Colbert County Children's Policy Council

WHO WE ARE

Colbert County Children's Policy Council Mission Statement

The mission of the Colbert County Children’s Policy Council is to ensure that children in our county receive the services needed to become healthy, productive adults. The CPC accomplishes this my examining he needs of the children in our neighborhoods, making recommendations regarding those needs, and supporting and/or implementing programs to designed to meet those needs. 

Children’s Policy Councils originated from the Alabama Juvenile Justice Coordinating Councils and are designed to support providers of children’s services as they work collaboratively in developing community service plans to address the needs of children ages 0-19 and their families. By creating a CPC in each county, the unique needs of each community can be addressed. At the state level, these local needs become the driving force for children’s policies and legislation. Alabama Code Section §26-24-33 mandate that each county have a functioning children’s policy council. 

According to the code section:

The duties of the county children's policy council shall include, but not be limited to, the following: Reviewing the needs of children in the county and the responsibilities assigned each department or agency by law; determining areas of responsibility and identifying areas of duplication or conflict between departments and agencies in the county; identifying local resources and developing, in conjunction with the Department of Early Childhood Education, and up-dating annually, a local resource guide to services available to children which shall include procedural information concerning how to access those local services; articulating and communicating to the local community the needs of children; and submitting an annual report to the Department of Early Childhood Education by July 1 of each year on the local services provided to children, local needs of children, and recommendations of the county children's policy council based on data from the previous fiscal year ending September 30. The Department of Early Childhood Education shall then, by September 1 of each year, submit its summary recommendations based on the reports, along with a copy of each local report to the Alabama Children's Policy Council. The local resource guides shall be used by the Alabama Children's Policy Council in compiling a state resource guide, which may be automated and shall be distributed to the general public and to agencies and organizations serving children.

The Colbert County CPC is currently under the leadership of Judge Chad Smith. 

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The 2022 Annual Needs Assessment revealed the following as the top three needs for Colbert County:

1. Mental Health

2. Parent Involvement & Family Engagement

3. Substance Abuse

Since 2000, Children Policy Council has been empowering youth through a number of enrichment programs. At Children Policy Council, we believe that an essential part of making a difference is to keep residents in the know about all of our latest updates. We hope to provide an insight into all enrichment related matters, and strive to be leading experts in our industry. Check out all of our latest updates, and stay informed with what’s going on at your local Youth Social Services Organization.