News from Franklin County Children Services

Hope is not just a feeling. It is a measurable force for changing the trajectory of a child’s life.  As we recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Month this April, Franklin County Children Services invites the Central Ohio community to join us in raising awareness about the continued dangers of child abuse and neglect here in Central Ohio and in celebrating how proactive community supports can strengthen families before crisis occurs, united under the theme of “ Powered by Hope. Strengthened by Prevention. ” The scale of the challenge we face remains significant. In 2025, the majority of the referrals and calls to the Franklin County Child Abuse Hotline - representing roughly 6 out of every 10 children who came in contact with our agency - raised fears about a child or teen being physically abused. More than half were concerns about some form of neglect or emotional maltreatment. And 1 child out of every 6 was an alleged victim of sexual abuse. In all, these fears and concerns ...

Spending nearly 300 hours in the courtroom - or the average time it would take to read 67 books in a single year - the legal team at Franklin County Children Services works closely with partners in the Franklin County Courts to help keep children and teens safer and create positive, lasting change for families. “All of our work is geared at children’s safety and ultimately helping to increase the functioning of the family unit,” said FCCS Deputy Chief Counsel Julie Murrell, part of the agency’s team of attorneys, legal aides, paralegals, clerks, clerical staff, and court liaisons.  The department works most often with the judges and magistrates in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Branch as well as the Probate Court. And, according to Deputy Chief Counsel Jennifer Himes-Riley, the FCCS legal team is involved from the beginning of a case to custody end, assisting the family and caseworkers in finding the safest plan of care for a child.  ...

Learning about college courses, scholarships, and top-paying careers connected to video gaming – and having a lot of fun too – teens in the mentoring program at Franklin County Children Services spent a special day inside The Ohio State University’s Esports Arena.  “This hands-on day helped me in ways I didn’t expect,” said Lonnie Thompson, a member of the Simba Mentoring Program and one of 14 teens who were able to play games side-by-side and learn of the opportunities esports offers in college. "Something they do on a regular basis can lead to so much more,” said FCCS Associate Director of Child Enrichment and Volunteers Daryle Cobb.  Around 85% of U.S. teenagers game regularly, according to the Pew Research Center. Esports programs at universities like Ohio State offer scholarships for students to compete and play games against other colleges.  A collaboration with The Ohio State University and the Ubuntu Leadership Academy, which helps to create opportunities for stud...

With budget cuts and a government closure at the federal level making access to food assistance more challenging for many people throughout our region, the Intake and Ongoing teams found a creative way to support families in our care who reported an urgent need for food.  Working with several teams across the agency, they compiled dozens of emergency food boxes that could be shared with families connected to our agency who needed immediate help. At the same time, a partnership with our Purchasing team helped to streamline the process for accessing vouchers to help families quickly go shopping for groceries. “These families are going through so much right now. Their life has already been uprooted,” said Family Services Director Emily Green. “Making sure families have their basic needs met was the most simple thing we can do.”  During the federal shutdown, food benefits though the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) weren’t distributed. Roughly 1 in 8 people in Fran...

Over the past twelve months, more than 180 children and teens in the care of Franklin County Children Services found safe, permanent placement with grandparents, relatives, or family friends… and FCCS celebrated these new “forever families” with its second annual Forever Family Fun Day. “We understand the responsibility and the amount of love and care that someone has to take on that commitment and to raise a child that is not their own,” said Sid Daniels, Associate Director of Kinship.   The work of the FCCS Kinship team to support these placements is part of the more than 300 total “forever families” for children in agency care finalized either through adoption or permanent kinship placement in 2025, according to Mr. Daniels. “We want to honor that,” he added. “We also want to make sure it’s fun.”  This year’s Forever Family Fun Day was held at Skate Zone 71 in late December, offering families connected to the Kinship and Adoption programs a free morning of skating and ...

For more than 50 years, the week leading up to Thanksgiving has been proclaimed National Family Week, a time to celebrate how our community can work together to make families stronger for longer, which is one of the best ways to keep children safer.  Joined by St. Stephen’s, Gladden, and Central Community Houses, Franklin County Children Services celebrated five families who participated in the Family-to-Family program and used the supportive services offered to overcome obstacles and achieve success. And the stories of their achievements - and of those caseworkers and community partners who supported them along their journeys - were powerful to hear. “Indica’s perseverance paid off through a combination of hard work, a few helping hands in the community, and the support of an organization that refused to let her fall through the cracks,” shared Marcellus Harris, caseworker at St. Stephens Community House, who help this mother and her children secure housing and stay employed durin...