Creating Forever Families, FCCS Caseworker Celebrates 500th Adoption

Finding lifelong, lasting family connections for children is all in a day’s work for adoptions assessor Liska Hall, a 26-year veteran at Franklin County Children Services. And in March, this exceptional child welfare professional reached a remarkable milestone, facilitating her 500th adoption. 

“I have loved being able to provide permanence for 500 kids,” she said. 

“I love that I will be the last social worker that they will have and that they will go on and have typical lives without caseworkers involved. I love it when the family is so happy and excited about the adoption and that this child is now theirs, forever!”  

Going into the child welfare field made perfect sense to Ms. Hall, who was the first person in her family to attend college. She notes that she’s always been the kind of person who has looked out for others. 

“I was a ‘social worker’ in high school,” she recalled. “I was the mom of the group, making sure everyone got home safely. None of my friends were surprised by my job choice.”

Ms. Hall works primarily with foster-to-adopt cases, ensuring that foster parents are a good match for the children temporarily in their care who they are hoping to adopt. 

One of the greatest rewards of the job, she says, is when adoption day finally arrives after months of planning and mountains of paperwork. 

“It’s the best,” she says, especially for parents who have been waiting a long time for children of their own. “This is what they’ve been hoping for.” 

As for the youth on her caseload who have often experienced adversity and trauma and been in the child welfare system for years, Ms. Hall advocates tirelessly on their behalf. 

She is celebrated for doing everything she can to safeguard “her” kids - now at 500 and counting - to help them finally find the forever family they’ve been patiently waiting for. 

“They’re my little heroes.”

Pictured (left to right): Family Service Director-Permanency Raquel Breckenridge, Adoptions Caseworker Liska Hall, FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning, and Adoptions Associate Director Cassie Snyder.

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