Child & Family Services Review Advisory Committee

Committee Purpose

The purpose of this collaborative advisory committee is to serve as a vehicle for cross system collaboration to promote the achievement of better outcomes for Missouri children, youth and families. No single child serving agency, because of policy, programmatic or financial limitations, has the ability to provide all services and supports needed by families who are vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Thus, the Children’s Division can best serve families by creating and sustaining an alliance, where relevant stakeholder groups, including those with lived expertise, have a meaningful role and voice in supporting families and keeping children safe.

The CFSR Advisory Committee’s centralized focus is to build an advisory infrastructure to result in positive outcomes for children, youth and families. A broader collaboration of this kind will highlight strengths and challenges in the child welfare system which will allow the committee to make recommendations on improvement opportunities.

The overarching principles guiding the CFSR collaborative process include:

• The safety, permanency, and well-being of children is a shared responsibility, and child welfare agencies should make every effort to reach out to other partners who can help to achieve positive results with respect to the CFSR child welfare outcomes and system factors.
• Child welfare agencies do not serve children and families in isolation. They should work in partnership with policymakers, community leaders, other public and private agencies, and those with lived expertise to improve outcomes for children and families in their States. This includes partnering with organizations that directly serve children, youth, and families, and those whose actions import family and community life.
• Family-centered and community-based practices are integral to improving outcomes for children and families. As such, collaboration with families, including young people, is important in identifying and assessing strengths and barriers to improved outcomes for children, youth, and families.

Read the CFSR Advisory Committee Charter.