Focus on Youth

About Us

Passionate Beginnings

Founded on February 5, 1992, by Cindy Skinner, Focus on Youth began with a vision to improve the lives of children. Cindy, who spent years as a protective case worker with Hamilton County DJFS as well as an adoption worker, foster parent, and adoptive parent, was discouraged by the number of youth entering residential treatment. She believed children would fare far better if foster parents were trained to work with the unique needs of youth in care and educated to remain committed to the placement.

With permanency a primary goal, our services quickly expanded beyond foster care to behavioral health services and then adoption services in 1996. In 2013, we became a certified community mental health center, which allowed us to offer behavioral health services to all families in the community, not just our foster families.