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Social Services Programs
Adoption Services
Services for children who cannot be cared for by their birth parents and who need new and permanent family ties established through a legal process. Adoption services are provided to children who need permanent families, birth parents who are unable to parent their children, and adoptive parents who want to provide a home for a child not born to them.
Adult Services
Home and community-based services are provided to adults over 60 years of age, and to disabled adults over 18 years of age, in an effort to allow them to remain in their homes rather than move to institutional placements. Screening for adult care residences and nursing home placements are also provided. Eligible adults may receive up to 15 hours per week home based services, such as cleaning and meal preparations.
Adult Protective Services
Reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elderly and disabled adults are investigated. Services are developed to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation of these populations.
Child Care
Child care involves the purchase of child care services, in approved homes or centers, to enable eligible parents to maintain employment and/or to provide protection for children.
Child Protective Services
Reports of child abuse and neglect are investigated. Services are provided to prevent child abuse and neglect. Workers are available 24 hours a day to handle emergency situations. Call 800-552-7096
Custody Investigations
When ordered by the Juvenile/Domestic Relations or Circuit Court, home studies are completed on parents seeking legal custody of their children.
Memorial Child Guidance Clinic
The Memorial Child Guidance Clinic maintains an online database of child care programs in a 17-county area. There may be a fee for services provided by this vendor.
Employment Services
Promotes the fundamental principles of welfare reform by emphasizing personal responsibility and self-sufficiency, via employment. Employment Services program participants may receive services such as job skills training, work experience, job readiness training, child care assistance, transportation, and other work-related expenses to assist them in obtaining and maintaining employment.
Volunteer Services
The Department recruits volunteers to assist with areas such as clerical help, providing transportation for children to appointments, etc.