Pinwheels for Prevention - Child Abuse Awareness Event Held by Scioto County Job & Family Services

On Thursday, April 3, 2025, Scioto County Job and Family Services, along

with community partners, held a child abuse awareness event, spotlighting

Pinwheels for Prevention.

The month of April is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention

Month. Children Services agencies across the country use this month as a

time to raise awareness about child abuse, promote prevention efforts,

discuss agency standings, and support families.

Scioto County Children Services, which merged with Scioto County Job

and Family Services in July 2022, gathered together along with some of

their community partners, to take time to reflect on the agency status,

recognize staff efforts, and express appreciation on the progress that the

agency has made.

Executive Director, Tammy Moore Morton, expressed her appreciation not

only for the Children Services staff, but the staff of all departments within

the agency. She stated, “It truly takes a village to do the work our agency

does. Our staff, in all departments, along with our community partners,

have been willing to lock arms and help us move forward as an agency.”

Some of the community partners mentioned and in attendance included the

Sheriff’s Office, Portsmouth Police Dept., Juvenile Court, Prosecutor’s

Office, Community Action of Scioto County, Shawnee Family Health, Scioto

County Developmental Disabilities, and the Family and Children First

Council.

Rhiannon Gill, Executive Director of The Garden Family Advocacy Center

in Chillicothe, Ohio, spoke about the importance of community support for

public children service agencies. Scioto County uses The Garden Family

Advocacy Center extensively, focusing on specialized cases involving

sexual abuse, where interviews can be conducted at a neutral location.

Out of the south central region served by The Garden Family Advocacy

Center, Scioto County has one of the higher usage percentages, compared

to the other counties in the area.

Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, Jeff

VanDeusen, spoke about the technical assistance support the state has

provided to Scioto County Children Services over the years, and the growth

he has seen because of it. He also expressed to the staff how visible the

improvements in the agency are at the state level. VanDeusen is originally

from Scioto County and throughout his career, he has served in a variety of

positions in the Children Services world, including the job of a Caseworker.

He related to the staff and commended them on their efforts in such a

demanding and stressful job.

Scottie Powell, Scioto County Commissioner Chairman, gave additional

remarks about the transition since the merger and shared the hope he has

for the future. He, along with Commissioner Cathy Coleman, presented a

Resolution to the agency proclaiming April 2025 as Child Abuse Awareness

and Prevention Month in Scioto County.

Upon conclusion of the presentations, the attendees gathered in front of the

agency, surrounding a giant Pinwheel for a photo. The group then moved

the giant pinwheel into the Courthouse Rotunda and raised their individual

pinwheels in unison, chanting “Pinwheels for Prevention.” Following the

ceremony, the 233 individual pinwheels were planted in the tree beds

around the agency.

The individual pinwheels represent the number of

children currently in the agency’s custody. The pinwheels will be on display

throughout the month of April, as a reminder of the number of lives the

agency touches.