2008

An aspiring artist who loves the music of Tina Turner is August’s Adoptable Child at Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services.

Hamilton County residents struggling with the high cost of gas, food, health care and other items can learn more about assistance available to them in a July 30 online chat with Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services.

Hamilton County residents thinking about foster care or adoption can learn more in an online chat by the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. The lead recruiter for Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services will answer questions about certification and licensing, home assessments, training and other topics that will help you make the decision to become a foster or adoptive parent.

A father who owes more than $65,000 to his seven children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.

More than 50 teens in Hamilton County’s foster care system will bid farewell to high school and hello to their futures at this year’s "Celebration of Dreams" event.

Foster parents will be honored at Tuesday’s Cincinnati Reds game for opening their homes and hearts to Hamilton County’s abused and neglected children. The Reds have offered discounted tickets to foster families and one family will be invited on to the field prior to the game to yell "Play Ball!" and start the action against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Foster Family Night will feature other ballpark activities and a stadium booth where fans can learn more about foster parenting.

More than 200 Southwest Ohio foster and adoptive parents will spend Friday and Saturday attending workshops such as “Look Out! There’s a Teenager in Our House” and “Parenting the Sexually Abused Children” in an attempt to learn the best ways to care for their foster and adoptive children.

Foster and adoptive parents who selflessly dedicate their lives to helping children will be honored with butterflies, a drum line performance and recognition from local dignitaries on Wednesday, May 14.

A father who owes more than $69,000 to his five children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.  Ricky Moore, 51, was last known to reside on Cambridge Avenue in Cincinnati. His last known occupation was working in dry cleaning.

A 16-year-old boy who likes to make people laugh and enjoys playing football is May’s Adoptable Children at Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services.

Hamilton County residents itching to get their hands on tax rebates may be very disappointed if they owe delinquent child support. Economic Stimulus rebates, which begin mailing next week, will be intercepted to help needy children if they are destined to a parent who has not met their child support obligation.

Hamilton County has teamed up with the FreestoreFoodbank to target some of the 30,000 uninsured county elderly residents, families and children who are eligible for Medicaid coverage but have not yet sought help.

Hamilton County residents who are thinking about foster care or adoption can learn more over a cup of coffee Thursday afternoon at the College Hill Coffee Co. and Casual Gourmet.

Teen sisters who like to swim are April’s Adoptable Children at Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services.Hamilton County is spotlighting some of the children it has available for adoption with monthly releases to local media.

A father who owes more than $32,000 to his child is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent. Robert Gross Jr., 37, was last known to reside in Newport, Ky.

More than 6,100 colorful pinwheels – each representing a report of child abuse or neglect to Hamilton County’s 241-KIDS hotline – will be planted near the Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Wednesday in a dramatic attempt to draw attention to one of the area’s more horrific problems.

A 15-year-old boy who plays sports and would someday like to visit Tokyo is March’s Adoptable Child at Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services. Hamilton County is spotlighting some of the children it has available for adoption with monthly releases to local media.

A father who owes more than $72,000 to his three children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent. Lamont Williams, 38, was last known to reside on Cedar Breaks Court in Fairfield. His last known occupation was fast food. 

Recruiters from Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services are visiting local libraries to help answer the public’s questions about foster care and adoption.

Several Cincinnati organizations have come together to kick-start what is believed to be the first program in the country of its kind focusing on helping foster children stay in school and achieve academic success.

A father who owes more than $67,000 to his two children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.

A collaborative of public and private organizations has kicked off what they hope will be a $1 million recruitment campaign to increase the number of foster parents for abused and neglected children in Hamilton County and the Greater Cincinnati region.

The Woman’s City Club will host a Jan. 22 forum featuring a panel of experts from Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services discussing the county’s child protection system.

A 13-year-old girl who plays basketball and wants to be a cosmetologist is January’s Adoptable Child at Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services.

A father who owes more than $98,000 to his four children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent. Eugene Childs, 46, was last known to reside on Brookhaven Road.

2007

Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services set a new record for adoptions today when three children were adopted by a Cleveland-area couple, bringing the number of county adoptions to 127 in 2007.

A 15-year-old girl who likes attending church, playing basketball, going to the mall and listening to music is December’s Adoptable Child at Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services. Hamilton County is spotlighting some of the children it has available for adoption with monthly releases to local media.

Five families will finalize the adoption of  eight children before Hamilton County Probate Court Judge James C. Cissell Saturday in a Mass Adoption event planned to celebrate National Adoption Day.

Hamilton County Recorder Rebecca Prem Groppe recently received the Partner of the Year Award from the Ohio Child Support Enforcement Agency Director’s Association for partnering with the county’s Department of Job and Family Services in an innovative effort to collect child support.

A father who owes more than $108,000 to his five children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.

Hamilton County’s adoptive and foster families will attend an exclusive private showing of the movie MARTIAN CHILD tomorrow night to kick off the celebration of National Adoption Month.

More than 400 Hamilton County at-risk youth per year will have access to unique, family empowering services that help them avoid institutional care now that Hamilton County Commissioners have approved a two-year, $24 million contract between the Hamilton County Multi County System Agencies (MCSA) and Hamilton Choices, LLC. 

