TO LEAD the community in the protection of children at risk of abuse and neglect. This is accomplished by working with families, service providers and community members to assess risk and coordinate community-based services resulting in safe, stable and permanent families for children.

The agency's current mission statement was written in 1999 by a consortium of more than 100 community child welfare stakeholders and LCCS staff. The group felt strongly that Lucas County Children Services (LCCS) should take a leadership role in protecting abused and neglected children.

In assuming this responsibility, we also try our best to preserve families. Children belong in families, hopefully the one they are born into. We prefer that a child remain at home while we provide services to stabilize the family. If a child cannot live safely at home, we first look for an appropriate relative to care for the child for as long as necessary. If a relative is not available, the child will go into foster care or other placement. In every case, the safety of the child is our main concern.

We also believe in permanence for children. Children need stability and they need permanence. If the crisis in a birth family cannot be resolved, it is our responsibility to seek an alternative, permanent family for those children in a timely manner.

Our Mandate

Lucas County Children Services gets its mandate from state of Ohio law. According to the Ohio Revised Code, public children services agencies shall do all of the following:

• investigate allegations of child abuse, neglect or dependency
• make reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of children from their homes
• accept custody of children from courts with juvenile jurisdiction
• provide temporary emergency shelter when necessary
• find family foster homes for children
• implement a system for assessing risk to children
• administer federal adoption assistance funds