Ohio post-adoption support

Below are post-adoption support services available to families who live in Ohio. Services may not be available in all areas and/or may be dependent upon the circumstances of the placement. Please check with your post-adoption services provider about the availability of specific post-adoption or guardianship support services for your family. You can also visit Child Welfare Information Gateway for information on Adoption and Guardianship Assistance, as well as additional information on post-adoption support.

On this page:

Post-adoption support services

In Ohio, adoptive families have access to the following services through a post-adoption support program:

  • Information (websites, fact sheets, articles, etc.) 
  • Referral to services
  • Training/other development
  • Peer support for parents
  • Peer support for children/teens
  • Mentoring for parents
  • Mentoring for children/teens
  • Case management
  • Educational support
  • Financial/material support
  • Community-based therapeutic services
  • In-home therapeutic services 
  • Crisis intervention

The following services may be available as part of an adoption/guardianship subsidy agreement based on the needs of the individual child: 

  • Respite care
  • Residential therapeutic services

Who is eligible for these services?

  • Families who have adopted from the state’s foster care system 
  • Families who have adopted from another state’s foster care system
  • Families who have adopted internationally or privately
  • Families who took guardianship of a child from foster care

Who provides these services?

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services contracts with multiple private providers to offer post-adoption and guardianship support across the state’s 10 regions. The services available can vary slightly by region or provider. To help families navigate all resources and support available to them, the state developed the Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigator (OhioKAN). At OhioKAN, you can find comprehensive information about services and providers in your region, and other resources that may help your family.  

Parent support groups

Below are support groups for adoptive, kinship, and foster families. Support groups may be offered as part of a state’s post-adoption/guardianship support program, through a statewide or regional foster or adoptive parent association, through specific agencies, or may be run independently. If we have additional information about the group’s purpose or the community served, it’s provided under the group’s contact information.

To add a group or make a suggestion, email the AdoptUSKids family support team.

Adoption Network Cleveland
betsie.norris@adoptionnetwork.org
216-325-1000
Location: Cleveland

Adoption Network Cleveland-Weaving Cultures Group
krysia_orlowski@hotmail.com
Location: Cleveland

Adoption STAR Ohio
angela@adoptionstar.com
Location: Loveland

Adoption Support Group
greerr@ccho.org
330-621-1090
Location: Wooster

Adoptive Family and Teen Support Group, Adoption Network Cleveland
abikyles@gmail.com
216-325-1000, ext. 131
Location: Shaker Heights

Beech Brook
information@beechbrook.org
Location: Pepper Pike

Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau
info@bellefairejcb.org
Location: Shaker Heights

Butler County Children's Services
Location: Hamilton

Caring for Kids, Inc.
info@cfkadopt.org
Location: Cuyahoga Falls

Celebrate Adoption
pbonem@jfscinti.org
Location: Cincinnati

Children's Home of Cincinnati, Ohio
Location: Cincinnati

Christian Children's Home of Ohio
Location: Wooster

Coalition of Adoptive Families Support Group
info@cofaf.org
Location: Columbus

Concern for Children
pburnskent@gmail.com
Group type: International Adoption
Location: Kent

Cuyahoga County Cluster Support Group System
shelley.brown@jfs.ohio.gov
Location: Cleveland

Cuyahoga County Foster Parent Association
Location: Cleveland

FAST of Butler County
chstgrg@aol.com
Group type: Foster Care
Location: Fairfield

Foster & Adoptive Support Team
FASTbutlercounty@yahoo.com
513-844-1583
Location: Fairfield

Foster Parent Association
Annettscott@aol.com
Location: Columbus

Greene County Children Services Board
amy.amburn@jfs.ohio.gov
Location: Xenia

Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services
adoption@jfs.hamilton-co.org
Location: Cincinnati

Heights Area Adoption Support Group
michelemvm@msn.com
Group type: Post-adoption
Location: Cleveland

National Youth Advocate Program
Location: Columbus

Northeast Ohio Adoption Services
330-856-5582
Location: Warren

Ohio Family Care Association
office@ofcaonline.org 
Location: Columbus

Pathway Caring for Children
info@pathwaycfc.org
Location: Canton

Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services
info@senecadjfs.org
Location: Tiffin

Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth
info@safy.org
Location: Delphos

Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY)
Location: Columbus

Summit County Children Services Post Adoption Educational Support Group
Location: Akron

Transracial Journeys
info@transracialjourneys.org
614-598-2662
Location: Westlake

The Village Network
Location: Wooster

Youth Advocate Services
desiree.weisel@yasohio.org
Location: Columbus