Operational Changes

Just a reminder on a couple of changes hitting our agency this week:

• Effective today, the Child Support cashier’s window has moved from 800 Broadway to the third floor of our main building, 222 E. Central Parkway. With the number of people who pay at the window dropping because of online payments, we can easily absorb the traffic at our main location, which is only a few blocks away.
• Effective Thursday, the agency will have will have new phone hours and office hours to better serve customers and provide more consistency. By moving to 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, we can increase the number of workers here during peak hours.

Thank you for your cooperation!

2012: Year of Transition

Below is my latest column in Update, our community newsletter. You can check out the column and much more news about our agency at the link below. I encourage you to become a regular subscriber.

http://www.hcjfs.hamilton-co.org/UpdateNew2012/December/Cover.htm 

 

Our recent mass adoption ceremony – always an emotional, uplifting experience – gave me a chance to reflect on the past year here at JFS. While the ceremony always draws a lot of attention, we have many other positive events throughout the year that often get lost in the day-to-day work of serving Hamilton County residents. It is nice to sometimes take stock of these victories.

We have had a year of transition in many areas. We transitioned the county’s Family and Children First Council under our stewardship, saving the county about $150,000 in annual administrative costs. We also transitioned the SuperJobs Center from a private operator to JFS, allowing us to save $500,000 in administrative costs, which were funneled back into services to the community.

I am happy to report both have gone well, particularly the SuperJobs transition. We are serving more than double the people served the year before in our Workforce Investment Act programs and we expect to lead the state in on-the-job training accounts with private businesses. SuperJobs is a great economic engine for this community, helping the unemployed find work and training, while aiding local businesses in locating the skilled employees they need to complete their workforce.

We transitioned from worst to first in processing food assistance requests. Faced with a caseload that jumped nearly 70,000 cases in a four-year period, we had fallen to a state low in meeting the 30-day limit to process applications and reapplications. But our staff tackled the problem head on, working long hours to get caught up and implementing technology solutions, such as document imaging, for long-term improvement.

The result has been nothing short of unbelievable. Hamilton County became the first metropolitan county in history to process more than 90 percent of food assistance cases in a timely manner and then proceeded to do so for nine months running (and still counting). That is likely to be a record never broken.

While we are on the subject of success with public assistance cases, I would be remiss if I did not point out we again led all metropolitan counties in workforce participation rates for Ohio Works First clients. This is extremely important because the federal government has targeted the state for heavy financial sanctions if those rates do not improve. We have actually been asked by the state to help other counties understand our processes so they can increase their rates.

I am extremely proud when we lead the state in any category, but I am also happy to see us simply improve upon our own benchmarks. That is exactly what is happening in child support, where we are setting records for case establishment and paternity establishment. When you combine that work with the Division’s new programs – one to help provide safe visitation between parents and their children and another to help fathers work through issues that keep them from consistent child support payments – it is easy to see our folks are working harder than ever on behalf of Hamilton County’s children.

This year, we also transitioned from our traditional Pinwheels for Prevention child abuse awareness campaign to a more noticeable Wear Blue to Work campaign. The campaign drew a lot of support from around the county and was much easier for people to participate in. We look forward to another great campaign in April!

So, as you can see, there has been a lot of transition – all with successful endings – in 2012. While they are certainly the most notable events of our past year, they are just a small fraction of the work we have performed. In fact, they stand as symbols of a much broader success we have experienced on a daily basis.

I am extremely proud of the service we provide Hamilton County residents. Our staff is full of dedicated people who care about our consumers and are committed to doing great work. That sometimes gets lost in the grind of our day-to-day work. There is no better time than the end of the year to recognize their success and say thanks.

 

Giving to Our Children

We are often asked this time of year about donations of gifts for the children in our care, particularly foster children and those awaiting adoption. It is always touching to me to see the generosity of our community, especially during the holidays.

The agency has again established a partnership with Toys for Tots this year that will result in a donation of a few thousand toys to be delivered in mid-December. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserves provide an incredible service to our community and our children and we are extremely grateful for their generosity.

Because the Toys for Tots donation will cover most of the younger children on the agency’s caseload, we are encouraging other who want to donate to consider gifts for the teens in agency care. Those gifts could include gift cards to Walmart, Target, Kroger, Visa, MasterCard; household items such as irons, ironing boards, sheets, towels, etc.; and personal items such as jewelry, cologne, perfume, wallets, money clips, and purses.

If you want to donate, or know someone who does, please contact Brian Gregg at greggb@jfs.hamilton-co.org.

Thank you for thinking about our children!

