News from Franklin County Children Services

Protecting children and keeping young people safe requires more than focusing on abuse and neglect. Our priority is protecting the “whole child” - body, mind, and heart.  That was the message shared by FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning during his presentation to the Columbus NAACP. Founded in 1915, the Columbus Branch is a part of the boldest and oldest civil rights organization in the nation. He shared that our agency undertook more than 12,000 investigations last year based on referrals or calls. Mental health is now a key part of that screening process into claims or abuse or neglect: from emotional behavior and crisis stabilization to the role and impacts of social media.  And young people who come into the care of FCCS, Director Spinning added, benefit from having that one caring adult standing in their corner with them - a caseworker, a mentor, a volunteer - who serves as a heartfelt reminder to that child that they are not alone. NAACP President Nana Watson offered the organ

Giving African American young women “real world” experiences and opportunities to explore their potential, FCCS is partnering with the Center for Healthy Families on a culturally-specific internship program designed to instill skills, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging.  For the second consecutive year, the Black Girls and Young Women’s Collective is providing young people who have been served by Children Services with hands-on learning around project planning, problem solving, and other self-development and leadership skills So far, the enriching activities have included testifying at Columbus City Council and planting pinwheels at City Hall in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month.  The group has also heard from local Black professionals who encouraged them to develop their own self-advocacy skills.  For 21-year-old Miatta, a former foster youth and current college student, the internship is “an opportunity for Black girls to come together, learn how to make a change, and stand up

FCCS Searches for Kin Far and Wide When family unity is threatened, even temporarily, Franklin County Children Services is often mandated to step in to find suitable housing for the children while their parents work out their issues. Social workers in the FCCS Kinship Program use the latest tools, genograms, and investigative work to find family members or close family friends who can provide a loving, stable home.  Finding potential kinship caregivers is specialized work. “The model is not only technology-based but rooted in the values of family research and engagement,” said Amy Wood, director of the agency’s Placement and Provider Services department.  Specialists in her department use online search engines, paid databases, and family interviews to map out a family tree and then start making contacts. Franklin County Children Services makes it a priority to place children with kin when possible. More than one third of children who must leave home are initially placed with kin.  Whil