April is Child Abuse
Prevention Month
The mission of Children's Protective Services is to protect the abused, neglected, and dependent children of Clermont County and promote their well-being. Children's Protective Services shares the community's belief that each child has a right to be raised in a safe, permanent family. The most effective means of preserving every child's right is through society's ability to strengthen families. Children Services values and depends on collaboration with community agencies and private citizens to protect our county's children. Working within its mission, Children's Protective Services respects the dignity, integrity and uniqueness of each family and adheres to the philosophy that bureaucratic intervention is warranted only when children are found to be at risk.
In assuming this responsibility, we also try our best to preserve families. Children belong in families, hopefully the one they are born into. We prefer that a child remain at home while we provide services to stabilize the family. If a child cannot live safely at home, we first look for an appropriate relative to care for the child for as long as necessary. If a relative is not available, the child will go into foster care or other placement. In every case, the safety of the child is our main concern.
We also believe in permanence for children. Children need stability and they need permanence. If the crisis in a birth family cannot be resolved, it is our responsibility to seek an alternative, permanent family for those children in a timely manner.
Our Mandate:
Clermont County Children Services gets its mandate from state of Ohio law. According to the Ohio Revised Code, public children services agencies shall do all of the following:
- investigate allegations of child abuse, neglect or dependency
- make reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of children from their homes
- accept custody of children from courts with juvenile jurisdiction
- provide temporary emergency shelter when necessary
- find family foster homes for children
- implement a system for assessing risk to children
- administer federal adoption assistance funds
Ohio Revised Code Section 5153.16
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