Here’s how Safe Babies Ohio works.
Community Coordinators
Each Safe Babies Ohio site has a Community Coordinator who:
helps strengthen the systems and policies that affect infants and toddlers at risk of child welfare involvement
helps parents partner with their child welfare case workers and service providers
works to remove the barriers some parents face, such as holding down a job or recovering from substance abuse
ensures children quickly get the services they need
connects children to Early Intervention, Home Visiting, Early Head Start/Head Start, medical care, developmental screenings, and evidence-based mental health services like child-parent psychotherapy
Addressing Basic Needs
Safe Babies addresses barriers and environmental factors that impact health.
Often, families don’t know what resources they need or can utilize.
Safe Babies connects families to:
infant and early childhood mental health services
primary health care
substance abuse treatment
adult mental health treatment and peer support
food
housing
SNAP benefits and other public assistance
Medicaid benefits
job placement, and more
Working with Local Courts and Child Protection Agencies
Safe Babies Ohio’s Community Coordinators are independent of the courts and focus on a collaborative rather than punitive approach.
Each Safe Babies Ohio site has the flexibility to customize the program to its community’s needs.