News

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.”

Written by: Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, The Marion Star

MARION — The story of “Annie” was brought to life on stage 35 years ago, and audiences were introduced to a curly-haired girl who just wanted to find her parents and get out of the orphanage she was forced to call home.

The Marion Palace Theatre troupe will bring this Depression-era story to life in July. Two of the young actresses in the play were adopted, as Annie is at the end of the play. But their stories are far different from the title character’s, and from the characters they are playing.

“Annie” starts in the Municipal Orphanage, a dingy building in New York City run by the mean-spirited Agatha Hannigan. Miss Hannigan makes Annie and her friends in the girls’ ward scrub the floors and discourages them from laughing or having a good time. She confesses during the show that she actually hates children, though she does love mixing alcoholic beverages. Annie escapes the orphanage, but is caught. While she is in Miss Hannigan’s office, an assistant to billionaire Oliver Warbucks comes to the orphanage to find someone to participate in the Christmas program at the mansion. Annie heads to meet Warbucks and finds a strong connection with a man whose life is so different from hers.

Orphanages are no longer typical in the United States, so there is no chance of a story like Annie’s ever happening. And the young actresses in the Marion Palace Theatre’s production both say they didn’t really think about their connections to the play: at rehearsals, they’re just kids enjoying their time on stage.

The DeGood family

“Annie” is Tiffany DeGood’s first production with the Marion Palace Theatre. She is playing Tessie, an orphan who lives with Annie. The 11-year-old has a connection to the titular character. But she wasn’t adopted at 11, as Annie was: she came to Pat and Robin DeGood at 6 days old, as a foster child, from Marion County Children Services. She was their first foster child: in fact, Pat said they received their license to be a foster home the same day they got a call about Tiffany. “She couldn’t be any more ours,” said Robin. Tiffany thinks it’s kind of cool that she shares a similarity with Annie. “But I didn’t have to go through what Annie did,” she said. “I think about my biological parents. Sometimes it’s confusing.”

She said she wasn’t really thinking about her own personal story when she tried out for the play. She has known she was adopted all her life, and doesn’t think about it all the time. She has met her biological father, and visits with him occasionally. She said it was “kind of scary” talking to him and meeting him, but she wanted some sort of connection.

Robin says it is key for parents to let their child know if he or she is adopted. She and her husband both had experience with fostering when they were younger: Robin’s mother and father were foster parents, and Pat’s aunt and uncle ran a cottage home. Tiffany said she would consider adopting or fostering when she gets older. “There are kids out there who don’t have a family,” Tiffany said. “They need to be loved, too.”

The Radloff family

Jia Radloff is in her fifth production with the theatre at age 8. She plays Molly, one of Annie’s friends in the orphanage. It’s a comedic role, and Jia says she enjoys making people laugh.

Jia was born in Qichun, China, a very rural county in Hubei province. Adam and Jackie Radloff adopted her from an orphanage when she was 15 months old. “She cried nonstop for about 24 hours,” Adam said.

Jia’s adopted sister, Schwen, is also 8. She was adopted from Nanjing, China, the capital of Jiangsu province, at 6 1/2. Adam said that he was “definitely the oddball” in a city of 8 million people when he went to pick her up. Schwen also lived in an orphanage, and her parents said she doesn’t talk about it too much. The situation was somewhat like in “Annie,” with girls sleeping 30 to a room in bunk beds and wearing worn-out clothes. However, Schwen did say that the people at the home were not mean like Miss Hannigan.

The sisters watched the 1982 film version of “Annie” before Jia tried out for the play. “Some parts I was scared, other parts I was happy,” Jia said. She didn’t really think about her personal ties to the character.

Adam said it would be close to impossible to find any information about Jia’s birth family, but said she hasn’t asked too many questions yet. Jackie said they sometimes discuss the possibility that Jia’s mother and father had some artistic tendencies, since Jia enjoys the theater so much. They were told to expect more questions about her heritage and history when she reaches adolescence. “She’s a very levelheaded kid,” Adam said.