Adoption Day News Coverage

We received great coverage of our mass adoption ceremony! I am excited because getting the word out helps generate interest in the children we still have waiting for loving families. Take a look at some of these news clips:

http://www.fox19.com/category/240225/video-landing-page?clipId=7970698&autostart=true

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Hamilton-County-Celebrates-Adoption-Day-With-Mass/wsL5bCdvIkOwgamz0RlVVA.cspx

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/from-abuse-and-neglect-to-love-13-children-find-new-families

http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/cincinnati/Local-families-adopt-new-members/-/13549970/17451564/-/qyif56/-/index.html

http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/cincinnati/Woman-adopts-teen-after-family-tragedy/-/13549970/17463394/-/12dqjcvz/-/index.html

 

Adoption Day: Emotional and Fulfilling

 

 

 

What an incredible day!

I was fortunate enough to participate in an event where 13 children joined seven families, forming bonds that will last for the rest of their lives. Our Mass Adoption Ceremony was an emotional event that left me fulfilled and even more committed to the children and families we serve.

Seeing the joy on the faces of both children and families brought smiles to everyone in Judge Cissell’s courtroom. Hearing their stories and how they felt about their new families left many with tears in their eyes.

All four Cincinnati television stations covered the event and will run stories tonight.  I thank them for that because I think it is important the community see this joyous event. I hope to post clips to the coverage here on my blog early next week.

You can also find out more about the event on our website, www.hcjfs.org.

If you are moved to adopt after watching the stories, please visit www.hckids.org for more information and to see pictures, videos and biographies of the 190 or so children we have available for adoption. After seeing what I saw today, I am eager to find a happy home for each and every one of them!

 

 

 

Making the Holidays a Littler Brighter

The holiday season can be a lonely time for those without family, including foster children. Thanksgiving dinners and holiday parties can be reminders of better times or simply family that is now missing. 

We try to do our best to help our children who may feel alone during these times.

Tomorrow, we will work with the Foster Care Alumni Association’s Ohio Chapter to host a Thanksgiving feast for our older foster youth and those who have aged out of our system.

These young people often don’t have the comfort of family and this provides the chance for fellowship and a good meal. The People’s Church in Clifton has graciously provided the space and Lisa Dickson of the Alumni Association has done a lot to make this happen. We expect more than 50 children to attend.

We also host a holiday party in December for our children who are awating adoption. Each child receives a gift, and there is food, music, games and other entertainment to make for an all around enjoyable evening. Their smiles are precious.

Xerox and the Coalition of Care help us with this event. We are grateful to all those in the community who help us make the holidays a little brighter for our children.

 

 

 

Miracles will Happen on Nov. 16

Below is the column I wrote for this month’s issue of Update, our community newsletter. It discusses our upcoming mass adoption ceremony, which is one of the most powerful and emotional days of the year here at JFS.

(You can find the column and much more news about our agency here: http://www.hcjfs.hamilton-co.org/UpdateNew2012/November/Cover.htm. Please, if you are interested in our agency and what we do, subscribe.)

It is rare that you can predict a miracle, but I know of several that will take place on Nov. 16.

That is the day we hold our mass adoption ceremony to celebrate National Adoption Month. Several families will welcome our foster children into their homes and lives permanently, forming loving families out of what was a foundation of abuse and neglect.

To me, that is a miracle.

I always circle this day on my calendar. To call it “inspirational” doesn’t do it service. This is life changing for these children.

I watched a 13-year-old boy break down in sobs last year as he tried to articulate what his adoptive family meant to him. The boy’s life had been tragic: his mother had died and, after he went to live with his grandfather, his grandfather passed away, too. He then lived with an uncle who suffered medical issues that prohibited him from caring for the young boy.

Left all alone, he found love with a new family. His sobs told a story I could never tell in this newsletter.

Nov. 16 will be a celebration. Finalizing an adoption is always the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by our staff. Pairing a child with specific needs with a family that can meet those needs is difficult. But when you get it right, the reward is great.

This is our fifth annual mass adoption ceremony at Hamilton County’s Probate Court. Judge James Cissell will preside. Seven families will adopt 13 children. If you would like to watch it live, we will livestream it over U-Stream. Look for details later this month on our website, www.hcjfs.org.

We have nearly 200 children awaiting adoption. You can see their stories and watch their videos on another of our websites, www.hckids.org. Seeing their faces is both sad – a reminder of the more than 5,000 reports of abuse we investigate every month – and inspiring, because they have not been broken and their spirit shines through in their videos.

Each has been the victim of abuse and neglect and, despite great efforts, cannot be reunited with their birth families. Now, we are trying to locate the right “match.” That sometimes takes months or years.

