News from Franklin County Children Services

“Nothing about them without them.” With this mantra in mind, Franklin County Children Services takes a team approach when it comes to helping keep children safer while supporting families to make them stronger… and parents have an important voice in the process. As families become more involved in the child welfare system, FCCS organizes Family Team Meetings, where those who care most about a youth’s wellbeing can work together on finding the least intrusive, best-supportive plans for safety and stability. “Our families need to know they are not alone in their circumstances,” said Stacie Pelton, a Social Program Coordinator who facilitates many of the agency’s Family Team Meetings. “A team meeting is an opportunity for them to have all their support people communicating as team at the same time.”  In 2024, FCCS conducted more than 1,200 of these Family Team Meetings, bringing together family members, service teams, caregivers, and sometimes school counselors and guardians ad litem....

CLICK HERE TO HEAR MORE TIPS ON WHY YOU SHOULD FIND A TRUSTED ADULT MENTOR FOR YOUR TEAN FROM BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS' VOLUNTEER ABBY FISHER Mentors can be an essential resource for parents and a way for teens to feel connected and have a sense of belonging, says Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio Volunteer Abby Fisher.  “Mentors are a great thing for everybody, and mentors are all around,” she explains. “It’s teachers, it’s coaches, it’s people in your community that you look up to that can help shape your attitudes, how you feel about certain things and model for you what’s possible. We say you have to see it to be it.” Mentors can be role models and cheerleaders for teens, listening and offering advice based upon their own experience. But to gain the best experience with a mentor, Fisher advises that parents take the lead.  She suggests “Aligning on what the expectations are, aligning on possible outcomes and where we want to see the greatest impact – those are great...

Supporting the mental health needs of children and teens while they await safe placement, Franklin County Children Services partners with the National Youth Advocacy Program (NYAP) to have trained mental health clinicians on stand-by 24 hours a day to de-escalate youth behavioral crisis, complete pre-placement assessments, and engage youth experiencing the trauma of removal. -- Every thirty minutes, clinicians like Misty Coleman and Mercedes Harris make their rounds at Children Services’ Intake and Assessment Center to connect with youth who have come into the building. They’ll talk with each one, asking about their needs: a shower, something to play with, maybe a snack, or just someone to listen. “We work hard to start building rapport and trust,” said Ms. Harris, a Clinical Supervisor.  “And we use music, TV, puzzles, and games to engage them,” added Ms. Coleman, the Program Manager of Emergency Stabilization Care. They are part of a team of dedicated mental health clinicians fro...