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Turning around lives one child at a time.

Family Resource Center and Diversion Services

The Family Resource Center (FRC) and Diversion Department specializes in providing case management to Summit County youth experiencing behavior problems at home or school, truancy issues, violence, conflict in the home, pregnant and/or parenting teens, job readiness, and job search.  The mission of the FRC is to provide the youth and family with services aimed at increasing youth opportunities for success in school, work, and life.  Utilizing a case management model, FRC Case Managers partner with families to assess their needs, address barriers, connect families to community resource providers, and monitor progress and support along with an array of special programming offered here at the court and within the community. Additionally, any misdemeanor charge, excluding offenses of violence that are diversion-eligible, are processed in this department in a diversionary manner instead of an official Court filing.  Families are offered the opportunity to engage in case management as a part of the diversion process.  The goal is to strengthen families and to avoid any further Court involvement of the youth with the juvenile justice system.

330-379-3613

Family Resource Center

Contacts

Director - FRC/Diversion Services
330-643-7920

Truancy Referrals

Truancy referrals are handled in a diversionary manner and processed through the FRC and Diversion Department.  Ohio truancy laws apply to children between the ages of 6 and 18.  Habitual truancy is defined as the absence from school without a legitimate excuse for the following number of hours:

  • 30 or more consecutive hours
  • 42 or more hours in one school month
  • 72 or more hours in one school year 

When a child misses this much school, the School District is required to notify the Summit County Juvenile Court so that the court can help address these concerns. The diversion program provides youth, parents, and school officials with an opportunity to work with a Diversion Case Manager to generate solutions to truancy problems.  It is understood that there are barriers to school attendance and the Case Manager can help identify the barriers to school attendance and offer resources to address those barriers. The goal is to work with the parent to address the truancy concerns and avoid the filing of the truancy referral, and the Failure to Send referral.

The Responder Program

Middle school can be a difficult time for adjustment with children. This could be the first time that problems or concerns such as disruptive school behavior or truancy may trigger a referral to the Summit County Juvenile Court.  The Responder Program is a cooperative effort between the Court and area schools.  The program recognizes that addressing behavior through a referral to counseling, behavioral health services, or other community resources may provide a more meaningful intervention for some children. The goal of the program is to link children and families to services offered in the community and thereby avoid a referral to the Court. A school official can make a referral directly to the Family Resource Center (FRC), at which point a Case Manager will contact the family and offer services.

Summit County residents do not need to be Court-involved to take advantage of the preventative services offered by the Family Resource Center. Residents of Summit County are welcome to visit the FRC on a walk-in basis to access an array of health and human service information from our literature racks or apply for case management.  The Family Resource Center receives funding through the Summit County Department of Job and Family Services, Ilene Shapiro, Executive.

Funding

The Family Resource Center receives funding through the Summit County Department of Job and Family Services, Ilene Shapiro, Executive.

Summit County Job and Family Services Logo
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