Keeping seniors safe is crucial to the mission of the Division of Senior and Adult Services. In fact, we are the only agency that provides Adult Protective Services in Cuyahoga County. We investigate allegations of abuse, neglect, self-neglect and exploitation and take protective measures for adults age 60 and older when they are facing a threat to their safety.

Families Forward, a new County program for parents who owe child support, offers free job training to help improve the lives of parents and children. This program is sponsored through the Federal Office of Child Support, MDRC, the Ohio and Cuyahoga County Office of Child Support Services in partnership with Towards Employment.

The Division of Children and Family Services tries to find a forever family for each child. However, when that’s not possible the agency is sensitive to the needs of teenagers preparing to become adults and the additional support and guidance they need.

We know that the child who arrives at the doors of high-quality pre-kindergarten sites is part of a larger family. Understanding a family’s situation and how we can support the whole family is part of our “two-generation” approach.

The Cuyahoga County Division of Senior and Adult Services (DSAS) is raising awareness about Alzheimer’s Disease and wants for you to help.

The new campaign, titled Dads Matter 2, was launched to make sure that any time a child is involved with the agency, fathers are informed and included. The campaign targets both agency staff and parents of children with DCFS cases.

Families Forward is a new job training program offered by the Cuyahoga County Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) for parents who owe child support in Cuyahoga County. The Families Forward Demonstration is studying strategies that can improve the earning capacity, skill attainment and financial literacy of parents responsible for paying child support who have struggled to meet their financial obligations.

This month, Cuyahoga County is partnering with communities across the globe to raise awareness about elder abuse. June 15 will mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), a day that serves as a call to action for individuals to learn about abuse against older adults and how to prevent and report it.

The Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative invests dollars in programs and services to help fathers. As we recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month this April, the Fatherhood Initiative is proud to support the Safe and Sound Supervised Visitation Program of the Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center (DVCAC). The program provides services for families that are mandated to participate in supervised visitation.

April 2019 is National Minority Health Month. During this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Minority Health seeks to raise awareness regarding the health disparities experienced by ethnic and racial minorities living in America. The theme for 2019 is Active and Healthy, and the goal of this year’s theme is to promote a healthier lifestyle by encouraging all Americans to engage in regular exercise.

There’s no dancing around it; working in the social services is tough. From the unpredictable hours, the even more unpredictable customers, to the emotionally intense work, it takes a special person to even consider this field. And yet half a million people across the country, and hundreds in Cuyahoga County come to work every day and put their hearts and souls into serving others. For these people, social service work isn’t a job; it’s a calling.

Cuyahoga County currently has more than 2,500 children in our care—more than we’ve had in years. Most will be in our custody temporarily while their parents or guardians work to resolve issues; some need a forever family. Whether temporary or permanent, each of these 2,500 children need a safe, stable, and loving place to call home. Finding those homes requires normal, everyday people deciding to make room in their hearts for a child who needs help.

Open Table now has over 300 registered volunteers and we have assigned over 200 of those volunteers to tables in 2018 alone. We also launched 27 new tables in 2018. The expansion prompted us to create a new nonprofit called Community of Hope so that we could expand and sustain the work.

Seniors remain vulnerable to hunger when they cannot easily access food or have a limited income that results in eating food of poor nutritional value simply because it’s the most affordable. Sometimes referred to as “food insecurity,” an increasing number of seniors face a daily reality of impending malnutrition.

Without question, going to prison is a life changing event. The disruptive effects go far beyond the people being sent away. Their absence affects families, friends, employers, and ultimately, the community as a whole. It is possible for that life change to lead to positive results. The Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry is dedicated to contributing to positive changes in the lives of returning citizens so that we may all thrive, together.

Want to go solar but unsure where to start? Don’t worry because Cuyahoga County residents are going solar together! Through the Cuyahoga County Solar Co-op residents have joined together to use the strength of their numbers to purchase solar panels at a discount.