Jun
23
Help foster kids finish school

Recruitment is under way for mentors to get involved in a unique partnership that helps foster children aging out of the system to finish high school and college. The Higher Education Mentoring Initiative (HEMI) – a partnership represented by the …

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Jun
05
Success Story: Sasha’s Officially Their ‘Baby Girl!’

All week, Maleek, 5, has been asking, “When are we adopting my sister Sasha?” Tuesday, he got a happy answer. Dianna and Shakawan Mohammad finalized the adoption of 3-year old Sasha, celebrating the wonderful day with the whole family present. Dianna and …

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Jun
03
Good Kid, Good Mom Now A High School Graduate

Thia Watkins doesn’t see what she did as that big of a deal. She had a baby at 15 and went into foster care 1 1/2 hours away from Cincinnati with her newborn daughter, Leiyah. She stayed in school, raised …

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May
13
And Brayden Makes Seven…

When Leah and Michael Sharpshair got married, she thought maybe they’d have three or four children. They had five. Now, plus two. The Liberty Township family finalized their adoption of Brayden, 11 months, today. He follows his brother Colton, who …

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Apr
14
Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month

We had an incredible week last week when people throughout our community wore blue as a social statement about the troubling problem of child abuse. Wednesday was “Wear Blue. Child Abuse is Preventable” day in Hamilton County and throughout the …

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Apr
02
HCJFS Investigated Almost 6,000 Allegations of Child Abuse and Neglect Last Year

Our final 2013 child welfare numbers recently arrived on my desk – hot off the presses. Unfortunately, they tell a sad tale. More than 63,000 calls to our 241-KIDS child abuse reporting hotline. Nearly 6,000 new investigations into child abuse …

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Mar
27
This 17-year-old really wants a family to take care of him

Meet Andwele, the young man we’ve been talking with lately about‪ #‎agingout‬ of ‪#‎fostercare‬. His caseworkers – one of them from Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – are working really hard to help him find the home he wants before he …

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Mar
24
Loveland Family Adopts 2 Little Girls

In matching striped dresses and pink hair bows, Jazzy and Ruby sat on their parents’ laps in court this morning as a magistrate made it official – the girls will stay with the only family they’ve ever known. Derrell and …

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Mar
13
Can SCPA students help aging-out foster kids?

HCJFS Director Moira Weir, a 20-year veteran of children’s services, worries most about one thing – kids aging out of foster care with no safety net. So she’s really looking forward to what comes from a new project launched between …

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Mar
07
Caseworkers Learning New Practice Model

Hamilton County Job and Family Services opens more than 5,000 investigations of alleged abuse and neglect every year. The abuse hotline, 241-KIDS, took more than 65,000 calls last year. The practice model aims to safely reduce three things: mistakes; the …

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