PACT LAB provides a bi-weekly dose of reflections, connections, and resources to the families, staff, and leaders from Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 implementation sites. Whether you're a fearless leader, a Local Advisory Group member, or a practice champion, you are part of Ohio’s shared practice movement, and this update is for YOU. Don’t keep the excitement to yourself, share it with your peers and encourage them to subscribe so that we can keep building this incredible community together!

By David Adkins, Perry County Family Engagement Specialist

Last week, the Perry County LAG had the privilege of hosting a PACT Re-launch with the entire Protective Services staff present. It was an opportunity to highlight some of the work our LAG has accomplished over the last 2.5 years and to share the strategies we are currently implementing within our agency.

As part of the presentation, I was invited to share the strategy I chose to focus my efforts on: the Perry County PACT Strategy, Family Defined Success Indicators. This strategy supports the conditions necessary for families to be prepared to share their perspectives in the development of their case plan and identify their own indicators for success.

This work is accomplished through a Family Input and Voice Worksheet designed to help families share their perspectives, strengths, concerns, needs, and goals during case planning. The goal is to create a collaborative, understandable, and family-centered case plan that promotes child safety, well-being, and permanency.

So, why is this strategy important to me?

While reflecting on that question, it occurred to me that just like PACT is made up of 1,000 little things, so is my “why.” Rather than simply sharing my why, I chose to share my personal impact declaration. This declaration drives the work I do each day and is a direct reflection of the 1,000 little things that make up my why.

 When I work with parents and children, I aspire to be an influencer for positive change, and I believe my greatest tool is love expressed through compassion, respect, and genuine care. I strive to create an environment where every child and parent feels safe, seen, heard, and valued.

My purpose is to encourage and empower parents to show up each day as the best version of themselves by recognizing their strengths, fostering hope, and supporting their growth. I seek to build trusting relationships that inspire accountability, resilience, and meaningful progress.

My hope is to help families achieve stability in every area of their lives. My ultimate goal is restoration, reconciliation, and the preservation of healthy, safe families.

I wholeheartedly believe in this strategy because it aligns so closely with my personal impact declaration.

With the insight we receive from our family ambassadors and the strategies we build together, this work gives us an opportunity to take best practice and turn it into something truly exceptional, not simply by changing what we do, but by transforming how families experience the work we do.

Melinda and Ike Carr, PACT Family Ambassadors serving on the Fairfield Local Advisory Group, have found meaningful ways to bring their love of family and community into their work. Through their involvement, they continue to share their experiences and help create spaces where families feel heard, welcomed, and connected.

Ike recently brought that spirit of connection to life in a new way with the release of Cletus the Bunny. Written for young readers, the book follows a little bunny on a great adventure and offers a fun story that families can enjoy together. It is just one of the ways Ike and Melinda share their creativity and passion for families through their work with Foster Family Farms and their community.

Their story is a reminder that making a difference can happen in many ways, whether it is through listening to families, bringing people together, or simply sharing a good story. 

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