The number of children being served by Allen County Children Services due to neglect and abuse reports has drastically increased with the opioid epidemic.
Allen County Family and Children First Council hearing some updated numbers of children being served in recent years. In 2012 330 children were in "out of home placement". In 2016 it hit an all-time high at 555 children and in 2018 it has come down slightly to 498 children in “out of home placement”. Along with higher numbers, the cost to place them nearly doubled to $2.6 million dollars in 2016. Agency officials say the day and age of working independently to serve the children is gone and working together is what's needed.
ACCS Executive Director Cyndi Scanland says, “In order to really create a community of structured effective service provisions it’s something we really need to work together on. That’s why Family and Children First Council is so vital. It brings all of the serving agencies together to share information together collaboratively.”
One of those agencies working with the board is Big Brothers and Big Sisters. It's no longer just working with children as they saw the need to mentor and assist parents as well. They started a self-sufficiency program about 3 years ago and have seen a 50-percent success rate with those involved.
Program Coordinator Michael Hayden says, “It’s really important that they have someone who comes shoulder to shoulder with them and kind of helps them. Instructing them through the process while at the same time encouraging their own development and being able to handle these things on themselves.”
Scanland says they are working hard to place children in a "kinship" placement rather than out of home placement.
