Reception Center Offers Cooling Off Space for Families in Crisis

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 with Juvenile Court. 

From July 2023 through 2024, 110 youth were admitted to the Reception Center.

Teenagers might be dropped off at the Reception Center by law enforcement who are unable to reach family members. Sometimes, these same parents are considering relinquishing their teen’s care to the agency out of desperation. 

“Our staff immediately work to engage the youth and the family to develop a safe plan for the child to return home, stay with a relative, or spend some time in a respite foster home,” said Jessica Agyekum, TVN clinical director. 

Each person is heard and family members work together to solve problems. “It’s important to validate their experiences, and it really helps when youth have a voice in developing solutions that are sustainable for both the children and parents,” she continued.

But the intervention doesn’t stop there. “We can provide ongoing mental health services for the family for six months,” Ms. Agyekum said. During that time, clinicians are “really working with the family to stabilize challenging behaviors.” 

Clinicians help by engaging family members as frequently as necessary to “identify barriers and really work on creating some stability,” said Ms. Agyekum. 

Aligned with our Call to Action on Strengthening All Families, the Reception Center proactively helps families work through their challenges and trauma, preventing teens and parents from penetrating deeper into the child welfare system and avoiding unnecessary custodial removals.

Six months post-entry into the program, 62% of youth had no further involvement with Children Services.

According to Ms. Sheaffer, TVN staff develop special bonds with families. “Our staff are in the trenches with these families, and you can tell they really appreciate the help they’ve been given.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Forever Family Funfest Celebrates Power of Permanency

Image
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...
Read more

FCCS Volunteers Comfort, Care for Children during Crisis

Image
As a volunteer in Franklin County Children Services’ Crisis Center, Michalle DiGiovine fondly recalls dining on “pretend food” and playing “restaurant” with a promising culinary staff of five young children as they tried out recipes prepared on a plastic range.  “It felt good that they could come to me - a stranger - to pretend and laugh a little,” she said, remembering how she connected with the youngsters, all the under the age of 10, who had just endured an extremely traumatic experience at home. As January is National Mentoring Month, it’s a great time to recognize the Crisis Center volunteers who help protect children by allowing them to escape from tumultuous situations for a time and feel safe and cared for.  Mentors and volunteers play an important role at FCCS in surrounding children who come into the agency’s care with kindness and support, letting children know they are not alone. It’s part of the agency’s strategy to protect the “whole” child - mind, body, and hear...
Read more

Creating Forever Families, FCCS Caseworker Celebrates 500th Adoption

Image
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 frie...
Read more