Mandate

The Oregon Commission on Children and Families has a charge from the Legislature  to establish statewide policies for services to children and families. It supports local Commissions on Children and Families in each county as they develop plans to enable families and communities to help children reach their full potential. The State Commission ensures accountability, helps evaluate progress in the counties, and builds the policy framework for local commissions' work.   OCCF is composed of three separate components:

The State Commission, composed of members appointed by the Governor  who have as their purpose the development of policy and strategies that improve the well being of children and families statewide Local Commissions, composed of members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners in each county who have as their purpose the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan which guides the development of initiatives and supports for children and families in each county Staff for both the State and Local Commissions, who support the goals and activities developed by the members of the state and local commissions

Additionally, both the state and local commissions work in collaboration with a number of other state and county level agencies and organizations to improve conditions for children and families.  The state agencies include the Department of Education (schools for 5-18 year olds, or 0-21 for those with disabilities), Child Care Division of the Department of Employment (expanding and enhancing quality child care), Department of Human Services (welfare, health and social support agencies), and the Oregon Youth Authority (juvenile justice agency). All state agencies have been asked to focus on key target measurements known as the Oregon Benchmarks. These targets measure statewide progress toward a long-term vision for the state using selected indicators.   Commissions also partner with non-profits, the faith community, business and other entities interested in improving supports for children and families in their communities.   The OCCF system has established an evaluation system for the programs receiving commission funding. In progress is the development of an evaluation system that will measure the improvements to systems which result from the collaborative and non-funded work being done in communities.  In addition, the Legislature has designated specific data for the Commission to collect in order to measure performance in key areas related to its mission and goals. The Commission compiles this data in Annual Performance Progress Reports (APPRs) which are submitted to the Oregon Progress Board.   One of the primary strengths of the commission system in Oregon is the involvement of citizens in making decisions and evaluating the results for their own communities. Local ownership of process often brings more efficiency of service and greater leverage of resources. Residents of each county are involved in developing the plans, selecting programs and initiatives to implement the plans, and evaluating the results of that work.