2010 Looking Forward. . .

The agency ended the year 2009 having concluded the work on a new Strategic Plan, creating a new direction for the agency. Implementation of the plan will begin with a focus on the internal organization of the agency – the agency structure and employee relationships. Working towards the ultimate goal of accreditation, we are committed to strengthening agency core services. Subsequent goals in the plan then look outward to our collaboration with community partners to enhance the agency's role as a leader in services to children.

Another highlight of the year was the passage of our one mil levy in November 2009. This levy generates over half of the agency's levy collections and is critical to service delivery. We are truly grateful for our community's continued support of our work with neglected and abused children in our county.

An accomplishment of which we are especially proud is the growth of our One Church, One Child Program, a project designed to recruit foster and adoptive parents through church partners. The second year of this project celebrated the licensure of the first foster family recruited through this program and an increase of our church partners by approximately 20%. As almost 85% of our adoptions in the last year were finalized with foster families, ongoing recruitment to "replace" these foster homes through this program is crucial.

It has been said that a measure of our society is how well it treats its most vulnerable members. Our children are the responsibility of the entire community – of which we are an integral part. Every year we touch thousands of lives in our community and strive to make life better for families and children in Mahoning County. The real story of our work in the community is told through the casework done with over 1,400 families. We know that family involvement through family team meetings results in better outcomes. By engaging families, we are able to more readily address case plan goals and ultimately avoid out of home placements.

Our commitment to children and families remains strong. We have set a course to improve agency services and strengthen our collaboration with the community. I am confident that the commitment and dedication of our staff will sustain our work as we move forward to make innovative, positive changes in our agency.