Next Meeting
The Commission's next meeting will be on Wednesday, June 21, 10 a.m. to noon, at Indiana Government Center South, Conference Room C, 302 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204.
Latest News & Headlines
Commission Appoints New Executive Director
At its February meeting, the Children's Commission appointed Mark Fairchild as the next executive director for the Commission. He brings a wealth of expertise in several areas of child wellbeing and public policy and will begin in the role on March 6, 2023. Read the press release.
Commission Adopts New Strategic Plan
At its February meeting, the Children's Commission adopted a new strategic plan to guide its work over the next three years. The plan continues to focus in four key areas: child health and safety, mental health and substance abuse, educational outcomes, and juvenile justice and cross-system youth.
Legislative Session 2023
The Children's Commission tracks legislation affecting children and child-serving professionals and systems. Here is a list of child-related bills that have been filed this session with their status as of 5/4/2023. This list will be updated weekly throughout session.
Commission Supports Dropping Five-Year Wait for Children's Health Insurance
At its October meeting, the Commission voted to recommend the elimination of the current five-year waiting period imposed upon lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women before they are allowed to access Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The change would provide a coverage option for approximately 6,000 vulnerable children and pregnant women. See the full recommendation.
Commission Supports Violence Prevention and Intervention Programs
At its August meeting, the Commission voted to support the implementation of three evidence-based violence prevention and intervention program models in Indiana, and to seek opportunities to help fund such efforts. After an 18-month study, the Commission's juvenile violence subcommittee recommended endorsement of Cure Violence, Project BUILD, and Credible Messengers for Justice Involved Youth.
Child Maltreatment Prevention Framework and Toolkit Available
At its February 2022 meeting, the Children's Commission received the newly launched Supportive Communities, Resilient Families, Thriving Children statewide framework and toolkit. These resources are intended to be used by local collaboratives to review community data and create and implement strategic plans to prevent child abuse and support families. They can be downloaded for free on the DCS Prevention web page.
Information Sharing Guide and App Updated and Re-Released
The Data Sharing and Mapping Committee of the Commission has completed an update to all content of the Information Sharing Guide, which can be accessed for the desktop, as well as iOS and Android devices. The new update includes foster parents as record requesters, distinguishes among health, mental health, and addictions records, and provides information on when a child may receive their own records.