The Summit County Fatherhood Initiative (SCFI) announces a collaboration with the Summit County Valor Court and the Summit County Offender Recidivism Reduction (SCORR) programs, both under the direction of the Honorable Judge Amy Corrigall Jones. The Valor Court, a diversion program for veterans, and SCORR, an aggressive probation program for high-risk offenders, both offer alternatives to incarceration. Linking participants to community resources is a key component of both programs.

As a community resource, SCFI’s role will be to help participant fathers overcome barriers that may be preventing them from connecting with their children. This will be accomplished through workshops that emphasize the important role of fathers in child development, along with mentoring, help with driver’s license reinstatement, and individualized supportive services, such as assisting fathers in “navigating the system” concerning child support payment resolution, visitation, and custody.

As Judge Amy Corrigall Jones points out, “Our program participants need quick and easy access to community resources to help them successfully complete their case plan and avoid incarceration. I’m excited to collaborate with SCFI to provide this critical information and support to our participating fathers, who are dealing with many personal issues, but still strive to be better at parenting.”

“The Mission of the Summit County Department of Job and Family Services is to strengthen Summit County Families through the delivery of integrated solutions to temporary challenges,” says Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro. “This collaboration between SCFI and Judge Amy Corrigall Jones’s Valor Court and SCORR programs enables SCFI to expand its already robust delivery of fatherhood programming in the community.”

A recent SCFI presentation to veterans court staff and Valor Court participants can be found at   Veterans Court’s Mission of Encouraging Better Fathers .

For more information on the Valor Court and SCORR programs, contact Susan Sweeney, Assistant Court Executive Officer, at ssweeney@cpcourt.summitoh.net  or 330.643.7840. 

For more information on the Summit County Fatherhood Initiative, contact Bill Macchione, SCFI Coordinator, at william.macchione@jfs.ohio.gov  or 216.233.2370.