Written by: John Jarvis, The Marion Star
MARION – Editor’s note: The Marion Star is not identifying its sources in this story out of concern for the well-being of the family members.
As his mother held him close, the 1-year-old boy smiled brightly at her, playfully using his tongue to slide a Cheerio onto his bottom lip then back into his mouth then back into view again.
The cheerful youngster toddled nearly non-stop as his mom spoke about her experience as a family approached by a Marion County Children Services case worker, who’d received a report of child neglect in the home. An unidentified individual contacted the agency out of concern that the 1-year-old was ill and his 4-year-old brother had several cavities in his teeth, she said.
“They came in,” the mother said. “She asked me some questions, basically to determine if my kids were abused or neglected. Of course, it came out they weren’t. … (The case worker) said the case was going to be closed, and I asked her to keep the case open because I could use the help.”
Prior to last April, the case worker would have conducted a traditional response to determine if the complaint of neglect was founded and identifying a perpetrator. But two months ago, the case worker was able to apply a new alternative response that has shown to be effective in other counties in Ohio. Instead of closing the case and moving on, the agency worked with the family and provided assistance.
The case worker helped the 21-year-old mother obtain a voucher to purchase a crib for the 1-year-old, who had been sleeping in a playpen, and helped her get furniture from a person the case worker knew was moving and was leaving it behind. She also helped the young family get into a three-bedroom apartment by calling the landlord and explaining the mother’s situation.
In addition to assisting with the immediate practical measures, the case worker encouraged the mother to develop a list of goals for long-range improvements in the home, a key aspect of alternative response.
“I made the goals myself, except for the parenting classes,” she said. “She gave me the push and the determination” to take the actions she said she had known had to be taken.
Earlier in the day, she attended her first session of counseling in Marion, one of the action plans for meeting her goals, along with signing her 4-year-old son up for counseling in Marion; she had signed him up for counseling in Columbus before coming into contact with children services. She is taking parenting classes provided through Marion Area Counseling Center and anger management classes.
She said she was diagnosed as having severe depression continuance and was surprised to gain a new insight into herself from her first counseling session.
“I knew I had an anger problem, but not as bad as my counselor said my anger problem was.”
Echoing an observation by Jacqueline Ringer, Marion County Children Services director, that the agency often encounters irritation when initiating responses to reports of neglect or abuse, the mother said her first reaction to the agency approaching her was anger.
“At first I was kind of mad,” she said. “I was thinking, I thought they were coming for no reason. But when I actually started talking to her, she was very nice, very polite. I’m glad she came because of the help she’s given me and the support.”
She said her contact with children services has helped her household’s situation.
“I think if she hadn’t come, things would have been worse,” she said. “I wouldn’t have had the support for the determination to do what I needed to do….She always listened. She always knew the right thing to say. She acted more like a friend than a case worker.”