A 6-year-old girl who loves art class and listening to music is October’s Adoptable Child at Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services.

 A father who owes more than $49,000 to his two children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.

Hamilton County’s Child Support Enforcement Agency will receive two state awards tomorrow for its innovative efforts to ensure children receive child support.

Former Cincinnati Bengal James Francis – who owes more than $900,000 in child support to two
of his children – has a court date set for tomorrow on a charge of nonsupport of dependants.

Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services will host an upcoming hiring fair designed to attract recruits to join its Children’s Services division, giving the agency more resources to protect children. The department wants to hire 80 additional workers and plans to make on-the-spot offers at the fair, with an anticipated start date of mid-October.

Nearly 300 people took advantage of Hamilton County’s offer  to get their driver’s license reinstated in turn for re-establishing child support payments, allowing the county’s Child Support Enforcement Agency to collect nearly $88,000 in delinquent child support.

A father who owes more than $61,000 to his five children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.

Hamilton County’s Department of Job and Family Services will begin spotlighting some of the children it has available for adoption with monthly releases to local media.

Hamilton County parents who have warrants issued for their arrest because they failed to appear in Juvenile Court for child support hearings have two more days to take advantage of a special amnesty program that would wipe out their warrants.

To mark the final week of Child Support Awareness Month, Hamilton County’s Juvenile Court, in conjunction with the Child Support Enforcement Agency, is offering amnesty to parents who currently have warrants issued for their arrest because they failed to appear in Juvenile Court for their child support hearings. 

Seven men and one woman who owe more than $589,000 to 24 children are depicted on the latest Most Wanted poster issued by the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services.

A father who owes more than $94,000 to his five children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent. Darrick Candler, 36, was last known to be working in temporary services, and his last known address was McMicken Avenue in Cincinnati.

Hamilton County’s Child Support Enforcement Agency is willing to play Let’s Make  a Deal next month with parents who have an outstanding history of not paying child support.

Hamilton County and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services officials are working together in hopes of coming to an amicable conclusion to the special audit of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services issued by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services last September. 

Tuberculosis screening on 143 residents and employees of a Mount Adams residential building and accompanying restaurant has revealed nine positive skin tests, which indicate a latent form of the disease that is not transmissible.

A father who owes more than $81,000 to his five children is Hamilton County’s latest monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.

Hamilton County foster teens who soon face life on their own will have the opportunity to receive job assistance through Next Step Network, an innovative new collaborative established by members of Leadership Cincinnati Class XXX, Cincinnati Works and several public and private child welfare organizations.

A father who owes more than $50,000 to his two children is Hamilton County’s first monthly Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent.Darren Hudgins, 39, owes $52,180 in delinquent child support. Hudgins’ previous occupation was a construction worker, and his last known address was Endor Court in Cincinnati. He is the first parent to be depicted in Hamilton County’s Child Support Enforcement Agency’s new monthly Most Wanted posters.

Parents who owe child support could be barred from driving to Niagara Falls or cruising to an island paradise until they pay up if they are targeted under the county’s Passport Denial Program. In addition, changes in the program will increase the number of parents who can have their passports denied and the amount of time it will take to get the denied passport reinstated.

Seven active cases of tuberculosis have been reported since January among people connected to the Drop Inn Center homeless shelter and Hamilton County Tuberculosis Control wants everyone who spent at least four hours there between Oct. 12 and  Feb. 7 to be screened for the disease.

Seven men and one woman who owe a combined $563,200 to 24 children are depicted on the latest Most Wanted poster issued by the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. This is the second poster issued this year – the first time the county has ever issued two posters in one year. All eight depicted on this year’s earlier poster were rounded up within five months of the poster’s August release.

More than 5,600 colorful pinwheels – each representing a report of child abuse or neglect to Hamilton County’s 241-KIDS hotline – will be planted near the Underground Railroad Freedom Center March 29 in a dramatic attempt by community leaders to draw attention to one of the area’s more horrific problems.

 2006

Child Support Amnesty Week (Aug. 21-25) was a huge success. The first-time event attracted 218 participants, who paid more than $34,000 and – most importantly – got reconnected to the system by establishing wage withholding or giving current contact information.

About 2,300 Hamilton County area parents with warrants for their arrest for non-payment of child support will have a chance to possibly avoid jail. This opportunity comes during Amnesty Week, Aug. 21-25, at 800 Broadway St., downtown Cincinnati. The first-time offering will provide money for children as the school year begins.

Hamilton County Child Support, a division of the county’s Department of Job and Family Services, has produced a new Most Wanted poster as part of its efforts to collect unpaid child support. The poster shows six men and two women who owe an average of $50,000 in back support.

Get the word out to Medicaid-eligible pregnant women. Starting in September, HCJFS Pregnancy Services will present a new series of monthly workshops aimed at preventing premature and low-weight births.

More than 40 teens in Hamilton County’s foster care system bid farewell to high school and hello to their futures at this year’s “A Celebration of Dreams.” The eighth annual event was held June 15 at the Montgomery Inn Banquet Center and organized by the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services and the Foster Child Enrichment Council.

