The Order issued on April 8, 2022 continues mostly remote hearings in the courthouse, with some exceptions as set forth in the Order.  All clerks offices are open for in-person filings.  The Family Court Self Help Center is open in-person and remotely.

Ms. Spindel presented on “AMERICA’S HIDDEN FOSTER SYSTEM – HOW IT HURTS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES,” along with co-presenters Diane Redleaf with United Family Advocates/Family Defense Consulting and Andrew Brown of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

The Community Board welcomed advocates from the DC Fair Budget Coalition to talk about ways to make their voices heard in the DC budget process.

The article discusses how Mayor Bowser is using politics to undermine the safety and security of at-risk DC children by defunding and failing to fund in the future the Ombudsperson for Children.  By doing so, the Mayor seeks to skirt DC Council oversight of the DC Child and Family Services Agency.

Important expansion of this critical support for relative caregivers to help keep at-risk DC children safe and stable by making the subsidy  available immediately, including godparents and relatives living just over the boarder in Maryland, and relatives who take in children in multi-generational families where the parents live in the home but have a disability.

Read the Q&A with Marla Spindel about what motivates her to do public service, her proudest moment, and the women who inspire her.

At this meeting, the Community Board discussed ways they can help advocate for an equitable and just budget for DC, and ensure funding for the DC Ombudsperson for Children.  Read the testimony of one of our Community Board members on this issue.

Community Board members agreed on a Position Statement regarding Kinship Navigator Programs.

Jonetta Rose Barras discusses the plea bargains reached by the killers of 2 young DC children in her article in The DC Line entitled “Children at risk: Plea bargains bring doubts about whether there’s justice for victims of fatal abuse and neglect.”

Jonetta Rose Barras wrote a series of articles in The DC Line about the broken DC child welfare system and how it fails to protect DC’s at-risk children.

At it first meeting of January 2022, the Board agreed to submit a Position Statement to the DC Council requesting that the Council hold a vote of all Councilmembers on the appointment of the new Director of the DC Child and Family Services Agency, as it has done with past appointments.