Athens County Children Services

06/02/2026

We wanted to give a big thank you to the Ohio University Child Development Center for donating shoes, clothes, baby items, and hygiene items for kids in care.

Their children ran a bake sale to raise money for the items so they could give back to those in need and we appreciate every bit of help. We are happy to get these items to those who need them so all that hard work can pay off!

05/28/2026

In Episode 4 of The Anna Jinja Show's Athens County Children Services season, host Anna Jinja speaks with Dan Fuchs, a school outreach worker with ACCS stationed at Amesville Elementary in the Federal Hocking School District.

Dan's path is unconventional: after eight years in full-time pastoral ministry, he found a new calling in prevention-focused family services — and the transition, he says, has felt entirely consistent with who he's always been.

Dan speaks with rare honesty about the philosophy behind his work: that trust is built incrementally, that vulnerability is a gift, and that meeting a surface-level need — a gas card, a bag of groceries — is often the first step toward something much deeper.

He also shares a challenge worth sitting with: "What if I'm wrong?" — a question he believes could transform not just our personal relationships, but our cultural ones.

The episode also features a song by Riley James, an Ohio University musician and Brick City Records artist, whose song "Letting Go" weaves beautifully through the episode's themes of acceptance and identity.

What does it look like to truly meet people where they are — not where we think they should be?   In Episode 4 of The Anna Jinja Show's Athens County Children Services season, host Anna Jinja speaks with Dan Fuchs, a school outreach worker with ACCS stationed at Amesville Elementary in the

05/22/2026

Thank you to the Athens Ohio Lions Club for, once again, supporting our Peanut Butter and Jelly Project!

We will be out distributing the PBJ, bread, and fresh produce each Thursday during the months of June and July!

05/21/2026

Come join us for a day of learning and sharing as we navigate and discuss some of the issues affect youth and families in Athens County. We have some amazing speakers and panels planned that will dive into family-centered collaboration, school-based prevention, and crisis response among other topics.

Hear from the folks on the front lines that are working with youth and families in our community and discuss the various ways service delivery can be improved and our wonderful professional community can come together to achieve stronger outcomes for the families we work with.

05/19/2026

The third episode of our season with The Anna Jinja Show is live and it is a beautiful and heartwarming discussion of fostering and adoption with our Adoptive Family Caseworker Laura Schaeffer and foster and adoptive parent, and poet, Becca Lachman!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/episode_players/19159569-laura-schaeffer-becca-lachman?client_source=large_player&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzsprout.com%2F2185315.js%3Fartist%3D

Becca wrote a beautiful poem for this episode, so we hope you enjoy the discussion as Anna and producer (and former ACCS intern) Lizzi speak with Becca and Laura to get to the heart of why individuals choose to become foster and adoptive parents, what kind of help they need along the way, and what role they can play in the lives of the children they choose to welcome into their homes.

05/18/2026

We had our Foster Caregiver Banquet on Friday and were able to recognize all the amazing foster caregivers who open their hearts and homes to children in need of safety and love. This is one of our most special events we get to host each year and we enjoyed seeing all the foster caregivers, from our several newly licensed caregivers, to those with over 45 years of fostering!

These individuals and couples do so much good that very few ever see, but the children they care for experience that love and caring every day when they are with them. This dinner is just a small token of appreciation we can give them for their dedication, but they are celebrated each and every day. Please join us in thanking our foster caregivers for all they do for children in our community!

05/18/2026

Our Ohio START caseworker, Jacelyn McGaughey, paneled a wonderful event on Friday to talk about her experience in helping clients navigate SUD. We had several members of our agency at Charlie Health's Spring Mental Health Awareness Summit to learn what others in our community are doing to address this serious issue.

05/15/2026

Our START team had a fulfilling time at the Ohio START summit last week.

The event brought together over 200 child protection caseworkers, family peer mentors, behavioral health providers, and advocates. The program focused on the Ohio START model, which supports families affected by co-occurring substance use disorder and child maltreatment.

Our staff is always eager to learn new, best practices in our field and share knowledge of working with children and families with other across Ohio.

05/14/2026

The second episode of our series on The Anna Jinja Show is live and this week's episode focuses on Stephanie Russell and her amazing work in our Treatment Foster Care program. She speaks on her approach to working with children and families in our community and is accompanied by an beautiful song created by Jillian Kay.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2185315/episode_players/19159587-stephanie-russell-jillian-kay?client_source=large_player&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzsprout.com%2F2185315.js%3Fartist%3D

If you would like any additional information on the Treatment Foster Care program or on how you can become a Treatment Foster Caregiver, please give us a call at 740-592-3061.

We hope you enjoy this wonderful episode!

05/05/2026

We are thrilled to share the first of our seven episode season on The Anna Jinja Show!

https://www.annajinja.com/

Executive Director Otis Crockron collaborates with Bruce Dalzell and his beautiful music to discuss the agency's role in protecting children and strengthening families in our community.

Otis speaks with Anna and Lizzi (one of our former amazing interns) about his lived experiences and his leadership of the agency in this unique and emotional way of discussing child welfare in Athens County.

There will be six more episodes over the coming seven weeks (no episode June 9th) where different employees and board members of Athens County Children Services will talk about their background, experiences, and roles in helping the agency fulfill its mission of protecting children, strengthening families, and securing futures.

Thank you to Anna, Lizzi, all the artists, and agency staff who worked hard to put this series together and we hope you all have a listen and enjoy!