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Summit County Children Services recently attended a community recovery event with a new mindset. In past years, the agency struggled to get engagement and sensed that attendees were avoiding the table because it represented children services.
This year, agency staff recognized that the community's reaction to their presence signaled a need for change. They partnered with their Community Relations Department to redesign their display and messaging. The updated approach focused on recovery and highlighted three key initiatives addressing substance use concerns:
- The Ohio START team
- The Substance Use Impact Team (SUIT) in the Intake Department, which focuses on ingestions and substance-related concerns
- The Family Reunification Through Recovery Court (FRRC) team, which addresses substance-related concerns through treatment court services.
The agency also introduced a new START program brochure featuring testimonials from graduates about the program’s impact. Additional materials included information about foster care opportunities and the agency’s fatherhood program, recovery-focused stickers, temporary tattoos, candy, and fidget toys.
These changes transformed the agency’s presence at the event, making the agency's table appear more approachable and garnering more engagement with families. Many were impressed by the agency’s specialized programs and its innovative approach to supporting families impacted by substance use disorder.
Erin, one of the agency’s peer mentors who attended the event, reflected on the experience, saying, “It was beautiful to see that stigma start to go away with just a different approach to why we were at this event.”
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