Columbus Foster Care Forum, during which 11 foster care alumni were able to share testimony

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Foster care alumna and Children Services Transformation Advisory Council member Juliana Barton was able to work with amazing allies at CSCC and the Council in order to hold a dinner/pre-meet before the Columbus Foster Care Forum. This provided a personalized opportunity for participants of Columbus State’s Scholar Network for former foster youth to share their insights with the Council.

Office of Children Services Transformation Director Kristi Burre and Policy Manager Kari Akins made it possible for participating foster care alumni to fill out testimony slips ahead of time. As a result, 10 foster care alumni were able to share testimony during the Columbus Foster Care Forum. (Eleven, if you count Cloe reading mine, because I was able to take photos, but my voice was gone. I remain deeply grateful to Cloé Cooper for reading my testimony aloud during the forum and being my voice).

Kristi Burre started off the forum by stating that, “This evaluation of our system is a long time coming and we know there’s a lot of work to do.” She explained how an Executive Order by Governor Mike DeWine (who is a long-time champion of Ohio foster care youth/alumni) led to the creation of the Council.

 Just as in his former role as Attorney General, DeWine held a series of Child Safety Summits, in his current role as Governor, he directed the council to host a series of forums: “All are invited to attend, and those with lived-experience with the foster care system are encouraged to submit testimony.”

This was one of ten Foster Care Forums facilitated by the council.

It was great to hear from foster care allies as well.