State:                    Massachusetts
Contact Person:    Liz Skinner-Reilly, MA Department of Children & Families (DCF)
Contact Address: 24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA
Contact Phone: (617) 748-2350   
Email:                  Liz.Skinner-Reilly@state.ma.us  
URL:                   http://www.mass.gov/DCF  
Founded In:        July 1999
Funding:              A combination of state and federal funds are used to support the activities and efforts of these groups.
Brief Description: Massachusetts has three citizen participation groups which serve as the Department’s review panels, each with different foci that serve the needs of children, youth and families throughout the Commonwealth.  Each group has a coordinator who is responsible for assisting members in attaining their goals and preparing recommendations on an annual basis.
Annual Report submitted: June 30
Sample of Current Work Projects/Focus

• The DCF Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) provides interdisciplinary review of complex cases and systemic issues involving these cases and advises the Department on Child protection issues, quality case practice and resource needs identification.
• The DCF Family Advisory Committee meets with the DCF Commissioner and other Department staff on a quarterly basis to advise the Department in a number of areas, including; staff training and support, building good rapport with communities, developing informational materials that are user friendly, putting core values into practice, and recruiting and retaining neighborhood based foster homes.
• The Statewide Child Fatality Review Team reviews and evaluates child fatalities and the child fatality reporting system, and makes recommendations relative to their findings to insure the safety and the appropriate placement of children in need of aide

The above citizen participation groups identify systems issues, barriers and trends, and develop recommendations for improving case practice, policy, training, service delivery and coordination.

Web Site:  N/A

Total Members: Approximately 60

Other Information:  For more information about the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families see www.mass.gov/dcf       

Citizen Review Panels Annual Report 2010 (pdf)

Citizen Review Panels Annual Report 2009 (pdf)

Citizen Review Panels Annual Report 2008 (pdf)