LIMA — It was an emotionally charged case that caused a social media uproar, the involvement of the Ohio Supreme Court, and even acts of vandalism, all with a little girl stuck in the middle between a foster family and Allen County Children Services.
On Friday, Children Services, as well as the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office, was honored by the Public Children Services Association of Ohio as 2016 Child Advocates of the Year.
The case stems back to earlier this year, when foster parents Brian and Kelly Anderson made a motion in Mercer County Probate Court to adopt their foster child M.S., for whom they had cared for almost two years. Two months before that, the child had been removed and placed with a blood relative in Indiana. Allen County contested the Andersons’ motion, arguing that Juvenile Court previously had jurisdiction.
The case of M.S. in Mercer County could have drastically altered the foster care system landscape, and because of the work of ACCS and the Prosecutor’s Office on preserving a model of “one child, one court,” the PCSAO awarded them the Crystal Ward Allen Child Advocate of the Year Award, the first time a public agency has ever been given this honor.
“We don’t often give awards to our own members,” PCSAO Assistant Director Scott Britton said. “But they were standing up for an issue that, for as sad and emotional as it was in the local community, was a critical issue for the child welfare community.”
By taking this case to the Ohio Supreme Court, the Prosecutor’s Office was hopeful to get a decision on this case quickly, not leaving the child in limbo, according to prosecuting attorney Terri Kohlrieser. In addition, Kohlrieser wanted the Supreme Court to render a quick decision because of the potential precedent for dissatisfied parents or foster parents to “court shop” to circumvent the child welfare process and subvert Juvenile Court proceedings.
“It could have rendered the entire child welfare process moot,” she said. “This could have had a big impact on a lot of kids.”
Allen County Children Services Executive Director Cynthia Scanland was honored to receive the award, crediting her staff, whom she said sacrificed time with their own families to help other children, even enduring acts of vandalism during the height of the social media campaign.
“It’s certainly an honor, and it’s unexpected,” she said. “For me, it’s just a reflection of the work we do every day.”
