Community Supports

WV Birth to Three is a system that provides services to infants or toddlers under the age of three who have a delay in one or more areas of their cognitive, physical, social/emotional, adaptive, or communication development, or may be at risk of possibly having delays in the future due to a condition which is typically associated with a developmental delay such as Down syndrome; or a combination of biological and other risk factors which may include family and/or environmental stressors. The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley serves as the Regional Administrative Unit for an eight-county region.
To be eligible for West Virginia Birth to Three services, an infant or toddler under the age of three can either have a delay in one or more areas of their development, or be at risk of possibly having delays in the future.

A team of professionals works with the family based on each family’s concerns and priorities for their child. Teams include people who can provide the family knowledge about possible areas of concern with the child’s development. If a child is found to be eligible for WV Birth to Three, the family chooses whether they want to participate and receive services. (The Department of Health and Human Resources, through the Bureau for Public Health and the Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health, the lead agency for Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), assures that family centered, community based services are available to all eligible children and families.)

 The North Star CAC and our partners are the front-line responders in Wood, Wirt, Pleasants, Calhoun, and Ritchie to reports of child sexual abuse and children who have experienced violence. Since opening our doors in 2014, we have served more than 2,700 children.
The North Star coordinates the efforts of child protection staff, law enforcement professionals, family advocates, medical experts, and mental health clinicians under one roof. Our staff:

• facilitates our partners’ collaborative response
• arranges families’ visits to the center, including provision of support services, such as transportation
• conducts forensic interviews
• provides family advocacy and crisis intervention services
• provides mental health therapy
• ensures appropriate medical treatment

All of our services are aimed at reducing trauma so that children and families may begin the healing process. The North Star services are free of charge to every client.

​The CSEDW program provides additional Medicaid support to children from ages three to 21 with serious mental, behavioral, or emotional health needs. The program helps keep children with their families at home or in the community instead of going to a care facility or a group home. While they are at home or in the community, they receive services to improve their condition.

CSEDW is a West Virginia Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver program that allows children with serious emotional disorders receive additional services based on the National Wraparound Initiative model. This model uses the strengths of families and each person to start growing and changing. This model also helps the child and their family get the skills they need to deal with challenges and helps keep the child stable at home. 

The model also focuses on the child's needs and their family. A child who has challenging behaviors is the center of the process. They are involved in the plan to help develop the skills that are required to get stable and improve their ability to deal with the situation. The goal is to give the child the ability to reach their personal goals. 

Healthy Grandfamilies is a free initiative led by West Virginia State University to provide information and resources to grandparents who are raising one or more grandchildren. The program is funded by the West Virginia State Legislature, grants and contributions from several health insurance companies throughout the state.  Designed as a series of nine discussion sessions and follow-up services, Healthy Grandfamilies is taught by volunteer professionals and paraprofessionals that are knowledgeable of each topic.  

Each session provides valuable resources along with childcare for attendees and refreshments. Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion, and three months of follow-up services with a social worker. Please contact the Wood County  Coalition Coordinator at 304-485-0650.  

HELP4WV offers a 24/7 call, chat, and text line that provides immediate help for any West Virginian struggling with an addiction or mental health issue.

Many of those answering our accredited helpline are peer-support specialists or recovery coaches. This means that they have personal experience in recovery from a mental health or substance abuse issue. This initiative, funded by the Department of Health and Human Resources, is designed to streamline the process of seeking help for behavioral health issues. 

The helpline staff offers confidential support and resource referrals, including self-help groups, out- patient counseling, medication-assisted treatment, psychiatric care, emergency care, and residential treatment.

Kelly's Closet MOV, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity with the primary mission of providing resources in the form of clothing, shoes, and accessories to children in Foster or Kinship Care. Kelly's Closet MOV, Inc. does not sell. There is never a charge for the kids to shop.

Kelly’s Closet MOV, Inc. isn’t just about meeting basic clothing needs, it’s about building self-worth and encouragement and giving back to our community. The kids are invited to shop in a boutique like experience. It's about having a choice, not a handout.

The Division of Children & Juvenile Services was created in early 2018 and encompasses the child abuse and neglect, the child welfare and the juvenile justice systems. This work and mission involves all children and youth that intersect with the judicial system. The division strives to braid the three systems into one for study and research. The Division works with the other West Virginia branches of government to study system’s glitches and encourage system’s reforms. This Division houses the Court Improvement Program (CIP) which is funded by grants from the federal Children's Bureau and the Juvenile Justice Commission which was created by the Supreme Court Justices in July 2011.

Anyone with a complaint, concern or compliment about a guardian ad litem working on a child abuse and neglect case can now call a dedicated phone number or send an email to someone at the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

A staff person in this division will receive and log concerns regarding the work performance of child abuse and neglect guardian ad litem attorneys. This information will be collected and reviewed by Division Director Cindy Largent-Hill, who will address it or make referrals as needed.

No legal advice will be given, and the information reported to the division will be kept in confidence. The phone number is 681-587-9912. The email address is wvgal.can@courtswv.gov

The WIC program, which stands for Women, Infants, Children, is a federal nutrition program that provides free nutrition counseling and education, breastfeeding support, nutritious foods, and access to health care for eligible participants.

To qualify for the program, you must be pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum, and /or have children under the age of five and meet the income eligibility requirements.

WIC is for all kinds of families: married and single parents, working or not working, foster parents, or legal guardians. To see if you qualify, see our income eligibility page.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department WIC program covers nine counties in the western central part of West Virginia. These counties are: Calhoun, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood. To find contact information for the county WIC clinics, please see our contacts page.

For further information about the West Virginia WIC program, please visit web at http://ons.wvdhhr.org.