Keeping
Families
Together

Over a decade, the number of children needing agency services has grown exponentially. Trauma and complex family dynamics have led to a continued increase in the number of children that need agency intervention in our community. As we move forward together in 2024, we are in the planning stages for our levy request to Summit County voters during the November general election. Fortunately, as forecasted during the last levy cycle, the agency will be asking for a straight levy renewal that will continue for a period of six years, with NO additional money from the Summit County taxpayers. For homeowners in Summit County, passing a request for a renewal of the current property tax levy will create NO additional tax burden, even with recent property value increases!

We will continue to provide information and education throughout 2024 as we partner with the Summit County community to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of all children served.

The staff at SCCS are the most important asset of our organization. The abilities, knowledge, experience, and purpose driven work cannot be duplicated. We have emphasized the importance of the many contributions our staff make each day to help ease the challenges in this ever-changing work. We are committed to providing an environment that encourages well-being for everyone. We believe that investing in our staff’s mental health and wellness is critical to building a solid and safe workplace. It is essential to remove any stigma, recognize the difficult and vital work we do, and take care of our staff so they can thrive. Our ability to deliver on our mission, vision, and values is inextricably linked to the strength of our workforce that directly impacts the lives and futures of the children and families we serve. We continue to be amazed by our staff who persevere for our community’s most vulnerable children!

There are several impactful projects and initiatives already underway for the year ahead. As we look to what the future holds, prevention planning, training, and programming strides will be vital for advancing new ways to problem solve and build on strengths. SCCS will continue to connect with community partners to help meet the unique needs of families, support building resilience in children, and lead efforts to achieve program improvements.

In our 2023 Report to the Community, you will read about our work, staff and why SCCS is a premiere child protection agency. We are pleased to present our 2023 Report to the Community on behalf of our employees and the Board of Trustees. We hope you will see that we are up to the challenges of the future and want to express our sincere thank you for your ongoing support of keeping children safe in Summit County.

The Foster Care Expo was held on April 29 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This was a collaborative effort between public and private foster care agencies to better serve Ohio’s children. The expo offered training to foster parents, networking with other foster families and resource tables.

SCCS co-hosted a Ministers Breakfast along with Rev. Dr. Charles Myricks, Jr. & Rev. Ronald Fowler II in November for local church leaders. At the breakfast, our Executive Director and staff helped them understand what the current needs are for foster care and how they can further partner with SCCS.

SCCS Board of Trustee, Pastor Kemp Boyd, and Executive Director of Love Akron served as the Emcee. Many church leaders toured the agency and campus to gain a deeper understanding of the agency.

For the past several years, Summit County Children Services has participated in the ‘Day of Action’ hosted by United Way of Summit & Medina. Volunteers from across the counties join together to help local non-profits with special projects (i.e. cleaning, painting, staining fences, planted flowers etc.). This year, volunteers from the agency went to two locations, with eight volunteers for Habitat for Humanity installing siding on homes and seven volunteers at United Way demolishing a fence and installing a new one.

SCCS hosted the 4th Annual Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru event on Friday, December 8th. This special occasion has become the signature event at SCCS to celebrate the holidays with the families and children in the care of the agency.

Once again, the drive-thru event, organized by agency staff, featured live reindeer that were brought to SCCS by Spring Mist Farms, costumed characters, carolers from the Summit Choral Society, live donkeys, and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus. This year there were 13 stations for families to drive by and receive a special treat or gift. Every division at SCCS sponsored and decorated a station with a holiday theme to entertain the children and families.

There were 144 families registered for the drive-thru event, including 384 children who were entertained by the sights and sounds of the festivities

SCCS hosted a Foster Family Fun Night on Thursday, May 18 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Fun-n-Stuff in Macedonia.

This free, family fun event celebrated everything foster families do for children in their care and the community around them. A variety of indoor and outdoor activities were featured, such as laser tag, go-karts, and much more.

The SCCS Diversity Committee hosted an Annual Veterans Day Celebration that included an outdoor flag raising ceremony and guest speaker, Andrew Cox, Veteran Case Manager at Summit County Juvenile Court. Mr. Cox is an 18-year Air Force veteran. Staff displayed photos of family members who served, military memorabilia, and showed a video featuring SCCS staff members who served in the U.S. armed forces. Letters and signed cards to active service members of the U.S. military were collected during this event.