“Adoptions are a very special day”

In Marion County, three children have been adopted already this year. Six adoptions are pending. Terrie Robinson, community education and placement services coordinator at Marion County Children Services, says nine adoptions would be the most in the county in the last four years.

She said 30 to 35 families are registered as foster families yearly. Nationally, 75 percent of foster parents end up adopting the kids they care for. Robinson said the number is higher in Marion County. “It’s a good thing,” she said. “We’re very fortunate.” She said foster families are much better than orphanages or group homes. “Our first goal is to keep them in their community and be served in the least restrictive environment,” she said.

Children come into the care of Children Services for many different reasons. Some children stay in treatment facilities if they need special attention. If parents aren’t suited to take care of their children, Robinson said, the office tries to place them with a family member or friend. If there is no possible kinship placement, they can be put in foster care.

Robinson said one of the happiest moments for social workers, agency members and others involved in the adoption process is when a child finds a “forever home.” “Adoptions are a very special day,” she said. Annie Warbucks, as well as the DeGood and Radloff families, would probably have to agree.

Written by: Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, The Marion Star

MARION — The story of “Annie” was brought to life on stage 35 years ago, and audiences were introduced to a curly-haired girl who just wanted to find her parents and get out of the orphanage she was forced to call home.
The Marion Palace Theatre troupe will bring this Depression-era story to life in July. Two of the young actresses in the play were adopted, as Annie is at the end of the play. But their stories are far different from the title character’s, and from the characters they are playing.
“Annie” starts in the Municipal Orphanage, a dingy building in New York City run by the mean-spirited Agatha Hannigan. Miss Hannigan makes Annie and her friends in the girls’ ward scrub the floors and discourages them from laughing or having a good time. She confesses during the show that she actually hates children, though she does love mixing alcoholic beverages. Annie escapes the orphanage, but is caught. While she is in Miss Hannigan’s office, an assistant to billionaire Oliver Warbucks comes to the orphanage to find someone to participate in the Christmas program at the mansion. Annie heads to meet Warbucks and finds a strong connection with a man whose life is so different from hers.
Orphanages are no longer typical in the United States, so there is no chance of a story like Annie’s ever happening. And the young actresses in the Marion Palace Theatre’s production both say they didn’t really think about their connections to the play: at rehearsals, they’re just kids enjoying their time on stage.
The DeGood family
“Annie” is Tiffany DeGood’s first production with the Marion Palace Theatre. She is playing Tessie, an orphan who lives with Annie. The 11-year-old has a connection to the titular character. But she wasn’t adopted at 11, as Annie was: she came to Pat and Robin DeGood at 6 days old, as a foster child, from Marion County Children Services. She was their first foster child: in fact, Pat said they received their license to be a foster home the same day they got a call about Tiffany. “She couldn’t be any more ours,” said Robin. Tiffany thinks it’s kind of cool that she shares a similarity with Annie. “But I didn’t have to go through what Annie did,” she said. “I think about my biological parents. Sometimes it’s confusing.”
She said she wasn’t really thinking about her own personal story when she tried out for the play. She has known she was adopted all her life, and doesn’t think about it all the time. She has met her biological father, and visits with him occasionally. She said it was “kind of scary” talking to him and meeting him, but she wanted some sort of connection.
Robin says it is key for parents to let their child know if he or she is adopted. She and her husband both had experience with fostering when they were younger: Robin’s mother and father were foster parents, and Pat’s aunt and uncle ran a cottage home. Tiffany said she would consider adopting or fostering when she gets older. “There are kids out there who don’t have a family,” Tiffany said. “They need to be loved, too.”
The Radloff family
Jia Radloff is in her fifth production with the theatre at age 8. She plays Molly, one of Annie’s friends in the orphanage. It’s a comedic role, and Jia says she enjoys making people laugh.
Jia was born in Qichun, China, a very rural county in Hubei province. Adam and Jackie Radloff adopted her from an orphanage when she was 15 months old. “She cried nonstop for about 24 hours,” Adam said.
Jia’s adopted sister, Schwen, is also 8. She was adopted from Nanjing, China, the capital of Jiangsu province, at 6 1/2. Adam said that he was “definitely the oddball” in a city of 8 million people when he went to pick her up. Schwen also lived in an orphanage, and her parents said she doesn’t talk about it too much. The situation was somewhat like in “Annie,” with girls sleeping 30 to a room in bunk beds and wearing worn-out clothes. However, Schwen did say that the people at the home were not mean like Miss Hannigan.
The sisters watched the 1982 film version of “Annie” before Jia tried out for the play. “Some parts I was scared, other parts I was happy,” Jia said. She didn’t really think about her personal ties to the character.
Adam said it would be close to impossible to find any information about Jia’s birth family, but said she hasn’t asked too many questions yet. Jackie said they sometimes discuss the possibility that Jia’s mother and father had some artistic tendencies, since Jia enjoys the theater so much. They were told to expect more questions about her heritage and history when she reaches adolescence. “She’s a very levelheaded kid,” Adam said.
“Adoptions are a very special day”
In Marion County, three children have been adopted already this year. Six adoptions are pending. Terrie Robinson, community education and placement services coordinator at Marion County Children Services, says nine adoptions would be the most in the county in the last four years.
She said 30 to 35 families are registered as foster families yearly. Nationally, 75 percent of foster parents end up adopting the kids they care for. Robinson said the number is higher in Marion County. “It’s a good thing,” she said. “We’re very fortunate.” She said foster families are much better than orphanages or group homes. “Our first goal is to keep them in their community and be served in the least restrictive environment,” she said.
Children come into the care of Children Services for many different reasons. Some children stay in treatment facilities if they need special attention. If parents aren’t suited to take care of their children, Robinson said, the office tries to place them with a family member or friend. If there is no possible kinship placement, they can be put in foster care.
Robinson said one of the happiest moments for social workers, agency members and others involved in the adoption process is when a child finds a “forever home.” “Adoptions are a very special day,” she said. Annie Warbucks, as well as the DeGood and Radloff families, would probably have to agree.

