Highland County commissioners recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month

Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades issued a proclamation in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month during their Wednesday, April 12 meeting.

Accepting the proclamation were several representatives of the Highland County Job and Family Services office, including director Jeremy Ratcliff; assistant director Gene Myers; social services administrator Stephanie Newman; income maintenance unit supervisor Mindy Reynolds; and placement and adoption supervisor Amanda Roades.

The group dressed in blue T-shirts in honor of “Wear Blue Day” in Ohio, observed this year on April 12. According to the Public Children Services Association of Ohio (pcsao.org), “Wear Blue is a statewide awareness campaign that takes place on the second Wednesday of every April, Child Abuse Prevention Month. Ohioans are encouraged to wear blue that day – to work, to school, to a community event – to show support for preventing child abuse and neglect.”

Ratcliff added that Reynolds designed and made the T-shirts “at home in her spare time” for the JFS staff.

Child Abuse Prevention Month is observed nationally each April. According to childwelfare.gov, “National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect. Prevention services and supports developed by this collaboration can help to protect children and strengthen families.”

Ratcliff said that the number of reports to the JFS office increased dramatically in the past year. Last April, Ratcliff said they received “over 750 reports of suspected abuse and neglect” in 2021. That number in 2022 was 1,100, he told commissioners.

“Child Welfare always gets the call after the abuse or neglect has occurred,” Ratcliff said. ‘We had about 1,100 calls exactly in 2022 in reports to our office. We've got an extremely high number of kids in care — we’ve got 181, last time I checked.

“This is really an effort to just raise awareness, and I think we have the systems in our community to help provide support to prevent child abuse, whether it's the nonprofits or our school system or JFS, or private sector, whatever it may be. Those systems are here, and they exist. That's the best of both worlds, if we can prevent the abuse and neglect from ever occurring and keep these kids safe.”

Britton referred to an announcement made by the Ohio Governor’s Office last week. On Friday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office announced the signing of an executive order “to launch the Ohio Adoption Grant Program, which provides up to $20,000 to parents adopting a child.” Britton said this is “dear to the governor’s heart, and especially his wife, too.”

“The Ohio Adoption Grant Program was signed into law by Governor DeWine in January,” a press release from the Governor’s Office says. “It provides a grant to parents who adopt children under the age of 18. It includes privately arranged adoptions, as well as adoptions made through a public children services agency, including by foster- and kinship-caregivers. It does not included adoptions made by a stepparent.”

Ratcliff said this program is “outstanding.”

“That's phenomenal,” he said. “That's our biggest challenge. Once children are not returning home and they're in the permanent custody of the county, they deserve a forever home as well, and that's the challenge for us is to find families who are willing to take these children and love them as their own. Any tool we can have at our disposal is going to be greatly appreciated.”

After meeting with the JFS representatives, Britton read the proclamation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Highland County.

“Individuals, businesses, schools and faith-based and community organizations must make children a top priority and take action to support the physical, social, emotional and educational development of all children,” Britton read from the proclamation.

To report suspected child abuse and/or neglect, you can call (937) 393-3111. You can find answers to frequently asked questions about the reporting process, as well as more information about the Child Protection unit, at http://www.highlandjfs.org.