WARREN, Ohio - A Trumbull County agency. that's been plagued with controversy, is trying to revamp its image and move forward.
Trumbull County Children Services, held a state of the agency news conference to detail how it plans to better communicate its efforts and progress with the community.
A married couple was sent to prison for raping their 13-month-old daughter inside a visitation room at the agency. The crime Felicia and Cody Beemer were convicted of was recorded on cell phone video.
"You know a determined individual, determined to do evil things, you can't foresee it or stop it, but you can learn from it," says Tim Schaffner, agency executive director.
The Beemer case put the agency under a microscope. Since taking over the reins last spring, Schaffner says he's made changes to ensure the safety of children during visitations.
"Since last May, I meet with the leadership group for an hour every month, we kind of list action plans that we're working on as an agency," he said.
In 2011, cameras were installed inside visitation rooms and the agency created a new position for a visitation coordinator. He says they now require documenting each visit, something that wasn't always part of the process.
"It wasn't part of the culture as we've talked about to complete all those documentations," he said.
No new measures were announced at Thursday's event, but Schaffner says he's making time to re-establish the agency's course.
The agency has plans to communicate with the community about trauma and its effects. Schaffner says they're also reviewing the length of a child's stay in residential care before they're permanently placed with a family or back into their own home.
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