SIDNEY — Shelby County DJFS is responsible for providing a multitude of Federal and State mandated services to Shelby County residents which include the following departments: Child Support, Financial and Medical Services, Children Services, Employment and Training, Fiscal, and Support. Federal and state government entities, establish rules and regulations, but the department operates under the administrative authority of the local county commissioners.

Director Tina Hooks has submitted the following report:

2023 was another year of progress for the Child Support unit. In FFY 2023, the agency collected $6,041,341.00 for the families of Shelby County Child Support Cases. These collections put the agency above the State’s 70% collection rate threshold at 74.98% for current support and 76.46% collections on arrears. In addition, the agency received an award for Most Improved Collections on Cases with Arrears for Medium-Small counties.

For the Financial and Medical Services unit, 2023 brought new policies to end the COVID pandemic as the state of emergency ended in March 2023. Compared to the numbers seen during the COVID pandemic, the number of individuals on Medicaid in Shelby County slowly declined in 2023. There are currently over 10,000 individuals receiving Medicaid in the county and 4,100 residents in receipt of SNAP (food assistance). Cash assistance is primarily being received by children in the care of relatives and custodians.

Children Services is responsible for investigating reports of abuse and neglect of children and protecting at-risk adults. During 2023, the Intake Unit investigated the following number of reports received by the agency: 215 cases of neglect, 115 cases of physical abuse, 77 cases of sexual abuse, and nine cases of dependency. The Ongoing Unit handled 62 Court Ordered Protective Supervision cases involving children and families. 45 children were in agency custody and foster care at some point in 2023. Adult Protective Services investigated 101 reports regarding maltreatment toward an elderly person.

Shelby County currently has 24 children in foster care. The agency also has four children who are in permanent custody and waiting to be adopted. seven adoptions were finalized in 2023. Due to the increasing needs of society, the agency is always looking for individuals who are willing to provide a loving, stable home for children as foster parents. At the close of 2023, there are seven foster homes licensed by Shelby County JFS.

OhioMeansJobs Shelby County continues to offer a wide variety of services to assist job seekers and employers. Staff are available in the agency’s Job Center to assist job seekers with a variety of services. Some of these include, using the agency’s computer bank to conduct on-line job search, updating or creating a resume, browsing the numerous job leads posted in the Job Center, emailing or mailing job leads, providing instruction on improving interviewing skills, and providing information on other available partner agencies and resources. Services are also offered virtually for customers who are unable to come to the Job Center.

OhioMeansJobs Shelby County also assists employers with finding potential candidates. Employers may contact the Job Center at 937-498-4981, ext. 2816 to post their job openings in our OhioMeansJobs Center, on our Facebook page, and in our bi-weekly job posting summary. Staff can also assist employers with posting positions on www.OhioMeansJobs.com, Ohio’s employment website. Employers may also conduct hiring events at The Job Center. These events will be promoted on our social media platform.

For more information on the department and its services, please visit our website at www.shelbycountyjfs.org.