A group of Illinois juvenile court judges attended a meeting, hosted by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), to learn more, ask questions and offer feedback as DCFS continues the phased process of rolling out the new Safety Assessment and Family Evaluation (SAFE) Model. The purpose of the SAFE model is to identify unsafe children in need of protection, ensure the least intrusive safety management, enhance caregiver protective capacities, and create safe homes and achieve child permanency by restoring caregivers to their protective roles. The group will form a judicial subcommittee to help guide DCFS through the court system implementation phase of the SAFE Model.

Back Row (left to right): Brian Dougherty, General Counsel, DCFS; Susan Barker, Deputy General Counsel, DCFS; Hon. Mary K. O’Brien, Illinois Supreme Court; Hon. Ella Travelstead, 1^st Judicial Circuit; Hon. Andrea Buford, Circuit Court of Cook County; Hon. David Brown, 10^th Judicial Circuit; Hon. Imani Drew, 21^st Judicial Circuit; Hon. Jennifer Payne, Circuit Court of Cook County; Hon. Kathryn Karayannis, 16^th Judicial Circuit; Edward Siemer, Child Welfare Attorney, AOIC

Front Row (left to right): Hon. Kimbery Lewis, Circuit Court of Cook County; Hon. Chantelle Porter, 18^th Judicial Circuit; Hon. Levander Smith, Circuit Court of Cook County; Heather Dorsey, Director- Courts, Children and Families Division