Family support is offered when cases need service beyond the assessment. While most children remain in their home, it is sometimes necessary to remove a child to protect him/her from danger. Family support helps families develop the problem-solving skills they need to remain intact and live together in a safe and stable environment.
For children who have been or are at risk of being abused or neglected, we first attempt to keep the family together by coordinating needed services. When it is necessary to remove a child from the home, we work with families to develop the problem-solving skills they need to live together in a safe and stable environment.
Whether the children are in the home, with relatives, or with a foster family, we work in partnership with families to make changes that will reduce the potential for abuse and neglect.
Erie County Job and Family Services holds family team meetings to assist and empower families in developing a plan of action. A family team meeting is a gathering of family members, friends, support people and community specialists who join together to focus on the care and protection of a child. Families talk about their concerns, identify family strengths, and set goals to make their home a safer place for children. We take a team approach to supporting families and protecting children.
- We coordinate needed services, which are provided directly by our caseworkers or through referrals to appropriate community resources
- We hold follow-up meetings to review the progress families make on their goals and participate in wrap around meetings.
- We continually monitor child safety and risk factors as families work toward providing a stable and nurturing environment for children.