The Northeast Ohio Public Policy Forum series will continue Tuesday, April 18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Lakewood Public Library main branch (15425 Detroit Ave.).
The topic of this event will be “Is the Child Foster Care System in Northeast Ohio Broken?”
This panel will examine the issues faced by the foster care system in Northeast Ohio. Some argue that courts and aid workers are being overwhelmed by state funding cuts and issues such as the growing opioid epidemic. A panel of experts in different areas of the field will discuss this and more.
Panelists will be:
- David Crampton, associate professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences;
- Edward L. Gilbert, an author, attorney and foster care advocate;
- Kate Lodge, vice president of strategic initiatives and executive director of A Place 4 Me at YWCA Greater Cleveland; and
- Betsie Norris, executive director of Adoption Network Cleveland.
Phillip Morris, a metro columnist for The Plain Dealer, will moderate the discussion.
This series is co-sponsored by The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com, Case Western Reserve University’s Siegal Lifelong Learning Program, League of Women Voters-Greater Cleveland and the Cleveland Heights/University Heights, Lakewood and Cuyahoga County Library Systems. First Interstate Properties Ltd. is the corporate sponsor for the series.