We have all heard the word “welfare” and attached it to this negative connotation and stigma for what “welfare” is, who the people in this system are, and how the system has been abused. The facts of the matter really are that “welfare” is an extremely outdated term and there are people behind the scenes in every county across the country working hard to not let the systems be abused. Sitting down with the Directors of Clinton County Job and Family Services, Nicole Rodman and Amanda Randolph, they tell the real challenges, successes, and the beauty behind helping people in our community.
Nicole Rodman was born and raised in Wilmington, she attended Miami University of Ohio. After attaining her degree, Rodman came back to Wilmington to work with CCWorks, now called Ohio Means Jobs, until she took a position with the Child Support unit, and eventually worked her way into the Director position in 2020.
Amanda Randolph is a Highland County native. After graduating from WC she took on an internship and soon after was offered a full-time position with CCJFS as an on-going case worker in their Child Protection unit. In 2018, she became the Deputy Director in Clinton County.
Unit #1 - Family Services
The first unit of CCJFS is Family Services. This unit covers programs regarding public assistance such as TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, Publicly Funded Child Care, and PRC Plan. In order to utilize these services and programs the individual applying must meet certain qualifications to be considered eligible, which is mainly based on income and household size.
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families): is a cash grant assistance program that gives eligible individuals cash assistance on a monthly basis. Most of the recipients of this program are children in Kinship programs.
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program): formerly known as Food Stamps, this program provides eligible individuals a money card with a set limit to provide supplemental groceries for their household.
Medicaid: is a state funded medical program providing insurance and support to children, adults, the blind, and people who are disabled. There are 14 categories for medical eligibility and CCJFS goes through each to help their clients find a program that they qualify for. Under the Medicaid umbrella CCJFS also provides premium assistance for those on Medicare who have limited income or assets and can help with things like meeting a deductible and helping with copay. They also help eligible clients find long term in-home care, so they do not have to leave their homes once they have reached a nursing care level.
Publicly Funded Child Care:this program provides assistance to those with children in need of childcare, for eligible families this can provide things like discounted rates and vouchers for childcare.
Ohio RISE (Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellency): is a medicaid program for children who are needing additional support for their behavioral needs.
PRC Plan (Prevention, Retention, and Contingency): is a program providing short term financial support and work support for people at 200% of the poverty level, with the goal to keep these families or individuals off the cash assistance programs.
Unit #2 - Child
The second unit is Child Protection, this unit is for the safety, permanence, and wellbeing for families in the county. Their goal is to keep families together and help give them the tools to support and empower themselves. However, if adults cannot adjust or adapt to these tools, permanency plans such as foster care, kinship placement, and adoption are put into place.
Foster Care: a temporary arrangement between the child and state in which the child is placed into a system of willing adult caregivers to provide them shelter and support while having been removed from their home. There are several different homes in the foster care system that are regulated through different local, state, and federal entities.
Kinship Placement: a program in which the child is removed from the home and then placed with a family member, friend, or acquaintance that they are familiar with to live until they are reunited with their family.
Adoption: once parental rights have been terminated. The child and adoptive family go through a legal arrangement in which the child is placed with their “forever family”.
Independent Living (ages 14-21): providing children with supports and plans to show that they are ready to live independently when they reach adulthood, this encompasses things such as hygiene, budgeting, life skills, and maintaining grades.
Adult Protection (ages 60+): provides the same protection system for adults who have been reported as abused, neglected, or exploited.
Unit #3 - Child Support
The third unit is Child Support which does provide monetary and medical support to children. CCJFS works to ensure that children are receiving the support from their parents to which they are entitled. They work closely with families on both sides, both custodial and non-custodial, to get the disbursement of support plans designed and enforced. They also work with families who have moved to different states and make sure the support has been paid.
Unit #4 - OhioMeansJobs
Finally, the fourth unit is Ohio Means Jobs which operates under the Office of Workforce Development and managed by CCJFS in Clinton County, they work with both the employment seeking and local employers looking for employees. Their services are free to the public and help qualified individuals use their internet board to find employment, resume building, practicing interviewing skills, and building their “career backpack”. They also work with local employers seeking employees to build job listings and hosting open interviews at OMJ sites.