The director of Knox County Job & Family Services told the Board of Commissioners during their June 18 meeting that the county has a thriving foster care system that places many children locally.
Scott Boone, director of Knox County Job & Family Services, said his goal has been to ensure that when children come into custody in Knox County, they can remain in their same school, neighborhoods, sports teams, and friend groups. "My dream years ago, when we had a handful of foster homes, and I was seeing the kids were placed in Lucas County and Athens, and all these different places, I wanted to have a place where, or a mechanism where, when kids came into custody in Knox County, they could stay in their same school, they could stay in their same neighborhoods, hopefully same sports teams, friend groups, all those different types of things that keep them connected. We're making great strides for that," according to Boone via video recording of the meeting.
According to the video recording, Boone said 41% of the 67 children in foster care are placed within Knox County. In comparison, Wayne County keeps 4% of its foster children within its borders while Delaware and Ashland Counties both retain only 2%. He said compared to its neighbors, Knox County is doing a phenomenal job of keeping kids close to home. Of the foster children served by Knox County Job & Family Services: 31% reside in agency foster homes; 28% are placed in group homes; 4% are in residential settings; and 22% are with kin or relatives—with 15% of those being private placements.
Boone said it's a matter of resources for other counties. Some do not carry internal foster care licenses or may lack community members willing or able to become licensed foster parents. When he started at Knox County Job & Family Services there were only single-digit numbers for local placements but believed improvements could be made.
Boone also said that children do best with family whenever possible. When safety with parents is not an option, the agency seeks out other relatives—especially paternal relatives and fathers—a practice he noted was not always emphasized previously. Even before formal placement into foster care occurs, families are consulted about safe options for keeping children with relatives.
Additionally, Boone told the board that after a recent storm event individuals receiving supplemental nutrition through SNAP became eligible for replacement benefits if they experienced significant food loss due to power outages or damages. The agency approved replacement funding for 113 households covering 287 individuals and distributed $35,422 as compensation for lost food items.