We don’t give up. Even as they turn 18 and become adults. Everyone needs a family throughout life.

One other way we are celebrating National Adoption Month is with a recruitment event where prospective adoptive parents can meet and spend time with some of our children. Later in the month, we will hold a celebration for all families who adopted children throughout the year.

We do what we can to encourage and celebrate the adoption of our children. We have stepped up our efforts in the past few years and received additional help this year from a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids’ grant that allowed us to add recruiters. The Nov. 16th ceremony is but a symbol of our year-round efforts. So far this year, we have had 77 adoptions. We hope to surpass last year’s 112 and 2010’s 105.

Children available for adoption come from a variety of backgrounds, neighborhoods, economic circumstances and living situations. They may have varying levels of medical, emotional or behavioral problems. They all bring their own personalities, strengths, interests and gifts.

What they need most? Love.

Can you answer the call? Do you have what it takes? If so, visit our adoption website, www.hckids.org to learn more and feel free to contact us by phone, (513) 946-1000, or e-mail, adoption@jfs.hamilton-co.org.

Facebook Can Be Your Source for JFS-related News

If you are looking for a job, you may want to follow our SuperJobs Center Facebook page. We often post hiring events and open jobs on that page and you will be alerted with each post.

In fact, our agency has three Facebook pages and they are all worth following for interesting news about jobs, job training, children available for adoption, public assistance changes and just about any other topic that is relevant to the work we do at JFS. We don’t just post about what is happening at our agency; we look for news that is relevant to the consumers we serve.

Below are the links to our three Facebook pages. Check them out and see the different kinds of news we share. Then, like us so you can get alerts when we post.

https://www.facebook.com/HCJFS

https://www.facebook.com/SuperJobs.OneStop

https://www.facebook.com/hcadopt

New Initiative to Drive Child Support Payments, Family Bonding

We often hear from people who owe child support that they don’t want to pay because they don’t get to see their children. While we always point out  their required payments and their visitation rights are independent of each other, we are certainly sympathetic to parents who want to see their children but cannot come to an agreement with the other parent on how to do it.

Now, thanks to a $50,000 grant, we can offer safe, secure and private visitation rooms for parents paying child support to be able to visit with their children. The idea is that parents who are able to spend some time with their children will be more likely to consistently pay child support.

Sometimes the custodial parent doesn’t want to leave the child with the other parent, or they themselves don’t want to see the other parent. Sadly, soemtimes the two parents really do not even know each other well.

Under the grant, court magistrates will refer these parents to us for visitation arrangements and we will arrange supervised visitation or drop off at the Family Nurturing Center, which already handles our Children’s Services visitations. FNC will provide both a secure pickup and drop-off point, separate from the non-custodial parent entrance, and supervised visitations when necessary.

We believe this new initiative will both increase child support collections and improve bonding between non-custodial parents and their children.

Suspect Child Abuse? Don’t Hesitate!

Reporting suspected child abuse is a life or death decision.

We work very hard to protect the children of this community, but we cannot help a child if we do not know something is happening.  And often, we do not know.

There are more than 200,000 children in this community and we have a little more than 200 Children’s Services workers. The sheer magnitude of possibilities requires us to rely on members of our community to be our eyes and ears when we are not around.

We often hear, after a tragic situation, that someone knew something was going on, but didn’t report it to our 241-KIDS hotline. I hope I can convince you to take that next step if you ever find yourself in that situation.

Some of our worst abuse cases involve children who are too young to tell us what is happening to them. They cannot reach out for help.

But someone sees that child on a regular basis. They see the bruises and hear the questionable excuses. They notice the child losing weight and hoarding food because she isn’t eating at home. They hear the screaming and crying coming from their neighbor’s house.

Whether it be a neighbor, child care provider, teacher, doctor, aunt, uncle, family friend – someone knows something isn’t right with that child.

We need them to pick up the phone and call us.

Child abusers go out of their way to hide their actions. It is unrealistic to believe that someone who would beat an innocent child would do it openly, or tell the truth about it happening.

We launched the Do, Ask, Do Tell public awareness campaign in 2011. The campaign was aimed at encouraging legally-mandated reporters to call us when they suspect abuse. But it was also a call out to the whole community to call 241-KIDS if they saw anything that, in their gut, made them suspect abuse.

Nine out of 10 cases of child abuse go unreported, according to recent studies. Approximately 2,500 Hamilton County children are found to be victims of child abuse and neglect each year, so that number would skyrocket to more than 20,000 if studies hold true.

This is unacceptable. Help us. Join us. Call us.