Foster Care Review Board (FCRB)

The FCRB program sits under the HHS Division of Compliance and Administration within Internal Controls and Accountability. The FCRB program provides independent third-party citizen review of cases in the foster care system. Our mission is to empower the citizens of Iowa to review cases, collect data, and recommend changes to promote the safety and permanency of children who have been removed from the homes of their families.

Citizen volunteers are screened and trained to serve on local foster care review boards. The boards are responsible for reviewing cases of children in foster care to ensure that case permanency planning is being carried out and that the child's safety and well-being is protected while awaiting achievement of the permanency goal. The board members review case file documents in advance of the monthly meeting day. During the reviews, the board members engage in dialogue with various parties involved in the case about the progress and barriers that remain in achieving permanency for the child. The FCRB volunteer time commitment consists of one daytime meeting per month, and time spent reading case files in preparation for the meeting day.