The Children’s Services Division works with families to help keep Holmes County children safe. Children’s Services provides services to help families and, when necessary, places children who cannot be safe in their own homes into temporary care with relatives, foster parents or a specialized setting. Holmes County Job and Family Services works to:

• Investigate allegations of child abuse or neglect
• Provide services to aid the family and involve community partners in decision-making
• Seek protective custody, when necessary
• Provide training in independent living skills for older teens

We investigate and provide case management for abused, neglected, or exploited adults over 60 years of age.

Child Care services is available to eligible parents who are either working or in school to help cover part of the cost of child care for their children. Parents are able to pick a child care provider that meets their needs. Holmes County Job and Family Services works to:

• Determine eligibility of applicants for child care assistance
• Recommend new Type B home providers for licensure and inspect homes for ongoing compliance with licensure rules
• Work closely with Holmes County child care providers

Child Support is money required by law to be paid by one parent to another to help cover the costs of raising their children. The Holmes County Job and Family Services Child Support division works to ensure that support is paid and received by:

• Establishing and enforcing child support orders
• Establishing paternity (and administering paternity tests)
• Modifying child support orders
• Providing other customer services
• Enforcing spousal support

Food Assistance helps families stretch their food budgets to buy healthy food. Also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the program may be available to both families and individuals who qualify. Holmes County Job and Family Services works to:

• Determine eligibility of applicants and re-certify food assistance recipients
• Assist consumers in finding opportunities to meet the work requirements of the program
• Investigate allegations of fraud

When it is determined that a child cannot live safely in his or her own home, it becomes necessary for the child to be placed in a substitute care setting. We typically try to place the child with kinship providers. Kinship care is a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative or any non-relative adult who has a long-standing relationship or bond with the child and/or family takes over the full-time, substitute care of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to do so.

Medicaid is a health care plan that is both state and federally funded providing coverage to a number of different populations whose members meet certain financial and resource eligibility requirements.

This TANF funding is intended to assist income eligible families that are employed a minimum of 30 hours per week and have unexpected expenses such as auto repairs/maintenance, tires, brakes, etc.

HCDJFS provides Employment and Training Connection in collaboration with a variety of key partners, offering services to job seekers, employers, and workers.