeff_kasper@health.state.ak.us
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