What Lorain County Child Support Enforcement Agency does

Lorain County Children Services (LCCS), legally operating as a department of Lorain County government under Ohio state law, is a public child welfare agency headquartered at 226 Middle Avenue, Room 300, Elyria, Ohio. The agency delivers statutory child protection, foster care, kinship care, and adoption services to abused, neglected, and dependent children within Lorain County. Core operations include abuse and neglect investigations, foster parent recruitment and licensing, kinship caregiver support via a navigator program operated jointly with the Lorain County Office on Aging, and adoption matching for waiting children. The agency also runs community-facing programs such as the Blue Sunday faith-community initiative, Child Abuse Awareness Month events, the Rally for Kids, and the Community Advisory Network (CAN), which convenes stakeholders two to three times per year for program updates and feedback. Services are provided at no charge to Lorain County residents; funding flows from county, state, and federal appropriations rather than from commercial revenue.

The agency's service model is operationally integrated rather than technology-product-oriented. It supports a hybrid approach to case management that combines direct caseworker delivery with partner-organization referrals through the Lorain County Community Action Agency, the Lorain County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court Help Center, and community-based stakeholders. Notable programmatic shifts documented in public reports include a 13% decline in foster care placements over five years paired with a 15% increase in kinship care placements, reflecting a deliberate policy choice to keep children with relatives where safe. The agency publishes annual reports, CQI reports, a 2024-2026 strategic plan, and resource directories, and has begun experimenting with community-resource technology platforms such as CarePortal. There is no evidence of proprietary software development, AI tooling, or commercial product offerings; technology is used for routine office operations (Microsoft Teams for virtual CAN meetings, a website, and a Pinterest presence).

From a commercial standpoint, LCCS is not a revenue-generating enterprise. It is a single-jurisdiction government department whose "customers" are county residents in need of mandated child welfare services, and whose funding sources are public appropriations. Pricing is not applicable; service access is universal within the county's statutory mandate. Leadership consists of an Executive Director (Kristen Fox Berki) reporting to the Lorain County Board of Commissioners, with no disclosed headcount, no private investment, and no plans for geographic expansion outside Lorain County.

Name

Lorain County Child Support Enforcement Agency

Legal name

Lorain County Children Services

Website

https://childrenservices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lorain County Children Services is a public county government agency in Elyria, Ohio that provides child protection, foster care, kinship care, and adoption services to abused, neglected, and dependent children and families within Lorain County, funded through public appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Child protection services
• Foster care services
• Kinship care support
• Adoption services
• Child welfare agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Elyria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Publicly funded child welfare agency operating under Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. Services are provided free of charge to residents of Lorain County.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lorain County Children Services is a county government social services agency that investigates reports of child abuse and neglect, recruits and licenses foster families, supports kinship caregivers, and facilitates adoption for children in Lorain County, Ohio. Services are provided free of charge to county residents and funded through public appropriations.

Product overview

Lorain County Children Services (LCCS) is a government social services agency providing child protection, foster care, kinship support, and adoption services. The agency operates as a single integrated service organization rather than a technology product company. Core services include child abuse and neglect investigation, foster parent recruitment and licensing, kinship care navigation, adoption matching for waiting children, and community engagement through the Community Advisory Network. The agency also provides educational resources, data transparency through annual reports, and community prevention programs like Blue Sunday and Child Abuse Awareness Month initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Protection Services Safety and well-being services for abused, neglected, and dependent children, including investigation, assessment, and intervention in Lorain County.
• Foster Parenting Program Recruitment, training, licensing, and support services for foster families providing temporary care for children in Lorain County.
• Kinship Care Services Support services for grandparents, relatives, and kin caring for children when parents cannot, including the Kinship Navigator program.
• Adoption Services Matching waiting children with adoptive families and facilitating the adoption process for children in Lorain County foster care.
• Community Advisory Network (CAN) Bi-annual community meetings for stakeholders to receive updates on agency projects and provide feedback on child protection system changes.
• Kinship Care Support Group Monthly support meetings for kinship caregivers held on the first Wednesday of each month, providing dinner, child care, and peer support.
• Faith Community Partnership (Blue Sunday) Church partnership program for community child abuse prevention awareness, with annual Blue Sunday toolkit and events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Foster care use declined 13% in 5 years while kinship care grew 15%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Voices for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Annual Rally for Kids event, which brings together youth-serving organizations and families for entertainment, crafts, and information. Event held at Midway Mall.
• Blessing HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Annual Rally for Kids event alongside Voices for Children and Lorain County Children Services.
• Lorain County Community Action AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompiled the Lorain County Community Action Resource Directory (updated March 2025) containing services available throughout Lorain County.
• Lorain County Office on Aging - Kinship NavigatorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides kinship caregiver support services; helps relatives caring for children when parents cannot. Offers resources, support groups, and assistance programs.
• Lorain County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court Help CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located or partnered help center providing assistance with domestic relations and juvenile court matters related to child welfare cases.
• Riveon's Crisis Recovery CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented at March 2026 CAN meeting as a community stakeholder partner providing updates on services.
• Kinnect KinFirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented at March 2026 CAN meeting as a community partner serving children and families in Lorain County.
• Lorain County Youth and Family CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-agency collaborative focused on serving youth and families in Lorain County; presented at CAN meetings.

Scale indicators2 records

Direct peers

• Lucas County Children Services: Toledo-area county child welfare agency providing a directly comparable service mix within Ohio. Useful peer for performance benchmarking on referrals, foster care, and permanency.
• Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services: Neighboring Ohio county child welfare agency providing the same core services (child protection, foster care, kinship care, adoption). Most direct functional peer due to shared Ohio oversight, similar operating model, and geographic proximity.
• Hamilton County Job and Family Services: Cincinnati-area county agency combining child welfare, child support, and family assistance under a single department. Highly comparable mission and structure, though broader scope.
• Montgomery County Children Services: Dayton-area county child welfare agency offering the same child protection, foster, kinship, and adoption continuum in Ohio. Closely comparable in mission and programmatic structure.
• Summit County Children Services: Akron-area county child welfare agency delivering the same protection, foster, kinship, and adoption services under Ohio oversight. Comparable scale and operating model.
• Franklin County Children Services: Columbus-area county children services agency delivering child protection, foster care, kinship, and adoption services under the same ODJFS regulatory framework. Comparable operating model and service continuum.

Broad incumbents

• Casey Family Programs: National operating foundation focused on child welfare, providing direct case management services, research, and grants to public agencies. Comparable mission at national scale and a frequent partner of county agencies.
• Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS): State-level agency that oversees county children services departments, including LCCS. Functions as the regulator and funding conduit rather than a direct operator, but defines the operating context.

Others

• Children's Defense Fund: National child advocacy and policy organization. Not a direct peer operationally, but a major advocate shaping funding and policy frameworks that affect county children services agencies.
• Voices for Children (Ohio): Ohio-based CASA affiliate network supporting abused and neglected children through court-appointed volunteer advocacy. Adjacent peer — co-sponsors Rally for Kids with LCCS and shares the child welfare mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Pinterestpinterest.com/loraincountychi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lorain County Child Support Enforcement Agency