The intake unit consists of Supervisor Angela Ross, Cheria Thacker, Kelsey Shoenfelt and Ashlee Moore. (Provided)
WEST UNION, Ohio — Adams County Children Services is at times the only safeguard between a child and abuse or adverse childhood experiences.
This year alone, Adams County Children Services has already received over 500 calls, all of which will be thoroughly investigated by dedicated staff.
“So far in 2021, the most reported allegation to the agency is neglect followed closely by physical abuse. Many of the reports received by the agency involve some type of substance abuse by the parent such as a newborn going through withdrawals, children having access to drugs in the home or a child’s needs not being met due to parental drug use,” said Intake Supervisor Angela Ross.
Since 2016, reports received by the home have steadily increased. In 2016, the total number of reports totaled 765. By 2019, that had risen to 1,045.
“Our county continues to struggle with substance abuse. Substance abuse greatly impacts a parent’s ability to parent their children,” said Ross.
Of all the allegation data collected between these years, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse are the top three most reported cases.
When schools shut down last year on March 17, an important line of defense for children was compromised. School officials are critical to the reporting process, as they have so much contact with children. The cases that year totaled 831 – a substantial amount, but a notable decrease.
“Intakes in 2020 decreased due to children not attending in-person school for part of 2020. School personnel are mandated reporters and the school is a safety net for many children in our county,” said Ross.
After a report is made to the agency, a screening decision is required.
“If the report is screened in it is classified as either an alternative response (the family needs to be linked with services) or traditional. The intake is assigned to one of the three intake caseworkers. If the report is an alternative response, the worker tries to assist the family with any identified needs such as linking the family with needed services. Traditional reports are investigated and either unsubstantiated, substantiated or indicated. In order to substantiate reports, there needs to be an admission by the alleged perpetrator, confirmation deemed valid by Children Services or the caseworker’s professional judgment,” said Ross.
Once a caseworker is assigned, all family members in the home are interviewed and a safety assessment is completed.
“Before completion of the investigation, the alleged perpetrator is interviewed and a family assessment is completed. The caseworker also obtains other evidence as relevant to the report such as police reports, medical records, interviews with witnesses and pictures of the home or child. In substance abuse cases the caseworker will request the caretakers take a drug screen,” said Ross.
There are currently only three intake caseworkers, Cheria Thacker, Kelsey Shoenfelt and Ashlee Moore, at the agency. The caseworkers are assigned intakes on a rotating basis and the number of intakes varies based on the number of reports the agency receives. When an intake caseworker is on vacation or on medical leave, it is up to two intake caseworkers to bear the workload for the entire county.
“I am very lucky to have an experienced intake unit with all of the caseworkers having at least 4 years of experience in intake,” she said.
The unit also has one case aide who assists caseworkers with monitoring and supervising visits between children in the agency’s custody and their parents, drug screens and transporting children and families.
Once a case is substantiated or indicated, meaning evidence has been acquired, the case is transferred to the ongoing unit, with Supervisor Sonya Meyer leading a team of seven caseworkers. A joint home visit from the intake worker and the newly assigned ongoing worker is then conducted to help the family with the transition and a greater understanding of what they can expect during the ongoing phase of their family case plan.
A case plan must be completed within 30 days of the incident. Unfortunately, many parents are not able to be located, which makes it very difficult to get the services initiated.
Child abuse, neglect and other issues involving children do not only occur during working hours.
Adams County Children Services offers after-hours on-call coverage 365 days a year. While a call by a concerned community member can be made during normal business hours, there are times when The Adams County Sheriff’s Department is the first point of contact for anyone making a report of child abuse and neglect after hours.
When the on-call caseworker receives a report of child abuse and neglect after hours, the action required is based upon the urgency of a call. If the child(ren) are determined to be at imminent risk, the on-call caseworker must coordinate with law enforcement to be granted emergency custody of the child. Law enforcement typically is already on scene and able to assist promptly.
One of the most significant challenges for the on-call caseworker is finding a suitable placement for the child (ren). Family and identified kinship relationships are the first choice. A safety audit, background checks and other safety measures are required prior to placement.
The placement with family or others who have an identified relationship minimizes further trauma to the child. However, if the parent or guardian is incapacitated due to use of illegal/legal substances, and are unable to verbalize placement options, the on-call caseworkers will locate a licensed foster home to temporary care for the child(ren).
Oftentimes, the caseworker is at the office, with one or more children, who are often hungry, dirty, crying and upset, trying to locate a placement. Occasionally, the reality is that foster care providers are already full, or are asleep and don’t answer the phone.
“I remember a time recently, removing a sibling set of three children due to substance abuse of the mother and father. The children were not old enough to be placed at Wilson Children’s Home, and the only relatives identified and who showed up at the scene were also impaired. Actually, they ran into the agency vehicle,” said Intake Worker Moore.
After a child is removed from the home, families are monitored by the caseworker, which makes a minimum of monthly contacts in the home, obtaining reports from service providers, including mental health and substance abuse treatment providers.
“We have a team of seven ongoing workers, and presently the average caseload size is 17. This is considered an extremely high caseload size, with the ideal case number being 13. I have been employed at Adams County Children Services for 27 years, and cannot remember a time when so many families are in crisis. When families are in crisis, children are in crisis,” said Meyer.
The length of time the child remains in temporary custody depends on the severity of the abuse, or neglect and parents taking an active role in addressing the problems.
“Each case is unique. Each family has different strengths, and each case plan is developed with those strengths in mind,” said Executive Director Jill Wright.
When parents cannot make the changes necessary to provide a safe, stable home for their children, family members, kinship providers and foster parents must continue to care for the child.
“Thankfully, we have many people who have the passion to help children in need. However, with the current number of children needing protection, the foster care system is saturated. Each family is only licensed for a certain number of children, and when the beds are full, we have to look outside of our county,” said Wright.
The reality is when parents do not make necessary changes to their lifestyle and address the issues in a timely manner, the agency will pursue terminating their parental rights. This is completed through a motion for permanent custody with Adams County Juvenile Court. Once parental rights are terminated, children are available for adoption.
In 2021 alone, Adams County Children Services is on track to finalize 30 adoptions. Compared to five adoptions in 2020, the increase reflects a growing trend for Adams County.
“There is a constant and growing need for additional foster care and adoptive families in Adams County. Currently, with 26 foster families and the number of children in the agency’s custody, each caregiver would have to take 6 plus children to meet our current needs, which is not feasible. The agency is averaging 155 to 170 children in custody at any given time. We need caregivers for children from infancy through 18 and sometimes older if they’re still in school. We are facing a critical time in our community when it comes to our children. We need your help,” said Foster and Adoption Specialist Dawn Grooms.
