Each year, thousands of children in Georgia are removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect and are placed in foster homes. Unfortunately, these children will be moved to several foster homes before returning to their own home, being placed with extended family members, finding a permanent placement with a new adoptive family, or reaching adulthood on their 18th birthday. Fortunately, there are solutions. Many of these children have been placed in stable, loving homes through the efforts of volunteers from the community who make up the Judicial Citizen Review Board.

Volunteers from the community must first complete a criminal history check and attend fifteen hours of training by the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges. Volunteers are then sworn in by our local Chief Juvenile Court Judge as officers of Bibb County Juvenile Court. Once volunteers complete these requirements to be placed on the Judicial Citizen Review Board, they are assigned to one of ten panels currently operating in Bibb County. The first volunteers of the Judicial Citizen Review Board began working on their panels in March of 2006. Bibb County currently has approximately 50 volunteers serving on the Judicial Citizen Review Board.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Judicial Citizen Review Board is to ensure the best interests of children in Bibb County foster care are being met by holding citizen review panels, made up of trained volunteers, that occur periodically to ensure that every child in Bibb County foster care and their families are provided the best possible services within the context of available resources and that these children are protected from all forms of maltreatment. The panels’ ultimate task is to see that each child is in a permanent home as soon as safely possible, and therefore makes recommendations to the Judge that will best serve the children.

For more information, please contact the program’s coordinator, Nancy Sealy, at 478-621-6038.

Community Partnership – Bibb County Family Connection

Monroe County Family Connection and Bibb County Family Connection (Community Partnership) are dedicated to improving results for children and families in Monroe and Bibb County, Georgia. We are Georgia Family Connection Partnership county collaboratives.

The Boards of Bibb County Family Connection (Community Partnership) and Monroe County Family Connection have entered into a special partnership. By sharing resources, the two GA Family Connection county collaboratives are cutting costs and getting more bang for their buck.  The arrangement allows for Travis Blackwell, current Director of Community Partnership (Bibb County Family Connection) to serve both Bibb and Monroe Counties as the Family Connection Coordinator, with the help of a part-time assistant coordinator, Dawn Freelin.

The dress code applies to all parties, witnesses, parents, and other participants who will come into court.

Please read it carefully.

• Your clothing should be clean, neat, well-fitted, and appropriate in court. You may not wear spandex or skin-tight clothes, or clothing that is oversized or baggy. You may not wear hats inside court unless required by religious belief or needed due to medical condition.
• You may not wear camouflage outfits, warm-up, or jogging suits. You may not wear sweat pants.
• You may not wear tank tops, tube tops, halter tops, or tops that show cleavage or reveal the abdomen.
• Shirts and blouses must be tucked in. Sweaters do not have to be tucked in.
• Your clothing may not display any obscene, insulting, disrespectful, or alcohol/drug related messages.
• You may not wear gang colors or display gang-related signs or symbols.
• Skirts may be no shorter than two inches above the knee.
• Skirts and pants must be worn at the natural waist and pants must be supported by belt or suspenders.
• Girls, who have reached puberty, and women, must wear bras.
• Both boys and girls may wear jeans which are neat and clean, have no holes or patches, and are not frayed.
• You may not wear shorts or cutoffs.
• You may not wear bedroom shoes or slippers.
• You may wear earrings (one per ear) but no other piercings.

Exceptions may be made as needed for children in custody and for other good cause in the discretion of the judge.