OHIO FAMILY CARE ASSOCIATION
Who We Are
The Ohio Family Care Association's Mission is to Connect, Advocate, Educate and Support Ohio Families impacted by the child welfare system.
Who We Are
Ohio Family Care Association (OFCA) is a family oriented, non-profit organization that was incorporated in 1975. Our motto, “The Voice of Ohio Resource Families”, emphasizes a focus on serving both as a voice for and as a partner for Ohio families impacted by the child welfare system.
Since our inception, OFCA has attempted to improve Ohio’s child protection system and bridge gaps in support and communication. We operate the only statewide program that serves all resources (adoptive, foster, kinship, respite) and primary birth families under one umbrella.
Our work allows us to uniquely understand the dynamics of each family structure and creates a foundation to overcome barriers between families, schools, medical practitioners, the courts, the community and key stakeholders in child welfare policy and legislation. We do this to obtain concrete, measurable, and sustainable public goals, for the safety and protection of children and to demonstrate how good partnerships with families have a long lasting positive impact in the lives of children.
Who We Serve
The goal of OFCA (Ohio Family Care Association) is to strengthen and support resource families on their journey in parenting by adoption, foster, kinship, primary families that have been reunified with their children or respite care.
Primary Parent
Permanent parent of a child prior to them being removed and a case opened, often referred to as birth parent
Kinship Caregiver
Informal or formal caregiver temporarily caring for a child who has been removed from their primary home and who had a prior relationship to the child before placement
Foster Caregiver
Licensed, temporary caregiver for a child who has been removed from their primary parent
Adoptive Parent
Legal parent of a child not by birth
Respite Caregiver
A caregiver who provides short term placements for children in foster care
Mission, Vision, & Core Values
The Ohio Family Care Association’s Mission is to Connect, Advocate, Educate and Support Ohio Families impacted by the child welfare system.
OFCA seeks to bring together Ohio resource families (adoptive, foster, kinship, and respite), primary families, child welfare agency personnel, and interested others to promote the best interests of children, youth, and families who have been in touch with Ohio’s child protection placement systems.
OFCA’s vision is to be a voice for resource and primary families in order to:
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Promote equity and diversity in the child protection system and its treatment of families
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Strengthen the public image, status and rights of families;
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Encourage meaningful recruitment and retention of resource families;
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Conduct educational and informational activities for families;
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Assist local family associations;
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Advance communication, coordination, and collaboration among resource families, primary families, and public and private child welfare agencies;
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Increase supports to families including sufficient reimbursements or subsidies for the care of children and youth placed in resource families;
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Advocate on behalf of all families touched by Ohio’s child welfare system
Family-driven, family-centered, child-oriented principles guide the work of OFCA:
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Children belong in families.
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Families succeed and prosper in communities of care.
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Families achieve positive outcomes when child placement agencies collaborate with them.
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Cultural competence is paramount.