Delaware and Ohio’s Family and Children First have the shared vision to help every child and family thrive and succeed within healthy communities.
Established in 1993, Ohio Family and Children First (OFCF) is defined as the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet with the purpose of streamlining and coordinating government services for children and families.
The OFCF Cabinet Council is comprised of the following Ohio Departments: Aging, Developmental Disabilities, Education, Health, Job and Family Services, Medicaid, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Opportunities for Ohioians with Disabilities, Rehabilitation and Correction, Youth Services, and the Office of Budget and Management. Locally, the county commissioners establish the 88 county Family and Children First Councils (FCFC). Delaware County is proud to be a part of this strong family.
2024 FCFC Executive Meeting Schedule
*Changes to the FCFC meeting schedule will be indicated here.
2024 FCFC Community Meeting Schedule
Date & Time:
March 13, 2024 10:00 AM
June 12, 2024 10:00 AM
September 11, 2024 10:00 AM
December 11, 2024 10:00 AM
March 14, 2024 11:00 AM
June 13, 2024 11:00 AM
September 12, 2024 11:00 AM
December 12, 2024 11:00 AM
Location:
Delaware Health District
470 S. Sandusky Street, Delaware, OH 43015
Virtual and In-Person at the Hayes Building
145 North Union Street, Delaware, OH 43015
Second Floor, Room 235
What does my local FCFC do?
Engaging and Empowering Families
Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council and County Family and Children First Councils have a unique role to recruit and support parents to be active contributing members on county FCFCs; be involved in key decision-making efforts; and serve as an advocate for children, families and communities.
Coordinating Systems and Services
Ohio Family and Children First (OFCF) Cabinet Council and County Family and Children First Councils (FCFC) have a unique responsibility of Coordinating Systems and Services on both a macro and micro level. FCFCs streamline and coordinate existing government services for families seeking services for their children (micro). FCFCs also annually evaluate and prioritize services, fill service gaps where possible, and invent new approaches to achieve better results for families and children (macro).
Building Community Capacity
Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council and County Family and Children First Councils have a unique function of Building Community Capacity. To build community capacity, it requires mobilizing communities to identify and address the ongoing needs of children and families through planning, implementing effective strategies, monitoring and reporting, and evaluating progress toward achieving desired outcomes. It also requires leadership, partnership, and collaboration to truly build a community’s capacity to address their greatest priorities and needs.
Shared Accountability
Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council and County Family and Children First Councils have a unique function to monitor, evaluate, and communicate progress on Ohio’s commitments to child well-being. This Shared Accountability can only be achieved if the other three core functions are operational: engaging and empowering families, building community capacity, and coordinating systems and services. Shared accountability rests on all family and children first council members at both the state and local levels. A solidly funded infrastructure must exist for this work to be accomplished. This infrastructure is governed and supported by FCFC members. It has mechanisms in place to allow for creative and innovative solutions that will streamline and strengthen the local service delivery system for children and families. When all functions of FCFC are working in concert, the elements of collaboration can be found: common mission and goals, interrelated roles that constitute a division of labor, comprehensive planning, multiple channels of communication, dispersed leadership, shared risk, and shared results (Payne, Devol, and Smith; Bridges Out of Poverty; 2001).
What is Service Coordination?
The purpose of Service Coordination and High-Fidelity Wraparound through the county FCFC is to provide a neutral venue for families requiring services where their needs may not have been adequately addressed in traditional agency systems. These processes serve as a safety net for children needing a more intensive collaboration of multi-system providers. Each system has areas of responsibility, and the Service Coordination Mechanism is not intended to override current agency systems, but to supplement and enhance supports that currently exist, or identify additional supports that are needed but are not currently utilized.
What are the goals of Service Coordination?
Goals of Service Coordination
The goals of Service Coordination include:
- Services are delivered using a family-centered approach;
- families remain intact whenever possible;
- Services are responsive to the cultural, racial, and ethnic differences of each family served;
- Service outcomes are evaluated;
- Available funding resources are fully utilized or integrated;
- Community supports are utilized;
- Specialized treatment and evidence based treatment services are encouraged when appropriate;
- Duplicative efforts among agencies are reduced or eliminated; and
- Most importantly, families are fully involved in decision-making for their children and are provided with family advocacy options, such as those offered through the Parent Advocacy Connection (PAC).
Who is included in the target population for Service Coordination?
Target Population
Early Intervention (Help Me Grow)
A child receiving services through Early Intervention (Help Me Grow) will be any child 0 to 3 years of age who has been determined to have a developmental delay through an evaluation/assessment, or who has a medical diagnosis known to result in a delay. Eligibility for service coordination services will be consistent with the laws and rules of Early Intervention (Help Me Grow) program.
Interagency Youth Council
Children and families served by the Interagency Youth Council are multi-need youth who have been identified as at risk for becoming abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, as well as children whose parents or custodians voluntarily seek services. A typical child in service coordination will have multiple needs, is at risk of placement, or who has experienced multiple failures across multiple systems. Eligible Delaware county youth will be 0 through 21 years of age.
A child determined to be eligible for Early Intervention (Help Me Grow) service coordination may also have other multiple needs and could qualify for Interagency Youth Council service coordination. In those rare and exceptional cases a comprehensive team of care providers including the Early Intervention (Help Me Grow) Service Coordinator would be organized to serve the needs of the child and family.
What is the referral process for Service Coordination?
Referral Process
The different types of referral requests for service are as follows:
- Parent/Guardian Referral: A parent and/or guardian may request service coordination from any agency providing services to the family, or by contacting Family and Children First Council. If there is only one potential agency that will need to be involved, the FCFC Coordinator will call the point of contact with in that agency.
- Agency, Organization or Court Referral: Representatives providing services to the family will provide informal consultation with other agency and/or community representatives regarding the appropriateness of a referral. This consultation will assist the service providers to identify additional resources, and determine whether or not additional systems need to be involved.
When a referral is made, the following information must be provided by the Parent/Guardian or agency representatives:
- Referral form completed by the family and/or the agency representative making the referral;
- Release of information signed by the parent or guardian;
- If an agency or system has made the referral, then the name and signature of the referring contact.
Where can I find more information about the FCFC?
You may access additional information through the Ohio Family and Children First Council website by clicking the link below:
Contact
145 N. Union St. – 2nd Floor
Delaware, OH 43015
Phone: (740) 833-2385
Toll Free: (800) 899-3180
Fax: (740) 833-2299
Hours
8:00 AM- 4:15 PM
(Monday through Friday)
Coordinator