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. With the cases of child maltreatment on the rise, we need to take a stand as a community. We want to engage you as our partner in raising awareness about child abuse and neglect – so together, we can show a united effort in preventing child abuse.

Take a picture of yourself, your group or company wearing blue and email it to us for our photo gallery on Facebook.
Email photos to moreinfo@marionkids.com. And be sure to like us on Facebook to stay up to date and see the submitted pictures. For more information, contact Terrie Robinson at 740-386-0452.

Written by – Tabitha Clark – The Marion Star

MARION – On April 1, Marion County Children Services began Differential Response, which allows the agency to take one of two paths when working with families – traditional response or alternative response.

Terrie Robinson, placement services and community education coordinator for Marion County Children Services, said traditional response deals with more severe cases where the agency needs to label a perpetrator and provide information to law enforcement.

“Alternative response, that’s more of the hand-holding with the family,” Robinson said.

“It doesn’t compromise the safety of the child, but allows us to work one-on-one with the family to overcome the issues that may have caused the abuse in the first place.”

Robinson said alternative response works best with families that are more receptive to services.

“With them being more receptive, we can help link them to more community services that may help them get over the initial issues.”

Some things that have been found in other agencies employing alternative response is that the families are more satisfied with their services, and they have found a reduction in the number of children that require foster care placement, Robinson said.

“Also, they have seen a reduction of subsequent reports of child maltreatment for children who have gone through this approach.

“It’s not a new program,” she said. “It’s a new way of doing old business. We’re still doing the investigations we’ve done all along, but now we can decide what path to go down.”

There will be a Community Forum to discuss this new response and the agency’s efforts on April 24 from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Guthery Room in Maynard Hall on the campus of The Ohio State University at Marion.

