| History
Commissions on children and families were
formed by HB 2004. HB 2004 was the product of the children's care team reports.
The children care team was a blue ribbon team of 31 representatives of
state and local governments, businesses, or education, service providers
and citizens. It was commissioned to find out what was wrong with
our system of services to children and families, as evidenced by many indicators,
such as growing rates for teen pregnancy, child abuse, out of hone placement,
alcohol and drug abuse, juvenile crime, school failure, etc. In general,
the care team found that Oregon services and resources were too little,
too fragmented and ineffective, and too focused on interventions and treatment
that were too late and too costly. Their recommendations became the
framework for HB 2004.
HB 2004 was a prescription for revolution
in both what the state was going to do for children and families, and how
it was going to do its. This landmark legislation dictated a total
change on system model. Commissions in each County charged with changing
the incomplete, fragmented, treatment focused system into a comprehensive,
integrated, prevention focused wellness system. The process was changed
from state driven to local control. Based on the assumption that
local people are better able to identify issues and effect change in their
own communities, counties and local commissions of lay people were given
the authority and responsibility to implement HB 2004.
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