Scioto County Commissioners say they are ready to take charge and fix the problems that have plagued Scioto County Children Services for years.
Scioto County Commissioner Scottie Powell says he’s had meetings with Scioto County JFS Director Tammy Morton, the Scioto County Prosecutors Office, Juvenile Court Judge Alan Lemons, and CPS Director Jason Mantell to discuss the restructuring of Scioto County Children Services.
The SCCS Board voted four to three to accept the commissioners’ decision to strip them of their administrative power and move CPS under the control of Jobs and Family Services.
Powell said the meetings were “to make sure we’re on the same page how we tackle the growing number of kids, how we’re moving kids through the system… It’s not just a CPS issue. Everybody touches this problem. We’re already setting plans in place.”
He said Director Morton had reached out to her counterparts throughout the state who have undergone similar restructuring. “The feedback she’s getting is that at the beginning, there’s a little bit of pain. Overall, it’s been a positive experience for the directors of JFS and CPS.”
He said he realized there were still a lot of questions about the transition. “We’re still working through that. When do we combine people? When do we not? We’re really relying on Tammy and Jason’s knowledge and input of the situation and being mindful of the team. Change is always stressful.”
Powell said every other county that had experienced the same transition had called it a positive experience for the staff and the children they serve.
Commissioner Cathy Coleman applauded the CPS Board for their quick action. “What we’re facing here, it’s not just Scioto County. It’s a statewide, a nationwide crisis. Everyone realizes there’s not enough money and obviously a need for improvement in how we’re handling things. The main thing is the children.”
Commissioner Bryan Davis added, “If we keep the children as the main focus, everything will work out. There have been a few voices that have been very loud against this. I understand their concerns. But there have been more citizens from the county for this.”
He said many foster parents support the change. “A lot of time they don’t want to voice their opinions too loudly in public. People are very rude at times.”
Davis said he believed both CPS and JFS would become more efficient agencies. “There’s also money made available that otherwise weren’t made available.” “We are taking ownership of this. We are going to drive this and make this work. It was very difficult for the Children Services Board to be able to do that. Just because of the structure. They were very split on a lot of decisions. They couldn’t agree on a lot of things. We’re going to have to take the bull by the horns and run this thing.”