MARION -Hundreds of children gathered to play on inflatables, play games and participate in an Easter egg hunt Saturday at Marion County Children Services.

April is Child Abuse Awareness month, and the fifth annual Pinwheel Play Day provided the community with a free family fun day, while also raising awareness, said Jacqueline Ringer, director of Marion County Children Services.

Through the merriment, children made their way to the trees in front of the Children Services offices to help volunteers plant pinwheels – 679 of them.

The idea for the pinwheels came from the national campaign, “Pinwheels for Prevention.”

“The pinwheel was chosen because it is a symbol that represents kids and serves as a visual reminder for communities that abuse is real,” Ringer said.

Each pinwheel stands for one investigation that was finished by the agency in 2011. There were 679 investigations finished in 2011, up from 647 in 2010.

“The pinwheels also represent the voices of those who spoke up on behalf of children,” said Terrie Robinson, placement services and community education coordinator for Marion County Children Services.

“We like to say ‘awareness’ instead of ‘prevention,'” said Robinson. “We can’t get involved with the families until a report is made. We can only provide education on the preventative side. We can only work with families after something has happened.”

The agency members stress the importance of reporting suspected abuse.

“It is important to report suspicious behavior,” said Anna Tinnerello, intake and assessment supervisor for Marion County Children Services.

“The caller may make a difference and assist in getting families the services they need. That may be education or services in the community. Ultimately, they are making a difference in the life of that child.

“The most important thing is to not assume that something that seems obvious is common knowledge.”

Tinnerello said if residents suspect abuse or neglect, they should report it.

“Those that are concerned can call in to our agency (740-389-2317), or they can come out to our agency (1680 Marion-Waldo Road).”

She said the agency has staff on call all the time.

“After hours, we have someone who can be contacted through the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.” This is for emergency situations only.

After a resident makes an initial call to report suspicious behavior, Children Services will determine if it meets the criteria of the law. Then, they investigate.

“We are then able to determine if a child is safe or not,” Tinnerello said. “It allows intervention to occur if necessary.”

Tinnerello said the goal of Children Services is not to break families apart. “We want to strengthen to them so they can stay united.”

“Of course, if a child is in danger, we have to take measures to ensure their safety. We then build services around the family.”

In 2011, Marion County Children Services provided services to 1,471 children.

“That is one in 10 children in Marion County,” Ringer said.

During investigations, Ringer said, there are indicators that many of the families coming in contact with Children Services face: Single head of household, economic problems, substance abuse, caretaker abused as a child, and family violence.

Out of the 679 investigations, 80 children were taken into agency custody in 2011.

Robinson said the children who are taken into agency custody are placed in licensed facilities.

“Any time that we take custody of a child, they are placed in a licensed facility, either a treatment facility or a foster home.”

Of the 80 children that were placed with the agency, Ringer said the majority were placed in the agency’s foster homes.

“Not all were able to be placed in foster care in Marion County. Some of our children were placed in residential facilities, a last ditch effort,” she said.

Ringer said the agency recruits, trains and licenses foster care providers.

“We have 34 providers, and we are always looking for more,” she said.

Robinson said foster parents provide for the basic needs of the child as far as food, clothing and shelter.

“They take them to appointments, get them enrolled in school, transport them to and from the agency for visitation with parents. They basically provide everything they would for their own children.”

Robinson said the role of foster parent is huge. She said having local foster homes can possibly keep children in their school district and their community.

“The more options we have, the better. That way, we can make good matches the first time around, and the children won’t have to move.”

“All these children that come into custody have been abused or neglected,” Ringer said . “They present their own needs. If we have a child with a lot of needs, we may have to search out foster homes in another network or agency. That is why it is so important to continue to recruit.”

For information about fostering a child, call Marion County Children Services at 740-389-2317.

There is also information on fostering, adoption and other educational items on the agency’s website,www.marionkids.com.