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LISBON -- The Columbiana County Department of Job and Family Services released its 2025 annual report this week, sharing the stats that demonstrate the services provided in areas that include adult and child protective services, public assistance, senior services, and child support enforcement.
Child support enforcement managed 7,297 cases in 2025, with 74.94 % of all current child support cases meeting their monthly obligation. Adult protective services received 428 referrals alleging abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults, with at least 189 self-neglect and 154 exploitation. Of those referrals 264 were screened out for not meeting the criteria and 164 were investigated.
Child protective services fielded 2,071 calls reporting abuse, neglect and dependency, with 488 investigations conducted, 1,233 children involved with CPS and 91 children in placement. In the area of public assistance, staff handled 15,570 front-line service calls. In 2025, individuals served included 26,021 with Medicaid, 12,204 with food assistance and 507 with Ohio Works First.
There were 421 fraud referrals received, 3,883 new investigative claims opened, 27 intentional program violations verified and $89,419 in total benefit recovery collections.
For senior services funded by the levy, there were 615 individual served and $769,689 in levy dollars utilized.
In her message with highlights from 2025, DJFS Director Rachel Ketterman acknowledged the support shown by residents with passage of the levy renewals last year for the senior services levy and the children services levy.
"The support demonstrated by the residents of Columbiana County through these measures reflects our community's shared commitment to protecting and uplifting our most vulnerable populations. These levies will allow us to strengthen essential services and continue meeting the needs of those who rely on us most," she wrote.
Ketterman shared a copy of the annual report with county commissioners on Wednesday.
"In totality, it just shows the dedication we have serving the residents of Columbiana County," Ketterman said when asked for comment.
She explained that the agency works within the constraints put upon it through local policies and state and federal policies, with the personnel continuing to strive to do the best work possible.
"I'm proud of our employees for the work that they do for the agency and all the residents. I thank the residents for supporting and believing in us and I'd be remiss if I didn't show appreciation to the three county commissioners for their continued support and leadership that they not only give to me but the entire agency for the work that we do," she said.
In reviewing everything, Ketterman said there are less dollars for foster care, but children services does a good job of searching for friends or family of a child, trying to place the child with someone who's familiar with them to keep them in the community with as much familiarity as possible rather than sending them three hours away.
Ketterman also said Columbiana County was the first in the state that signed a memorandum of understanding with the Family Success Network where agency personnel can refer phone calls of child abuse and neglect that don't rise to the level of an investigation. A total of 33 families have been referred to that process.
The Family Support Network offers support to a family so it doesn't rise to the level of child abuse or neglect, providing child abuse prevention services. She said an example could be helping a family deal with truancy issues.
Besides shared numbers regarding the services the agency provides, the annual report also highlighted staffing and program expenditures, with most of the funding coming from federal and state allocations. The agency includes 119 staff members, with 47 in public assistance, 32 in children services, 24 in child support, 11 shared staff, two in adult protective services, two maintenance staff and one in senior services.
Expenditures for programs included $1,432,689 for shared administration, $3,466,926 for public assistance, $2,585,131 for social services, $1,661,932 for child support, for a total of $9,1146,679 for total administration spent. Purchases services which reflect community investments and contracted service allocations totaled $1,481,597.
The mandated county share totaled $204,196.
Some other numbers shared regarding child support enforcement included: $1.28 million in average monthly collections; 69 paternities established; 87 orders established; 646 children emancipated; 4,078 court orders processed and 13,050 phone calls handled.
Placement costs for children under the care of children services totaled more than $3 million, with 64.7% in congregate treatment facilities, 28.2% in licensed private network foster homes and 7.1% in agency licensed foster homes.
Under public assistance, 2025 expenditures included $309,126,308 for Medicaid, $28,160,229 for food assistance and $1,725,724 for Ohio Works First.
To learn more about DJFS, visit www.columbianacountyjfs.org.
mgreier@mojonews.com