Click the county map below to view your county's Family and Children First contact information.
Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council and County Family and Children First Councils have a unique function of Building Community Capacity. To build community capacity, it requires mobilizing communities to identify and address the ongoing needs of children and families through planning, implementing effective strategies, monitoring and reporting, and evaluating progress toward achieving desired outcomes. It also requires leadership, partnership, and collaboration to truly build a community’s capacity to address their greatest priorities and needs.
An effective practice model has been developed for Building Community Capacity.
Ohio Family and Children First was codified in Section 121.37 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) in 1993. This section describes the membership and duties of both the state and local Family and Children First Councils (FCFCs). There are resources available to assist counties in understanding the statutory mandates of FCFCs.
The following presentations have been created to highlight specific mandates in the Family and Children First Statute, ORC 121.37.
The following guidance documents are available to assist in implementating various aspects of the Family and Children First Statute, ORC 121.37.
Several requests for legal opinions have been requested over the years to clarify various aspects of the Family and Children First Statute.
Below are online data resources that may be helpful for local planning and decision-making related to child, family, and community well-being.