40-day stays in temporary housing
The director of the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) told the board that DCFS is using the T-Suites to provide short-term housing for teens in crisis.
From January to October 2023, 40 children stayed at the T-Suites, Jacqueline Fletcher said, adding that the average stay was about 40 days. There are eight beds at the location, which is part of the Cleveland Christian Home, a West Side service offering residential care for children.
Some children staying at the T-Suites received mental health services and some were involved with the juvenile justice system, according to Fletcher.
Where kids go next
Advisory Board Member Andrew Garner, a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at University Hospitals (UH), asked where children are placed after they leave the T-Suites. Fletcher said some go to psychiatric residential treatment facilities outside of Ohio, others have gone to live with relatives, and others have gone to group homes or other group settings.
Fletcher said DCFS plans to look through discharge summaries and analyze where kids have gone.
Child Protection Team update
Cuyahoga County’s Child Protection Team (CPT) is wrapping up its first year of work. The CPT works with multiple agencies to identify and prevent child abuse and neglect.
Jennifer Johnson, executive director of CPT leader Canopy Child Advocacy Center, said the team began taking cases on July 1. As of Dec. 6, the team had seen 38 families for cases of abuse, neglect, or both, according to Johnson.
Collaborating with medical providers
The CPT works with MetroHealth, Cleveland Clinic and UH, Johnson said. MetroHealth is providing a child abuse pediatrician, Cleveland Clinic is providing a sexual assault nurse examiner, and UH is providing physician oversight.
A medical records clerk can access records across all three hospital systems through the tool Care Everywhere, according to Johnson. She told the DCFS Advisory Board that the ability to share records helps the team make more informed decisions about abuse and neglect.
High turnover rate
Advisory Board Member David Crampton, an associate professor of social work at Case Western Reserve University, said DCFS is budgeted for 401 case workers but has 152 vacancies. He said many case workers leave within six months.
Fletcher said that 20 new workers are set to join in January 2024. DCFS is working to meet with every candidate and be transparent about the work they’ll be doing, she said, noting that they are using virtual reality goggles to share on-the-job scenarios people may encounter.
Fletcher also said DCFS is improving the Jane Edna Hunter Social Services Center so that it is more conducive to meeting with families.
Advocacy recognition
The board recognized Christian Anderson for his work as a foster youth advocate.
Anderson shared a little about his experience in the foster care system. He encouraged DCFS to do more to give kids the life skills they need to successfully transition out of foster care.
Anderson also told the board that DCFS employees should always take a trauma-informed approach. Rather than judging kids for bad or disruptive behavior, he asked that they recognize that such behavior comes from living in “survival mode.”
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