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Youth Ombudsman Jenny Stotts

An ombudsman is a person who works independently from children services and placement agencies to help you solve problems and, if you are in foster care, advocate for your rights to be protected while in foster care. The Youth Ombudsman conducts investigations in a fair and neutral manner.
FILE A COMPLAINT
If you have already reached out to your local children services or placement agency and your issue is still not resolved OR if you do not feel safe contacting your local agencies, file a complaint here.
GET STARTED
or call 1-877-OH-YOUTH (1-877-649-6884) Monday–Friday 8am–5pm

Is this an Emergency?

If this is an emergency, call 911. If you are in crisis or thinking about hurting yourself and you need to speak to someone immediately, call 911 or the Ohio CareLine at 1-800-720-9616.

What Happens After I File a Complaint?

1
A member of the Youth Ombudsman team will respond to you as quickly as possible and will notify you of the decision to investigate.
Your request for assistance is very important to us. Some reports to the Youth Ombudsman may fall outside of the scope of the office, however a member of the team will let you know either way and guide you to other resources if needed.
2
The Youth Ombudsman staff may review records, contact certain agencies, and interview certain people.
A member of the team will provide you with periodic updates and let you know when the complaint is closed. You may reach out to the Youth Ombudsman team with questions about the status of your complaint.
3
Depending on the situation, the Youth Ombudsman staff may complete a review of the children services case file and make recommendations to all parties on ways to resolve the conflict.
In some instances, they may even make recommendations on how the system can change to make the situation better for everyone.

Do you know your rights?

Learn more here.

You can also call in your complaint.
1-877-649-6884 or 1-877-OH-YOUTH
Monday – Friday between the hours of 8 am – 5 pm

To learn more about how the Youth Ombudsman can help, read through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).