What are my rights?

When you are involved with Hamilton County Job & Family Services, you have the right to:

Do you have concerns about our services?

The Office of Client Rights in collaboration with the Hamilton County Job & Family Services Customer Service Office is here to help and listen. The Office of Client Rights works with the Customer Service Office to receive complaints and/or inquiries from the community at large and consumers of agency services, to improve upon the services offered by our agency.

Inquiries and/or complaints are made directly with the Customer Service Office. In addition to the functions designated below, the Office of Client Rights acts as a separate and distinct office, responsible for the oversight of information gathered by the Customer Service Office to improve upon services offered through necessary training and/or staff development.

We are here to answer your questions, and to help facilitate the resolution of complaints in a professional and fair manner.

For parents, relatives, legal guardians, foster and adoptive parents, children and other consumers involved with Children’s Services, we are here to help you understand what is happening, while assisting you in resolving any concerns.

Your feedback and/or complaints help to make Hamilton County Job & Family Services better.

When should you contact the Customer Service Office?

  • If you have questions regarding your rights.
  • If you are involved with Hamilton County Job & Family Services and have questions or concerns about services the agency is or should be providing
  • If you have concerns about how your case is being handled
  • If you are confused about the rules, laws, policies or information communicated to you

 The Customer Service Office can help you by: 

  • Answering your questions/inquiries
  • Giving you information about your rights and responsibilities
  • Assisting with a concern or communication issue between you and Hamilton County Job & Family Services staff, or another agency under contract with Hamilton County Job & Family Services
  • Acting as a complaint facilitator to get your issues resolved

The Role of the office of Client Rights

  • Provides information on your rights
  • Works to ensure that client rights are upheld
  • Works in collaboration with the Customer Service Office to ensure that citizens, clients, and community partners, are obtaining efficient and quality services from the agency
  • Helps to facilitate the resolution of complaints that are unable to be resolved through the Customer Service Office
  • Shares your concerns with Hamilton County Job & Family Services leadership and other agencies to improve services
  • Provides training and development to agency staff based on community feedback received and data produced by the Customer Service Office
  • Provides access to the agency’s appeal process if you were accused of child abuse and/or neglect and do not agree with the assessment.
  • Reviews cases for Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) & Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) assessments

When should you contact the Office of Client Rights?

  • If you are unable to reach a resolution of your complaint through the Customer Service Office
  • If you are a community partner who would like to schedule a meeting or a member of the community who would like to schedule a community session to provide feedback on your agency experiences
  • If you have an indicated or substantiated finding of child abuse and/or neglect during an agency assessment, and you do not agree with the finding, and would like to schedule an appeal hearing
  • If you need more information on how to file a complaint of a possible violation of MEPA & Title VI

 

Understand that the Office of Client Rights & the Customer Service Office cannot

  • Challenge or attempt to influence a court decision in your case
  • Conduct our own assessment of an active child protective case

If the Office of Client Rights cannot help you directly, we will direct you to people who can help. 

 

Contact Us

There are several different ways to contact us with your questions or concerns. Contact may be made by phone, mail or online submission:

Phone

513-946-1313  –  Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Mail

Hamilton County Job & Family Services
Office of Client Rights
222 E. Central Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

 
Online Submission

Please click here to submit an online inquiry, complaint, request for appeal of an agency finding or for more information about reporting a possible MEPA or Title VI violation. You will be directed to a list of services. Please choose the appropriate service and then click on the green button to submit your concern online.