Calls that come into the SCCS Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline and the handling of suspected cases of child abuse and neglect are initially managed by SCCS’ Intake Services and Intake Screening & Supports departments.
The Intake Services department serves as Summit County Children Services’ “first responders” to calls of concern involving the safety and well-being of children. Accepted reports of suspected child abuse and neglect are initially assessed and assigned to one of two pathways: Traditional Response or Alternative Response. Both pathways allow staff to address the unique safety concerns, risks and situations of each family in a way that is collaborative and respectful, with child safety being the primary goal.Intake Services is comprised of a training unit, a transition unit, nine assessment/investigation units and a second shift unit each with a supervisor and four to five social workers. There is also the Serious Trauma Assessment Team (STAT) Unit, which handles serious trauma cases, human trafficking and abuse/neglect in out-of-home settings. In addition, there are Social Work Assistants (SWAs) assigned to help social work staff with various tasks and activities.
A Guide to Working with Summit County Children Services (SCCS)
The Intake Screening & Supports department helps to provide supportive services and screenings to Intake Services, including:
When the intake assessment and investigations department assesses that a family would benefit from continued involvement with SCCS, the family’s case may be transferred to one of our departments that manages ongoing cases.
A family’s case will remain open as long as there is a safety threat and the family is in need of services and support. The primary goal of protective services is to provide support to a family in a way that addresses threats to the safety and well-being of the children and decreases the likelihood that future concerns will exist.
Protective caseworkers who are assigned to work with a family develop a case plan specific to the family’s needs. Families are encouraged to be involved in the development of their plan. A caseworker will support the family as they complete the plan and monitor their progress.
Protective case management activities include:
Once a family has addressed the concerns and reduced significant risk to the well-being of the children, SCCS will prepare to end its formal involvement with the family.
There are times when special accommodations are needed to ensure that children can meet with their families in a safe environment. Agency staff or a designee facilitate visitation between these children and their families. The visits occur at our agency office, in the community, or sometimes in the family’s home.
At SCCS., we understand that safe, meaningful contact between children and their parents is essential—especially when court involvement, substance use, or mental health concerns have affected the family.
Our supervised visitation centers provide a structured, child-centered setting where children can spend time with their parents while being supported by trained staff who prioritize safety, dignity, and connection.
Removal from birth families and guardians is a difficult journey for children. Therefore, SCCS hires dedicated, skilled, and compassionate staff to help our children through this experience. When the birth family or guardian(s) are unable to provide for the safety and well-being of a child or sibling group, SCCS chooses the least restrictive, most appropriate placement setting. The placement setting must provide a temporary safe, stable, nurturing environment for the children. SCCS makes every effort to place siblings together. We first seek out appropriate relatives and non-relatives to care for children. This type of placement is known as a kinship placement. When a kinship placement is not available, the staff at SCCS make every effort to place children in a setting that best meets their needs, encourages family to family contact, and promotes reunification with the family of origin.
