Family Resource Network Board of Directors

Purpose of Board: The organization agrees to engage in activities to improve service system for children and families within the community without providing direct service itself.  FRN Boards may support a number of local groups in the community that are concerned with and working to improve the quality and coordination of local services for children and families. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance as to whether a group meets the FRN criteria for governing boards.

Board Composition

Provider Representatives:
One representative from each of the following local agencies is required to serve:

• Department of Health and Human Resources
• Public Health Department
• County School System
• Regional Comprehensive Behavior Health Center

Other local agencies may have representatives on the Board, such as:

• Hospitals
• Domestic Violence Shelters
• Other local agencies

Non-Provider Representatives:

A majority of the members of the organization's governing board must be non-providers, which include community representatives and family representatives who are not employees of publicly/privately funded agencies that provide direct services to children and families.  

Community Representatives:

Community representatives may be persons who represent non-provider, non-family representative sectors of the community, such as:

• Business community
• Religious groups
• Local governmental entities
• Community organizations
• The community at-large

Family Representatives:

A majority of the non-providers must be family representatives who receive any of the social, educational, health, mental health or other publicly or privately funded programs for themselves and/or their families such as:

• Senior citizens
• Parents of school children
• Persons with disabilities
• Persons who receive benefits under TANF, Medicaid, CHIP, etc
• Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, YWCA, 4-H
• Parents of children in the Juvenile Justice System
• Foster parents
• Victims of domestic violence

The intent is to include a broad range of family representatives who receive a diversity of services.

An FRN Board may opt to adopt a policy to address family representatives who become employees of publicly/privately funded agencies. Listed below are suggestions:  

• A family representative may continue to serve as a "non-provider/family representative" board member for up to six (6) months
• Change the family representative to a community or provider representative as appropriate and add another family representatives to the board
• Encourage the individual to remain active in the community in another capacity such as serving on a committee or task force