Learn more about health care for the uninsured during Cover the Uninsured Week, May 1-7. Hamilton County Job & Family Services is one of the sponsors of our county's participation in this national event.

After a year-long review, the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services has been recognized for adhering to the highest standards for quality of services and management. The agency received notice that it has been reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation, one of the world’s leading advocates for high-quality social and behavioral health care services.

Sue Moore, an investigator for cases of child sexual and physical abuse, is the winner of an award honoring people who help victims of violent crime. Ms. Moore received a “Hope in Heels” award from the Hope in Heels Foundation, which was started in 2005 by Lora Besse and her family.  Ms. Besse is a victim’s advocate for the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. The award recognizes those who use outstanding sensitivity, determination, collaboration and skill in their work with crime victims. 

Ashton Allen, a child support team leader for the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services, has been named president of the Ohio Family Support Association (OFSA).

Abuse, neglect, self-neglect and exploitation of the elderly is a hidden problem that is expected to grow as the population ages.  It’s important for people to know to prevent and respond to elder abuse and neglect. As part of an Elder Abuse awareness campaign, billboards will be up at these locations.

More than 200 Hamilton County foster children are waiting to be adopted. They are not the babies you normally think of when you think about adoption. They are school-aged children. Some are teenagers. Some have been waiting for a permanent home – a “forever family” – for a long time. Each November during National Adoption Awareness Month, we give special attention to this need.  We also honor the hundreds of adoptive and foster parents who have opened their hearts and homes to waiting children.

Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 28 people Tuesday as part of the Annual Statewide Sheriff’s Round Up of parents who are not supporting their children. Those arrested had warrants for failing to appear in Juvenile or Domestic Relations courts on charges that they are not paying their ordered child support.  They are the parents of 50 children and collectively owe $630,885.58 in child support. The 28 arrests cleared 46 warrants because some of those caught had warrants for multiple child support cases and other offenses.

Michael Smith, who spent most of his teenage years in foster care, has won a scholarship to help him complete his studies at the University of Michigan.

The faces of some of Hamilton County’s most elusive child support scofflaws will soon appear on “Most Wanted” posters. The county’s Child Support Services division plans to launch the poster in September. Planning for the poster is among the local activities for national Child Support Awareness Month, which is observed in August. Child Support Services is a division of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services (HCJFS).

The way parents receive child support is changing. Beginning in early 2006, paper checks will be out. Instead, child support customers will be required to use either direct bank deposit or a new debit card.

Commissioners today named Rick Roberts the new director for Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. Roberts takes over for Suzanne Burke, who left the position last month.

Interim Hamilton County Administrator Suzanne Burke is recommending that Rick Roberts be selected to replace her as Director of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services.

Hamilton County’s Spanish-speaking residents who need information about Medicaid, cash assistance, child care and other social services can now find it at the click of a computer mouse.

The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services partnered with the International Family Resource Center to translate information into Spanish. The new fact sheets are accessible on www.hcjfs.org by clicking on the button "En Espanol."

Suzanne Burke, director of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services, responded today to the release of a Hamilton County Sheriff’s report concerning a child abuse investigation. At Burke’s request, Sheriff Simon Leis ordered an investigation into Cincinnati Police procedures related to the domestic violence charge filed against Cincinnati City Councilman Sam Malone on May 13..

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters announced today that the county has been granted temporary custody of a baby girl who was dropped off at Mercy Franciscan Hospital Monday, May 2 under the “Safe Haven for Newborns” Program.

For a short period of time, government money will be available to help low-income families, elderly, and disabled people with home repairs and other expenses connected with the Dec. 22-23 snow and ice storm.

Abuse, neglect, self-neglect and exploitation of the elderly is a largely hidden problem that is expected to grow as the nation’s population ages. With that growth comes an increasing need for people to be aware of community resources aimed at preventing and responding to elder abuse. In Hamilton County, the place to start is 421-LIFE (421-5433), the county’s 24-hour telephone line for reporting abuse and neglect of the elderly. When it began in 1990, 421-LIFE was one of the country’s first centralized elder abuse reporting lines. This month, 421-LIFE celebrates its 15^th anniversary.

Hamilton County Children’s Services caseworkers are making their lists and preparing to choose from thousands of toys and gifts that have been donated for victims of child abuse and neglect. Conference rooms at the agency’s downtown and Walnut Hills locations are stuffed with thousands of gifts given by more than 100 local businesses, government organizations, schools, churches, and individuals, Over the next few days, caseworkers will cruise through the rooms on a mission to make the holidays happier for struggling families.

Today the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the state auditor announced plans to conduct a special audit of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. An earlier audit of HCJFS raised questions about accounting practices that involved charging foster care expenses to federal programs.  Some of these questions relate to practices in place since the 1990s.

Hamilton County foster parents will gather Thursday evening for a forum sponsored by the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. This is the first time the agency has held such a forum for foster parents and is part of an effort to improve services to them.

A forum for child care providers and a massive home visiting effort for all children in foster care today received awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO).

2003