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WARREN -- Longtime Trumbull County Children Services Executive Director Timothy Schaffner is laying the groundwork for his retirement early next year.
Schaffner,70, a recently widowed father with two teenagers at home, jokes he wants to spend more time with them before he no longer is cool.
"I want to do other things," he said.
Schaffner did not intend to head Children Services for more than a dozen years when he accepted the interim position in 2012. Prior becoming the director of Children Services, Schaffner was the CEO of Valley Counseling for five years before selling it.
"I've been in some aspect of mental health for most of my 49-year career," Schaffner said.
Schaffner was asked to temporarily head CSB in 2012, because his predecessor was "…. not doing a very good job."
At the time, he was a turnaround specialist and was willing to help out.
"I just fell in love with the place," Schaffner said. "It already had good people working here. All I did was get out of the way and allowed people to do what they are really good at doing. We have a leadership team that survived an ineffective leader and thrived."
He described the agency as being a place where some people believe their children will be taken away.
"That is a very small portion of what is done," he said. "We teach people skills to better raise their children through discipline and counseling."
The number of people going through its programs has been very steady since 2015.
Trumbull County Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa said Schaffner became the interim director of Children Services during a difficult time.
"I'd be hard pressed to find someone who is more passionate and dedicated to what they do than Tim Schaffner," Cantalamessa said. "He changed the entire perception of the agency. He has this steady assurance and has a kindness about him that everyone respects."
Cantalamessa describes Schaffner as understanding what needs done to move the agency forward.
"Tim just gets it," Cantalamessa said. "He understands that to get the most out of people, you have to empower them and trust them. No one has done that better than Tim."
Schaffner said Trumbull County fosters effective partnerships with all of the agencies dealing with mental health, drug addiction and working with families.
"Agencies in Trumbull do not work in silos," he noted. "The agencies know what the others are doing and are willing to help one another for the best interests of their clients. It is not just lip service."
Schaffner said Children Services' core function is to respond to reports of abuse, neglect and dependency of children and to respond to families in need of services.
"About 80% of what we do is going in and working with families that may need help with addiction services and help with marital and financial problems," he said. "We are helping families get stronger in addressing issues that are giving them challenges in their parenting."
"It is the remaining 20% that may end up in court," Schaffner said.
In 2021, Children Services provided help to 3,8011 children in 1,884 families. It provided intake and assessment services to 1,317. It conducted 202 investigations of serious sexual and physical abuse.
Approximately 136 children were cared for in agency foster homes for a total of 24,129 days of care.
Trumbull is one of only a few counties in Ohio with a 24-bed residential treatment facility available for residents.
"I am proud of that," he said.
In 2024, Children Services will seek to renew one of its two levies that pays up to half of its $20 million annual budget, Schaffner said. The second levy renewal will take place the following year.
The agency has an average of 165 employees, with the majority being case workers and residential treatment specialists who work directly with clients.
"It is very clear that children are safer in counties with Children Service levies," Schaffner said.
One of the greatest concern the agency has faced over the last decade and continues to face has been the abuse of opioids in the community.
"About 60% of our referrals centers around drugs and alcohol," he described. "We deal with addiction type issues."
Schaffner said all of the area politicians, from Mayor Doug Franklin, the Trumbull County Commissioners and area state representatives, have been helpful to the organization.