PARTNERSHIPS
In 2012, the Family and Children First Teen Career Awareness Initiative partnered with the newly formed Building Bridges to Careers Initiative. With this partnership, a new BB2C Coordinator was contracted to continue working on job shadowing support for students and schools but broadened the responsibilities to include coordination of the Building Bridges to Career efforts.
Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C) is dedicated to bridging the gap between education and employment for all students by building community networks that provide students with experiences in a variety of career fields and help them attain their life goals.
Family & Children First (FCF) administers the Help Me Grow Early Intervention (EI) program for infants and toddlers ages birth to three, who have a developmental delay or disability. FCF EI Service Coordinators work closely with the Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities Early Intervention department as a team to provide a family-centered approach which ensures young children with disabilities and their families have the supports and services necessary for the child's growth and development. Anyone can make a referral for Early Intervention services by calling Help Me Grow at (740)374-4954.
Washington County Family & Children First’s Early Intervention program partners with the Ohio Valley Educational Service Center (OVESC) to provide a smooth transition for children moving from Early Intervention Part C (birth to 3) to Preschool Services (ages 3-5). The Washington County Interagency Transition Agreement from Part C to Part B is the collaborative guiding document developed and reviewed annually that identifies the processes of the transition.
The Washington County HUB was launched to combat Opioid addiction. The purpose is:
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To strengthen county and community efforts to prevent and treat opioid addiction.
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To educate youth and adults about the dangers of opioid addiction and the negative effects it has on society.
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To promote family building and workforce development as ways of combatting opioid addiction in communities.
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To encourage community engagement in efforts to address the goals.
Family & Children First was instrumental in bringing Handle With Care (HWC) to Washington County, and was one of the first Ohio counties to begin development of HWC. Handle With Care is a trauma-informed, cross-systems, collaborative program aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to adverse events receive appropriate interventions and have opportunities to build resilience through positive relationships with teachers and first responders.