What is a Citizen Review Panel?

A Citizen Review Panel (CRP) is a group of volunteers from the community who facilitate comprehensive court hearings to review the status of a child in foster care, including whether the parents are progressing timely in their case plan (when the goal is reunification of child with the parents), whether the case management agency and the Department of Children and Families are meeting their obligations, and whether the child needs any additional services.

The establishment of and guidelines for Citizen Review Panels is detailed in Florida Statute 39.702. Members are recruited from the community and provided thorough training in dependency laws, departmental policies, and judicial procedures. Each Panel is comprised of five people who reside in the county of the panel to which they are assigned.

How does it work?

Each CRP will meet one day a month to review five to eight cases. The panel will review the case plan and progress made, address the safety and appropriateness of the child’s current placement, identify barriers to permanency, and make recommendations regarding the case to the court.

• Panel members meet with the assistance of a court clerk in a judicial review hearing.
• The clerk will swear in witnesses and ensure the court files are properly maintained.
• Panel members hear the testimony and evidence each party wishes to present and may ask questions themselves of the parties.
• With the assistance of staff from the CRP organization, the panel makes recommendations to the judge in the form of a recommended order.
• Any party may object to the panel’s recommendations.
• After considering the recommendation and a summary of the evidence, the Judge then enters an order that binds the parties.

Why have a CRP? Why aren’t all the cases heard by the court?

Some dependency cases become very complicated, requiring an extensive range of services, a higher level of case management involvement, and more time on the court’s calendar. Review of these cases utilizing the knowledge and expertise of Panel members eases the workload of the court, stimulates improvement in the provision of services, and helps move children to permanency expediently. Cases to be heard by the Panel will be determined by the court and the organization.

Are there other CRPs in Florida?

Yes! The Citizen Foster Care Review Board in Collier County and the Florida Foster Care Review in the Miami-Dade area have had a tremendous impact in their respective communities for over 30 years. To the best of our knowledge, they have been the only CRPs currently operating in Florida.