Following recommendations of the Structure Committee, in line with the agency’s Strategic Plan, the Placement Department was reorganized to focus on the specialized services delivered by staff in this department. Foster care and adoption services merged with the residential and group home services, which comprise the new department that is responsible for all substitute care resources in the agency.

The Foster Care Unit is now responsible for all licensed foster homes serviced by Mahoning County Children Services. Currently, three caseworkers maintain responsibility for the development, licensing and supervision of 83 licensed homes. The majority of these homes (50) are also approved adoptive homes. Nine foster homes were added to the ranks of licensed homes in 2010. Also housed in the Foster Care Unit is the caseworker responsible for the completion of homestudies for counties outside Mahoning, kinship care providers and homestudies requested by the Family Services Department. In 2010, over 150 homestudies were completed. In addition to the above positions, the Inquiry Screener receives calls from anyone who may be interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent. The Inquiry Screener provides background checks of foster/adoptive applicants, maintains training records and contact with the family until the homestudy process begins, and provides non-identifying information to adult adoptees upon request.

The Adoption Unit houses two adoption workers who work with children who are in the permanent custody of the agency. Their responsibilities include preparing the child for transition to an adoptive home and designing a recruitment plan around the child. Designing a child-specific recruitment plan reflects the increasing challenges in the field of adoption. Youth who are waiting for placement in Mahoning County mirror the national trend. Many of these children are older children with disabilities, some of whom are in group home settings.

One challenge is to identify the barriers to recruitment and seek non-traditional, more creative methods. Adoption workers are trained to work with schools, the mental health community, and medical providers to provide comprehensive support to the family. In the next year, the goal of the adoption workers will be to expand our network, locate services relevant to the adoption experience and continue to create more effective and beneficial recruitment outcomes.

Also housed in the Adoption Unit are Interstate Compact Services. Two part-time workers coordinate agency services between the State of Ohio and all other states. Services provided include relative homestudies, foster home licensing, adoption homestudies and the supervision of placements being requested by other states.

Finally, housed in the Adoption Unit is the Community Education and Outreach Coordinator whose duties include providing training to social service staff and foster parents, coordinating community events, and the provision of training and information to the community. In recognition of the month of November as National Adoption Month, Hakim Fareed, an agency foster and adoptive parent, was featured in The Youngstown Vindicator. Also in November, our One Church, One Child Committee hosted a community celebration of adoption. Through Radhika Cruz’s efforts and those of John Jemison, OCOC Coordinator, our foster and adoption program has enjoyed increased community recognition.

Mahoning County Children Services is one of seven county agencies in the State of Ohio that operate agency run group homes for children. This service is designed to provide prompt placement resources with the goal of maintaining children in our community. Mahoning County Children Services partners with The Steel Valley Homes for Youth, Inc. and the Swanston Foundation to provide group home services. The agency operates three group homes located in the city of Youngstown with each home housing up to 10 residents ranging from 6 to 17 years of age. The homes are licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The residents attend local schools and participate in activities within the community. Staffing includes 33 youth leaders (full and part time) responsible for the direct care of the residents, three cooks, and one maintenance worker working in the homes. The homes themselves are managed by two group home coordinators who are responsible to oversee the day-to-day operation of the homes and one supervisor who oversees all three group homes.

The group homes are one level of care within the Residential Unit. The next level of care is residential placement, which is purchased placement from private providers. Children who exhibit emotional and behavioral problems which require an intense level of supervision and treatment are referred for residential placements. These cases are managed by three caseworkers within the Residential Unit. These workers also monitor children in specialized foster homes and treatment facilities.

As the result of our new Strategic Plan, the Placement Services Department has added an Independent Living Coordinator to work with 16—18 year old children placed in residential facilities. The Independent Living Coordinator will work one-on-one with each child to provide basic life skills the children need to live independently after emancipation from the custody of Mahoning County Children Services.