A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week

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Weekly Update for April 17, 2017

Association Updates Please note: The Weekly Update is taking a break next Monday but will resume on May 1. Another successful Wear Blue Day! PCSAs, state agencies, legislators, child caring agencies, healthcare providers, community partners, and many others participated in this year's Wear Blue Day on April 12. PCSAO appreciates everyone who got the message out and wore blue on April 12 in support of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month. You can view posts to Ohio Wear Blue Day's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WearBlueOhio/ or follow trends using #OhioWearsBlue and #IntheNext30Minutes. Mark your calendars! Next year's Wear Blue Day will be April 11.  PCSAs meet with U.S. Representative Renacci's Aide ilOn Apr 12, children services leaders in Ohio's 16th Congressional District, and staff from ODJFS, PCSAO, and Casey Family Programs, met with Stephen Hostelley, Legislative Assistant to Rep. James Renacci. Organized by Casey Family Programs, the briefing focused on key issues facing children services, including the opioid epidemic, and the need for a strong partnership with the federal government. After the briefing, Mr. Hostelley visited the Summit County Drug Court and STARS program.   Call for Presenters for PCSAO Annual Conference The 2017 PCSAO Conference will be Sept. 27-29 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Columbus. The theme is “Everyday Heroes,” inspired by children services caseworkers and others who dedicate their careers to protecting children and strengthening families. We are seeking presenters who offer insight, strategies, and hands-on resource materials. We are looking for workshops designed to share best practices and successful strategies that will empower our “everyday heroes.” The conference is an outstanding opportunity for you to make a valuable contribution to the advancement of child protection practice in Ohio. We invite you to submit a proposal to present at the conference. The deadline for submission is May 1. Download Call for Presenters.  More about the 2017 PCSAO Conference. Become a 2017 PCSAO Annual Conference Sponsor PCSAO is seeking sponsors and exhibitors for our 2017 Annual Conference being held on Sept. 27-29. The conference offers sponsors and exhibitors the opportunity to interact one-on-one with child welfare professionals. There is also a new sponsorship this year - to support a youth or family of the year award! View the conference sponsorship opportunities . Sponsorship opportunities are available on a first-come, first-served basis , so register online today ! Seeking award nominations for PCSAO Annual Conference At our Annual Conference, PCSAO recognizes the achievements of PCSA supervisors, caseworkers, and support staff, as well as local journalists whose work has made extraordinary contributions toward promoting safe children, stable families and supportive communities. PCSAO also celebrates children/youth and families who have been served by Ohio’s public children services agencies. We are inviting all 85 PCSAs to nominate their outstanding staff and rising stars. The deadline for our award nominations is June 15. Download the award nomination forms: Professional Awards and Youth and Family Awards.

Announcements and Resources 2017 Opiate Conference The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, will host Ohio’s 2017 Opiate Conference: Bridges to Recovery on June 12-13 at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. This event has expanded to include two full days of education, information sharing and networking. The conference will provide attendees with the opportunity to hear from local, state, and national leaders and an opportunity to select from more than 50 breakout sessions.  View the registration packet  and register online . Webinar Series: Trauma-Informed Innovations in Crisis Services The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Center for Trauma-Informed Care and Alternatives to Seclusion and Restraint (NCTIC) is pleased to announce the opportunity to participate in an upcoming Webinar Series: “Trauma-Informed Innovations in Crisis Services.” The series will run from April through September 2017 on the 4th Monday of each month, from 3-4 p.m. (EST). This webinar series will highlight the innovative work of crisis service providers employing a trauma-informed approach, including prevention, engagement, and inclusion of lived experience and peer support. Each 60-minute webinar will focus on how an agency implements one of the principles from SAMHSA’s Concept and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach: Safety, Trustworthiness and Transparency, Peer Support, Collaboration and Mutuality, Empowerment, Voice and Choice, and Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues. To connect, go to: https://nasmhpd.adobeconnect.com/crisisvln/; dial: 1-888-727-2247 and enter: 9452092#. Sign-on letter: Teen pregnancy prevention The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy  welcomes your help to express a strong show of support on this letter asking Congressional Leadership to support maintaining investments in the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program and the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP).  If your organization is able to sign such letters, please consider joining (check the prior version to see if your organization signed in the past). For those who can’t sign, you are  encouraged to share this with other partner organizations who might be valuable additions to the letter. They are happy to have other groups who support these funding streams, even if they aren’t direct recipients.

Child Protection in the News April 16 - Another Viewpoint: Everyone must play role in preventing child abuse and neglect - Lorain Morning Journa April is Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month, nationally designated since 1983. Annually, communities across our country focus their attention on the problem of child abuse and neglect, encouraging all citizens to continue our collective commitment to children's safety, permanence and well-being by supporting services that strengthen children and families, becoming involved in your community as a mentor, youth leader, tutor or other volunteer, and learning more about the role of children services, including how to report suspected maltreatment of children. April 13 - Rep. Ryan Smith: Fighting the Drug Epidemic is Top Priority for Ohio - Herald-Dispatch The group that is most affected by this scourge is often the one that is most overlooked. Children who have witnessed or experienced the horrors of drug addiction are often left with trauma that stunts their development and leaves lifelong scars. April 13 - Teen's documentary will focus on foster care benefits - Lancaster Eagle Gazett Alysia Wilson is living proof that teenagers can be adopted. April 12 - Turner seeks to give youth aging out of foster care more access to housing assistance - Ripon Advance  Youth aging out of foster care would have more access to affordable housing without increasing federal spending under legislation reintroduced on Monday by U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH). April 10 - Drug abuse sends Licking foster care costs soaring - Newark Advocate Licking County officials see no end to escalating foster care costs and no help coming from the state, creating a budget deficit that could approach $1 million by year's end. April 9 - Drugs driving children services caseload increase - Ashtabula Star-Beacon  The Ashtabula County Children Services Board received 2,660 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect in 2016. That number has been climbing steadily over the past decade, up from 1,736 reported cases in 2006. April 7 - Heroin crisis leading to more kids in foster care (Includes video) - WCMH The Public Children Services Association Of Ohio said there are thousands of children needing foster homes in Ohio. State officials say the number of foster kids is on the rise due to the heroin problem. April 7 - Children born to addiction face many challenges - Steubenville Herald-Star Children born addicted to drugs face a childhood of challenges, said Cara Walter, a clinician at the mother-baby unit at Magee-Women’s Hospital. April 6 - Children are "invisible victims" in heroin battle - Fox 28 An 18 month old girl is recovering at Nationwide Children's Hospital after Portsmouth police said they believe she suffered a heroin overdose.

Upcoming Events April 21 I  PCSAO Dues Committee April 24-25  I  New Executives Orientation April 24 I  Legislative Committee April 24 I  Southeast District Meeting April 24 I  Northeast District Meeting View the full calendar

Employment Opportunities Looking for a career in child protection? Or a new position to challenge yourself? Check out the latest job openings in child protection. We also list University Partnership Program graduates looking for employment.

Quote of the Week "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”                ~ Dr Wayne Dyer

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