The Resource Services Department is responsible for overseeing the foster and adoption programs of Mahoning County Children Services. This Department includes two Resource Units and the agency’s Training Unit. It also houses the agency’s Independent Living Program, the Community Education Specialist, and the Continuous Quality Improvement Manager. Some of the services provided by the Resource Services Department include: home study approval and licensing of foster/adoptive parents, kinship home studies, adoption preparation for children, ongoing supervision of foster homes and adoptive placements, adoption finalization, crisis management, and implementation and supervision of four adoption subsidy programs.

Mahoning County Children Services currently has a total of 93 licensed foster parents and 61 approved adoptive homes. Many families are dually approved to foster and adopt. As of December 2009, there were a total of 182 children in foster home placement.

All foster/adoptive candidates must attend 36 hours of pre-service training prior to home study completion. Mahoning County Children Services has an in-house trainer who provides the initial 36 hours of training to prospective foster and adoptive parents. There were five new foster homes licensed and four adoption only homes approved during the year 2009. All currently licensed foster parents are required to attend 40 hours of ongoing training over a two-year period. The agency offered 30 foster parent trainings on-site for a total of 114 training hours.

The Resource Services Department is responsible for completing home study reports at the request of other Ohio counties or at the request of other states. For children entering Ohio from the custody of another state there is a national system in place called the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). In June of 2009, the State of Ohio decentralized the ICPC Office, requiring each county to appoint an ICPC Deputy Director and handle incoming requests within the county of residence of the prospective placement family. In 2009, the agency received 12 out-of-state requests for home studies and 27 in-state requests. The Department also provides home studies for other agency departments. In 2009, there were 121 requests for kinship home studies from the Family Services Department and 16 requests from the Kinship Permanency Incentive Program.

New casework employees undergo an extensive training experience in the Resource Services Department’s Training Unit. The Training Unit also works cooperatively with Youngstown State University to provide intern training for Bachelor of Social Work candidates and the University Partnership Program. During 2009, there were four YSU interns supervised by the Training Unit.

The Community Education Specialist is also housed in the Resource Services Department. The duties of the Community Education Specialist include presentations at foster and adoptive parent recruitment events, mandated educator and daycare provider training, informational presentations throughout the community, presentations to children on child abuse prevention, and planning and overseeing special community events. In 2009, the agency participated in the fourth annual “Pinwheels for Prevention,” a statewide child abuse awareness campaign. For the third year, there was a community recruitment event at a Mahoning Valley Scrappers baseball game in July, attended by several thousand people.

The Independent Living Program provides a continuum of services to youth aged sixteen and older. The Independent Living Coordinator meets with agency youth both individually and in a group setting to provide life skills training, job training, and post-secondary education planning and preparation. This past year the Independent Living Program, with the help of D & E Counseling Center, initiated a psychological assessment of all children at the time they become program eligible. This assessment, along with a Life Skills Assessment, assists the program coordinator in setting up a comprehensive and individualized program of independent living preparation for agency youth.

In 2009, a group of local agencies have joined together to assist in the planning process for agency youth transitioning to independent living. D & E Counseling, Turning Point, the Burdman Group, Youngstown Metropolitan Housing, and Mahoning County Training Association have met regularly to discuss the needs of this population. Throughout 2009, there has been a monthly average of 20 youths participating in the Independent Living Program. There are currently two youths attending Youngstown State University from the Independent Living Program.

The Continuous Quality Improvement Manager has the goal of monitoring universal compliance to state and federal mandates. During 2009, the Quality Improvement Manager completed plans with the state Child Protection Oversight and Evaluation Quality Improvement Plan. In 2010, the agency will undergo another state review and explore agency specific goals for quality.