The Clatsop County Commission on Children and Families is a volunteer commission dedicated to the wellness of children and families in our county. The Oregon Legislature created the State Commission on Children and Families in 1993 with the charge of bringing together, under one organization, the responsibility for supporting community efforts aimed at meeting the needs of children from birth to age 18.

Each of Oregon's 36 counties has a local Commission comprised of citizen volunteers who advise our county’s Board of Commissioners on children, youth and family policies and develop a comprehensive plan for the county to foster and advocate for the well being of children and their families.

HOW TO CONTACT US:

• Reach us by phone at: (503) 325-8500
• Fax us at: (503) 325-8678
• E-mail us at: abeck@co.clatsop.or.us
• Visit us at 820 Exchange St., Suite 100
• Mail your inquiries to:

The commission manages state and federal funds that are allocated to local programs and projects based on priorities and strategies established during the community planning process and identified in its comprehensive plan. Programs that receive funds are monitored for program effectiveness by measurable outcomes.

The plans must address certain issues, such as reducing the number of children who are abused or neglected, increasing the number of children entering school ready to learn and decreasing the number of eighth graders using alcohol, tobacco or drugs. The plan includes information from local human service agencies and local residents, as well as trends exhibited by data.

Our priorities, ranked in order, are:

1. Child abuse prevention;
2. Parent education and family strengthening;
3. Drug and alcohol prevention, education and treatment;
4. Positive youth development;
5. Social services in the schools, and
6. Quality childcare.

The role and responsibility of the commission also includes:

1. Engaging in extensive community planning;
2. Advocating for local support and involvement in current issues;
3. Coordinating and implementing programs and special projects;
4. Providing resource development support for local programs;
5. Providing coordination and facilitation services to bring together local resources with similar goals and outcomes in order to impact service provision and delivery of services;
6. Making recommendations for funding of local programs with solid outcomes.