About Us

Building community capacity, coordinating systems and services, and engaging and empowering families.

Licking County CFFC is part of the Ohio Family and Children First (OFCF) Councils. The purpose of OFCF is to streamline and coordinate government services for children and families and achieve the vision for every child and family to thrive and succeed within healthy communities. The OFCF Cabinet Council is comprised of the following Ohio Departments: Aging, Developmental Disabilities, Education, Health, Job and Family Services, Medicaid, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Opportunities for Ohioians with Disabilities, Rehabilitation and Correction, Youth Services, and Budget and Management. (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 121.37)

Established in 1995, the Licking County Children and Families First Council (CFFC) is an association of public and non-profit organizations, schools, clergy, parents, and elected officials. Our mission is to build community capacity, coordinate systems and services, and engage and empower families. CFFC members accomplish this mission by:

Serving families with children, age birth to 21 years of age, who have needs in more than one system of care, especially children who are at risk of out of home placement.
Bringing the community, families and providers together to assess the needs of children and their families and identify gaps in service.
Developing a Shared Plan to address the needs and gaps.
Ensuring parent and youth voice is represented on council.
Ensuring early intervention services are provided to families. Licking County CFFC contracts with the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities to provide Early Intervention services.

If you are interested in becoming a member, contact the CFFC Coordinator, Sylvia Friel, at 740.670.8844.

Licking County CFFC Community Support Teaming- Serving Families

Service Coordination and High-Fidelity Wraparound

These voluntary, team-based planning processes are child-centered and family-focused, and build on the strengths and needs of the child and family to guide the types and mix of services to be provided. It is critical that services and supports are responsive to the cultural, racial, and ethnic needs and beliefs of the family.

To view the Licking County CFFC Service Coordination Mechanism, click here
To refer a family to Licking County’s CFFC Service Coordination/High Fidelity Wraparound process, contact the Multi-Systems Services Supervisor, Melanie Fling, at 740-670-8916. Melanie Fling will explain the referral process and assist families and providers in completing the referral form (click here) and Release of Information (click here).

CFFC Clinical Committee and Early Childhood Clinical Committee (ECCC)

Clinical Committees consist of representatives of local public and private organizations that serve children and families. Early Childhood Clinical Committee addresses the needs of children age birth to age 8, and Clinical Committee for Older Youth addresses the need of youth age 9 to age 21, especially when the needs of these children/youth extend beyond one system of care. These Clinical Committees:

Provide Case Consultations- Sharing expertise and resources and advising providers in planning for comprehensive services for children and their families;
Coordinate the community service delivery system;
Work with others to provide and implement care plans for families and children;
Serve as an access point for CFFC funds for services to manage risk and keep children/youth safely in their homes for those families with a CFFC Community Support Team.

To schedule a Case Consultation through Clinical Committee for Older Youth or Early Childhood Clinical Committee (ECCC), contact Melanie Fling at 740-670-8916 or Melanie.fling@jfs.ohio.gov, who will explain the consultation process.

Meet the members of our Early Childhood Clinical Committee and Clinical Committee for Older Youth!

This Mock Consultation introduces viewers to the consultation process.

Licking County CFFC Shared Plan

OFCF Cabinet Council and county Family and Children First Councils (FCFC) monitor data indicators to measure progress in the improvement of child well-being in Ohio. This monitoring is accomplished through the H.B. 289 Shared Plan Model. Developed in partnership with CFFC members, Licking County’s 2020-2022 Shared Plan includes actions to address priorities in the areas of:

Children/youth with multi-system challenges and their families.
Trauma Informed Care
Collaborative, Community-based early interventions
Parent and family voice

To view the Licking County CFFC Shared Plan, click here

Initiatives

Licking County's ENGAGE Leadership Committee works with partners to ensure a successful transition of older youth to adulthood. The committee created a pocket resource guide that provides information on local resources and helpful apps., and a Resource binder that provides more detailed information and resources to help youth become independent.

The Licking/Knox Trauma Informed Care Leadership Committee works in collaboration to increase the implementation of trauma informed practices and promote trauma informed environments in Licking County. Members of this committee are invited to sign a Cooperative Agreement that guides our work.

Licking County Children and Families First Council is funded by local partners, including United Way of Licking County, voluntary contributions, and state and local grants. In-kind support from local partners increases our capacity to coordinate services for children and families.

Thank you!!