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.