ASHLAND — The Ashland County Department of Job and Family Services and the county sheriff’s office will soon be working more closely than ever before.
The Ashland County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved a memorandum of understanding with the county sheriff’s office to establish a designated deputy to be assigned to and stationed at the Ashland County Department of Job and Family Services.
This deputy will act as a liaison between JFS, local law enforcement and the child protection agency, according to the MOU.
Ashland County JFS Director Peter Stefaniuk said the ACSO deputy will work with the department’s child welfare staff who are investigating child abuse and neglect and responding to other child safety matters.
He said this new relationship will improve safety for child welfare staff who may visit a scene during an investigation. It will also ensure proper evidence handling.
“Often when we work cases, we work very closely with law enforcement. This idea — working closely, being stationed together, responding to child safety matters — is really an extension of the county MOU for child abuse and neglect that we’re required to have,” Stefaniuk said.
The MOU between JFS and the county details how each entity involved responds to and investigates these cases, along with each entity’s responsibilities and how all parties work together, the director said.
Having a dedicated ACSO deputy assigned specifically to JFS establishes a goal of efficiency and coordination to prevent delays, duplications, multiple interviews with a child and to reduce trauma, he said.
“It (MOU) really kind of solidifies what we all do,” Stefaniuk said. “It would allow us to coordinate in a way that is better communication, faster response. It would allow each agency, within its own responsibilities and duties, to respond to these scenes.”
A similar relationship between law enforcement and county JFS has existed in Portage County for 15 years. Stefaniuk said he’s had conversations with officials in Portage County who have spoken highly of the relationship between the two entities.
Meetings between ACSO, JFS and police in both the city of Ashland and village of Loudonville have also taken place, he said.
“This is actually a relationship with all law enforcement and our agency to kind of work together by having a sheriff’s office deputy working in this way, closely with us,” the director said.
‘It’s a very special position’
Ashland County Sheriff Kurt Schneider said this position is something the sheriff’s office and JFS have been advocating in favor of for about the past 15 or 20 years.
“We could never really find a great fit, the person that really wanted to jump onto this, because these are very traumatic type of cases that we investigate,” Schneider said. “They take quite a toll mentally, emotionally, on my staff.
“But it’s important to have consistency and have that familiar face when we’re dealing with children services folks because they build and bond together this relationship that really facilitates a strong, strong investigatory case file preparation and making sure that we’re protecting these children.”
Schneider said transparently that his staff doesn’t enjoy working cases of child abuse or neglect. But a few deputies have now expressed interest in becoming the liaison, he said.
“I think this will work out very well. It will close a lot of gaps that we’ve had in the past with timeliness,” the sheriff said.
“This will be a huge benefit to the county and it will certainly benefit all the children in the county and I’m excited that we finally have been able to get to this point.”
Schneider said the position will be posted quickly and interested candidates will be vetted.
“It’s a very special position. And I have very special people that are going to be interested in this spot, so we want to make sure we get the right one,” the sheriff said.
