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FCCS Families see Olympian Simone Biles, Honor Gymnast's Ties to Agency and Advocacy for Adoption

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Adding to November’s National Adoption Month recognition - and celebrating the unique connection between gymnastics great Simone Biles and Franklin County Children Services - 11 agency-involved families who are on a similar adoption and kinship care pathway as the 11-time Olympic medal winner headed to Cincinnati to see her perform, thanks to a special invitation from FCCS and the Gold Over America Tour. --- As the world watched Simone Biles summersault to gold in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, five-year-old Rikki did cartwheels in her living room in front of her siblings… and likely never realized how much in common her family had with the 11-time Olympic medalist, 30-time World Championship medalist, and most decorated gymnast in history. A passionate advocate for kids involved in the child welfare system, Ms. Biles often shares her personal journey in foster care in the Columbus area, her kinship placement with relatives, and her eventual adoption, all managed through the effort
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First Forever Family Funfest Celebrates Power of Permanency

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Celebrating the nearly 300 children who found “forever homes” over the past year through adoption or finalization of a kinship placement, Franklin County Children Services hosted its first Forever Family Funfest. “When children can no longer safely remain in their parents’ custody, they deserve to have the permanent sense of belonging that comes with finding a family,” said Raquel Breckenridge, Family Service Director for Permanency. “And we want to celebrate those lasting connections.” Over the past year, more than 100 children and teenagers who were in the agency’s care found their forever homes through adoption. In addition, almost 200 children were permanently placed with family relatives - grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, or adult siblings - or close family friends such as teachers and coaches, church members, or neighbors. Dozens of those children and teens who found their forever homes through adoption or permanent kinship placement, along with their families and caregiv
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How to be a Successful Mentor: Just Show Up

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Longtime Franklin County Children Services mentor Claude Russell III says the secret to successful mentoring is simple: just show up. It’s all about being together and building a relationship.  “Mentees just want your time,” he says. “They just want to be in your presence and see a person who cares. That is so easy to do.”  Mr. Russell, a Toledo native and OSU alum, has been an active part of FCCS’s Simba Mentor program which just celebrated its 36th anniversary. Simba is a culturally and gender specific mentoring program for African-American boys and African-American men.  “The love and the acceptance and the warmth that I’ve received in being a mentor has been unmatched,” said Mr. Russell, who recognizes that his life has been endlessly enriched by his longtime mentees - and now extended family - Seth (24) and Sebastian (18). Never forgetting the impact his mentors made on him as he was growing up, Mr. Russell wanted to pay this forward when he joined the Simba program. “It’s really
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For Grandparent turned Caregiver, Struggle is Worth It… and Why FCCS Levy Invests in Kinship

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While working two jobs and considering a third, Sonya Smith is raising her 16, 13, and 10-year-old grandchildren. Her 12-hour workdays are a struggle, she admits, but knowing the children have a safe home keeps Ms. Smith going. When children can no longer safely stay with their parents and need a place to stay, caseworkers at Franklin County Children Services first search for relatives and others close to the family - such as teachers, coaches, church members, neighbors, or family friends - who can provide a caring, familiar environment where the children might better cope with the trauma of separation.  Grandparents like Ms. Smith often are the first to step up to help keep kids safer. “I couldn’t see them going out into the world without my protection,” she said.   According to the national Annie E. Casey Foundation , more than 127,000 children in Ohio between 2020 and 2022 relied upon a family relative or other adult with whom they have a family-like relationship as their primary ca
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Protecting Our Future: A Decade of Promoting Infant Safe Sleep

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Marking ten years of empowering new parents with information on how to help their babies sleep soundly and safely, Franklin County Children Services celebrated National Infant Mortality Awareness Month in September with the unveiling of a new “ABCs of Safe Sleep Onesie.”  Both babies and community partners are loving it. "These are perfect gifts to educate families on safe sleep,” said Heidi Weaver-Smith, Executive Director of the Little Bottoms Free Store. “We are so grateful for our partnership with Franklin County Children's Services and their provision of Safe Sleep onesies to support our families.” Ten years ago, outreach staff at FCCS recognized the need for a tangible reminder to promote safe sleep practices. From the initial design phase to the distribution of the sleepwear, the goal has always been to keep infants aged 1 month to 1 year safer when they sleep.  The feedback from new parents, community partners, and caregivers has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforci
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Reception Center Offers Cooling Off Space for Families in Crisis

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When tempers and trauma reach a crisis point - and parents feel they have nowhere else to turn - sometimes families need a moment to “cool off” and reset the conversation. That’s when Franklin County Children Services relies on it’s partners at The Village Network’s Reception Center to provide a safe space where families can cool down, each person can be heard, and supports can be offered to help bring tensions down. “I feel like we’re offering hope,” said Marlene Sheaffer, regional director at The Village Network (TVN). “A lot of these families are feeling hopeless. They’ve tried different things, and they feel like nothing else is going to work. But if they give us one last chance, things can change.” For many years, FCCS has partnered with TVN to provide foster care, managed care, and respite services to families. In 2017, the partnership expanded to create a rapid response program aimed at youth ages 11 to 17 whose families were considering filing unruly or delinquent complaints wi
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Preserving Family Connections through Kinship Care

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It’s a sunny afternoon and the sounds of a sweet, bubbly preschooler playing outside fill what might normally be an air of silence - the cackling of joy and laughter that might not have been possible just a short time ago.  “He’s my little buddy,” says Lisa Todd, who got a phone call in 2020 that her infant cousin Jayvonta needed a temporary safe place to stay. Family means everything to Lisa, so there was no hesitation. And fast forward four years, Jayvonta is now a permanent part of Lisa's immediate family. When children can no longer safely stay at home with their parents, Franklin County Children Services prioritizes finding family-like settings to place youth and, when possible, in kinship-related homes. This would include family relatives - grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, or adult siblings - or close family friends such as teachers and coaches, church members, or neighbors. By keeping children connected to their family or the neighborhoods they are accustomed to, kin
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