In 2022, a single father was struggling to regain custody of his young son when he was referred to Project Strength.

The program is an Erie County Public Defender’s Office initiative to keep more children in their own homes by proactively connecting families to resources and legal assistance before a case becomes involved in the court system.

Project Strength represents one of several counties participating in the Ohio Multi-Disciplinary Representation (MDR) pilot program, part of the Supreme Court of Ohio Court Improvement Project. The six counties awarded grants for the program include Clark, Cuyahoga, Erie, Stark, Summit, and Wayne.

MDR was designed to make justice more accessible to parents, especially those facing financial difficulties. Instead of only just being appointed an attorney, those who cannot afford to hire a private lawyer receive a team to help them through the court process and make sure they have a well-represented voice.

To kick off the final year of the pilot program, participants convened at the Supreme Court for a two-day conference where they could share their successes, build on their skills, and focus on sustainability and funding for the future.

Topics of discussion included ways to build and maintain effective teams, self-care and resilience for staff who may be facing fatigue and trauma, motivational interviewing, tools to help families identify their strengths.

“The Multi-Disciplinary Representation project has been a transformative initiative, enhancing the quality of legal representation and support for families involved in the juvenile court system,” said Linda Topping, court improvement program analyst of the Supreme Court of Ohio Children and Families Section. “By fostering collaboration among legal, child welfare, and community professionals, the project continues to set a standard for how cross-disciplinary teams can work together to improve outcomes for Ohio’s children and families.”

In the case of the Erie County father and his 5-year-old son, having a team to support him made all the difference in regaining custody.

According to Stacie Myers, parent advocate for Project Strength, the father’s first hurdle was securing stable housing. It was especially challenging for him and his girlfriend to do alone given their cognitive disabilities.

His support team followed the standard MDR model, including attorneys, a licensed social worker, and a parent advocate, who were with him each step of the way. Myers explained that each member of the team brings unique expertise to help people accomplish goals more efficiently.

“Our licensed social worker and I were able to help the father and his girlfriend complete several applications for apartments, gather all of the required documents, make copies for them, and ensure that they had what they needed for each rental application,” said Myers.

The team went beyond finding housing by connecting the couple with local resources to furnish their apartment, purchase household necessities, and create a safe environment for his son to call home.

Project Strength continued to support the father as he worked to meet the requirements of both Job and Family Services and the court system. That included proving he was capable of budgeting and providing for his son despite both his disability and other family members also seeking custody.

“With the help of our team, and especially the attorney, he was fully awarded custody of his son,” said Myers. “This case was definitely one of our biggest success stories, and it proved to many that having an intellectual disability does not mean someone cannot be a good parent.”

Successes like this didn’t happen instantly for the team at Project Strength. It took time to build trust in the community and with clients.

“It’s been a learning process,” said Myers. “We have developed great connections with the school and JFS in Erie County. Communities have learned about us and the value of the program.”

Cases are often referred to Project Strength before they are required to be reported to authorities, such as when a child begins missing school, or it is suspected their basic needs aren’t being met at home.

Project Strength intervenes to connect families with the necessary resources to help prevent filing of truancy or child dependency and neglect cases through the courts. While pre-petition is one approach, MDR pilot participants can also choose a post-petition route and provide help to families with active cases.