Together with the help of Love Akron, we have continued to raise awareness of the critical need for foster families for children who have experienced child abuse and neglect. Love Akron’s collaboration with SCCS has helped us to find resources and achieve a greater impact on the recruitment of families.

SCCS hosted Senator Sykes in November to learn more about SCCS and experienced a ride-along with a caseworker.

This ride-along provided the opportunity for the Senator to see the impact of the agency’s services on strengthening families so that children can remain safely in their own homes. This experience helps to provide a greater understanding of the role of children services, and see the work of the agency with their own eyes.

Summit County Children Services (SCCS) Women’s Auxiliary Board celebrated 75 years of service to the children and families of Summit County in June. The Women’s Board hosted a tea celebration to commemorate their Diamond Jubilee Anniversary. “On behalf of everyone at the agency, we want to thank our Women’s Auxiliary Board for their tremendous volunteer efforts and generous donations,” said Cassandra Holtzmann, Executive Director of SCCS. “The efforts they have made the years are immeasurable.”

Formed in July 1948, the first president of the Women’s Auxiliary Board, Mrs. Eleanor Voke, marked a milestone as the first auxiliary in the nation for a public child welfare agency. Over 100 women were recruited as members who were committed to providing cultural, social, and educational development for children of Summit County.

There are several volunteer work and projects that the Women’s Board has participated in, such as their annual Rummage Sale, providing cleaning supplies, holiday decorating, crafts for families and providing funds for the SCCS Beds for Kids program. The Women’s Board has continued to follow its motto “These Children Are Our Children” by working to enrich the lives of children who come under the care of SCCS.

Tammy Luhring was caseworker at Summit County Children Services (SCCS) for 31 years. She was hired in May 1992 and devoted her entire career to the field of child protection. Tammy served the agency as a caseworker in a variety of roles. She worked in Protective Services as the Placement Diversion Coordinator for the Summit Cluster, the Adoptions unit, and most recently the Placement Services Department. Tammy made immeasurable contributions to the agency and those she served.

Tammy was a true advocate for children and their families. She is greatly missed by the staff at SCCS and will long be remembered as a phenomenal employee!

Tanya Vanderveen, Protective Services Supervisor, was recognized on Thursday, September 21, as the 2023 Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO) Child Protection Supervisor of the Year Award.

Ms. Vanderveen was a caseworker for fifteen years and a supervisor at SCCS for nearly seven. Her supervisor leadership skills have helped her build a resilient, skilled, and tenured team. She leads her unit to excellence, promoting best practices for children and families.

Jalene was placed in residential treatment program that she successfully completed and advocated to remain in order to participate in their Independent Living group as she believed that was best. She stayed on track to successfully earn her high school diploma and graduated in the Spring. She maintained a part-time job for several months and demonstrated positive behaviors that have allowed her to enjoy normalcy out in the community with her friends. Jalene plans to go to college, and was accepted to Kent State University, specifically in their prestigious Nursing Degree Program and earned a $10,000 scholarship. She would like to be a Labor and Delivery nurse.

Summit County Children Services understands the impact of secondary trauma on our staff and we are providing supportive services to meet staff’s needs. Peer Support Mentors act as supports and guides to staff experiencing a critical incident or secondary trauma.

Weekly in person individual sessions open to all caseworkers, case aides, and supervisors, or other staff who feel impacted by the vicarious trauma of child welfare work.

In 2023, SCCS updated the “Just for Kids” room located inside of the main building. The agency wanted to ensure there was not only a space where children could rest in a child-friendly setting, but to also have a place where children can be bathed and changed as needed in order to make them as comfortable as possible while they wait for a placement plan.

The Succeed Primary Parent Support Group offers primary parents who are receiving services from SCCS an opportunity to get linked to resources as well as accept encouragement and assistance through shared experiences. The groups are led by trained parents with lived experiences with resolved child protection cases. Succeed provides hope, support and empowerment for primary parents.

The Ohio START team at SCCS has been recognized as a Certified START Affiliate, making Summit County one of three counties in the nation to implement the model with fidelity. The team has worked closely with local treatment providers and community partners since 2018 to achieve model fidelity, resulting in 18 successful graduates since September 2019. The team’s dedication has helped many families achieve recovery and stability.

Ohio Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma (START)

The Ohio START program is a prevention program that provides specialized services to families struggling with substance use along with current and past trauma. SCCS is third in the nation to be nationally certified by Children and Family Futures (CFF), for implementing the model with fidelity.

Erin and Jessica (pictured L to R) Family Peer Mentor for the Ohio START program