Children's Protective Services & Kinship Care

Children’s protective services protect and care for children who are abused, neglected, or dependent. When a child cannot live with their parent, guardian, or custodian, kinship caregivers often take over the full-time responsibility of caring for that child.

Office of Families and Children

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ Office of Families and Children is responsible for the administration and oversight of programs that prevent child abuse and neglect; provide services to abused/neglected children and their families (birth, foster and adoptive); license foster homes and residential facilities; and investigate allegations of adult abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services oversees Ohio's public children services agencies (PCSAs), which are required to assess and investigate reports of abuse, neglect, or dependency. The children services agency will complete an assessment and, if necessary, work with the family to develop a case plan identifying services necessary to reduce risk to the child and prevent the abuse or neglect from happening again. If it is determined that children cannot remain safe in their own homes, the PCSA will work with the local court system to remove them and find an alternative safe placement, preferably with relatives.

To make a report, contact the PCSA in the county where the child and his or her parent, guardian or custodian reside. A directory of Ohio PCSAs by county can be found at the website of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, jfs.ohio.gov.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ Office of Families and Children
P.O. Box 183204
Columbus, OH 43218-3204
614-466-1213
866-886-3537, option 4 (Help Desk)

Kinship Care

Kinship Care refers to a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative (often a grandparent), has taken over the full-time, substitute care of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to do so. Kinship Care includes those relationships established through an informal arrangement, legal custody or guardianship order, a relative foster care placement or kinship adoption. Assistance and resources for kinship caregivers are available through county public children services agencies (PCSA).