OREGON COMMISSION ON CHILDREN & FAMILIES 

In 1993, the Oregon Legislature set our state on an exciting, new course for providing services and supports for children and families. Recognizing the need for a system where government, service providers, communities and families work together, they created a framework for change. The Oregon Commission on Children & Families (OCCF) was established to accomplish four primary goals:

Support healthy communities Mobilize and support planning and decision making at the local level Build collaborative partnerships among community groups, service providers, non-profits, government and individuals. Develop policies and standards of accountability including performance measures, outcomes and benchmarks.

OCCF and 36 county Commissions on Children and Families are committed to enhancing the health and safety of children, their families, and the communities where they live.

We’re Making it Happen

Here’s how we’re planning to build and support the healthy future we want for our entire state.

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

When children and families are healthy, their communities are healthy and thriving. We work with communities in many different ways to reduce teen pregnancy, increase the number of kids who graduate from high school, create understanding about diversity and discourage kids from using tobacco, alcohol and drugs.

MAKING DECISIONS

Our philosophy is simple: If you want people to et involved and build healthy communities, ask them what’s important to them and what they need to meet their goals. Then give them the authority to plan and make decisions about their own communities. That’s what we do-because it works.

PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER

When people collaborate it means that groups and individuals come together to create goals, share resources and accept responsibility for the results. OCCF brings hundreds of groups together to support families and children. We encourage community investment, eliminate duplication of services and more effectively meet the needs of Oregon’s families and communities.

GETTING RESULTS

We are accountable to the legislature and ultimately to the taxpayers for what we do. We start by creating measurable goals and outcomes for the actions we take. This way, we can tell which efforts are working and which need to be more effective.

Initiatives That Go 1 Step Further

We are responsible for several statewide initiatives that support families and children-before birth to age eighteen.

FOR YOUNG FAMILIES

Programs such as Healthy Start and Great Start support the families of newborns with services, education and counseling, and then help prepare young children for school. Child Care and Development Block Grants help working parents with before-and -after school care for infants and toddlers.

FOR TODAY’S YOUTH

The Oregon Youth Conservation Corps is a youth employment program for at-risk-youth ages 16-25. Our Youth Investment initiative provides prevention and intervention supports for kids who are at-risk of becoming delinquents. Preventing kids from joining gangs and keeping juveniles from being jailed with adults are part of our Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention programs. The student Retention Initiative is designed to curb the high school dropout rate. To help kids reach their full potential, we emphasize prevention, intervention and treatment through Juvenile Services.

FOR ALL CHILDREN

In our court appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, individual citizens are appointed by Oregon’s juvenile courts to represent the best interests of children who are victims of abuse and neglect

IT TAKES ALL 36 COUNTIES.

All thirty-six Oregon counties are engaged in efforts to support healthy communities.

Each county has a local Commission on Children & Families, made up of community volunteers committed to healthier communities. At least 51% of the commissions are lay members and the commission is led by a lay chairperson. These local commissions are responsible for engaging citizens in the process of countywide planning and decision making about issues affecting services, programs and supports for children and families Each commission manages its money with the intent of leveraging dollars and other resources as often as possible. Commissions reach out into the community to develop comprehensive plans that incorporate the goals of the community. By creating specific measurements to mark their progress, commissions insure they are making their goals and achieving the desired results.