SERVICE PROGRAMS
Buchanan County Department of Social Services offers a variety of service programs to meet the needs of the county's citizens. These services are designed to meet on-going or emergency needs and are provided to families and children as well as the elderly or disabled adults. Some services are based on income or other financial considerations but many are available regardless of income. Service programs include:
Intake - Intake services are available to families or individuals who do not already have a caseworker at the agency and have a service need. Many of these needs are of an emergency nature such as housing due to eviction, utility disconnect, or a medical need (such as medicine). The intake worker assesses the family or individual's needs and identifies available community resources. Some of these needs can be meet directly while others are handled through information and referral.
Protective Services - Protective services are provided to children (up to age 18), the elderly, and disabled adults (18 years of age or older and incapacitated or 60 years of age or older). The goals of both Child and Adult Protective Services are:
The process of both Adult and Child Protective services is as follows:
Foster Care - Provides temporary substitute care for children who cannot be in their own homes. The goal of foster care is to provide a permanent home for each child. Reunification with the children's biological family is the first goal, but if this is not feasible, placement with relatives, adoption, permanent foster care, or independent living is considered.
Adoption Services - Services provided to children, legally free for adoption, to help them become permanent members of a family unit; the agency completes adoptions where the agency has custody of the child as well as non-agency adoptions. Registries of families approved for adoption are maintained, and efforts are made to bring these families and children together.
Day Care Services - Day care services are provided to assist families to achieve economic independence through employment. TANF recipients, as well as eligible citizens employed in low wage jobs, can receive childcare assistance through approved providers. Childcare assistance for teen mothers is available to help them to return to school. Day care training is also provided to providers to enhance the quality of day care in Buchanan County.
Family and Children's Services - Provides preventative services to "at-risk" families to prevent abuse or neglect. These services include on-going case management, as well as information and referral to other community service agencies.
Intensive Family Services - Provides case management to families who have had a founded Child Protective Service Complaint or who have been determined to be at high risk of abuse or neglect. This includes cases of spouse abuse when children are involved.
Aide Services - Aides are home-based, direct service providers, who work with families to help them learn the skills they need to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children. Aides attempt to empower families to meet their own needs, utilizing an adult learning model that focuses on areas such as foods and nutrition, home safety, child growth and development, budgeting and parenting skills.
Court Ordered Services - Services that are ordered by the juvenile or circuit court. These services include home studies, supervised visits, home supervision, and mediation.
Adult Services - A wide variety of services are provided to elderly or disabled adults to help the adult remain in the least restrictive setting, and function as independently as possible. These services include, companion, case management, and referrals to other community resources including guardians. Assistance may also be provided for those who need assisted living (adult care residence or nursing homes) through completion of the Universal Assessment Instrument.
Employment Services - Employment Services are provided to recipients of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families). This program is designed to help families obtain economic independence from the social service system. Services include job readiness training, limited education and vocational training, and work experience. The employment service program is being coordinated with benefit program staff into a self-sufficiency unit that will work together to support and enhance employment opportunities from the first moment an individual applies for assistance.
Volunteer Services - The agency utilizes volunteers and student interns to provide assistance to staff in various projects and casework activity.