A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week
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Weekly Update for October 22, 2018
Association Updates

Southwest district meets
The PCSAO SW district met Oct. 17. The agenda and discussion were robust and included an update on the EDMS project with Northwoods staff, election of 2019 district leaders, ODJFS, PCSAO and Trustee updates, and county networking. The district meets next December 12. 
 
Northwest district meets
The PCSAO NW district met Oct. 18 and heard updates from PCSAO on a variety of topics including the Children’s Continuum of Care Reform, Family First Prevention Services Act, Ohio START, and kinship care. Northwoods provided updates on the EDMS project related to child welfare. ODJFS and OSU College of Social Work presented the Citizen Review Panels annual report and received feedback from the district on the panels’ recommendations. The NW District elected Kathy Oliver, Seneca County JFS, to replace Corey Walker, Defiance/Paulding County JFS on the Board of Trustees beginning Jan. 1, 2019. The district also renewed third two-year Trustee terms for Jacqueline Ringer, Marion County CSB; Cynthia Scanland, Allen County CSB; and David Wigent, Wood County JFS. The NW district leadership for 2019 will be Kathy Oliver, President; and Shannon Jones, Secretary. The district meets next on Jan. 17.
 
East Central district meets
It was the first day of the Apple Butter Festival in Coshocton Oct. 19 as directors met for the district meeting. The district received updates from PCSAO and conducted a county roundtable of announcements. The district elected Daniel Brenneman, Coshocton County JFS, to replace Kate Offenberger, Carroll County JFS, on the Board of Trustees beginning on Jan. 1, 2019. (David Haverfield, Tuscarawas County JFS had previously been elected to replace Matthew Kurtz, Knox County JFS starting in 2019 .)

PCSAO Conference Planning Committee meets
The committee met Oct. 12 for the post-conference meeting. The committee reviewed the conference evaluation summaries and the final financial report. This discussion included conference planning assessment and the work plan for the next conference. PCSAO is holding Sept. 25-27, 2019 for the next PCSAO Annual Conference in Columbus. Click here for more information about the 2018 Conference highlights and stay up to date with next year's planning. 

Anti-Human Trafficking Update
PCSAO, in partnership with the Ohio Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers, the Ohio Department of Youth Services, and Advocating Opportunity, provided two trainings in Montgomery County Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 to 44 juvenile justice, children services, and mental health professionals. This training provided an overview of what human trafficking is, how it occurs, how to respond, and relevant laws including how to apply Ohio’s Safe Harbor Laws to juvenile victims of trafficking.
 
WestCoast Children’s Clinic, in collaboration with the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice and the National Center for Youth Law, has developed a new framework for treatment: Psychotherapy for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children: A Guide for Community-Based Behavioral Health Practitioners and Agencies . The guide describes the core components of treatment, the impact of ongoing trauma, and the importance of understanding exploitation in the context of social injustice and systemic oppression.

OCWTP annual retreat focuses on importance of quizzing, retrieval
The annual retreat of the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program Oct. 16-17 provided an opportunity for the system to assess its achievements and plan for the first half of 2019. Participants also learned a lot about recent scientific developments on how to ensure that learning from workshops and other training is retained, including the value of making mistakes, how post-training quizzes assist with retrieval, and the value of feedback in putting new knowledge into practice.

Rules update
Rules in Pre-Clearance: Review and comment.
  • Chapter 5101:2-49: IV-E Adoption Assistance, Five Year Review of rules in this chapter are posted in pre-clearance until Oct. 22.
Rules in Clearance: Review and comment.
  • Chapter 5101:2-5: Children Services Licensing. Seven rules in this chapter are amended due to the Five Year Review. Most amendments are minor. However, 5101:2-5-37 “Additional requirements for an agency that acts as a representative of ODJFS in recommending medically fragile foster homes for certification,” provides guidance to agencies on more specific requirements for medically fragile foster homes.  Comments open until Oct. 29.
  • 5101:2-33-80, “Rapback” provides guidance to agencies on the procedures for receiving and responding to a hit from the Rapback criminal record system. Numerous amendments have been made to this rule. Comments open until Oct. 29
  • 5101:2-40-04, “Kinship permanency incentive (KPI) program,” Five Year Review. This rule has been amended to remove some requirements for KPI reapplications. Comments open until Oct. 31.
  • 5101:2-42-60, “Placement services for infants of incarcerated mothers,” Five Year Review. No changes. Comments open until Oct. 31
 
Rules that have been final-filed: The following rules were final-filed on Oct. 18 and will be effective Dec. 1.
  • 5101:2-42-06: "Agreement for Temporary Custody of Child" (JFS 01645)
  • 5101:2-42-07: Extension of "Agreement for Temporary Custody of Child" (JFS 01645)
  • 5101:2-42-19.1: Requirements for independent living arrangements for independent living youth in custody
Announcements and Resources

Family-centered approach for children of addicted parents conference
This year’s conference will focus on medical and neurodevelopmental issues, childcare, preschool and school issues, family placement, protective services, court involvement, and prevention measures through a family-centered approach. Through discussions, we hope as a community to support the family structure (biological or other) for every child affected by parental addiction, thereby, halting the intergenerational cycle of addiction. The conference will be held Nov. 14 at Northern Kentucky Convention Center. Learn more.
Child Protection in the News

During the first week of October, Congress defied the conventional wisdom that "nothing gets done" in the final weeks before an election by acting in a smart, bipartisan way to address the devastating impacts of the opioid crisis on kids. While I certainly expect child advocates to celebrate what's happened, I want to point out its ultimate potential impact on national security as well.
 
Oct. 15 - High addiction rate equals high need for foster parents - Portsmouth Daily Times 
One sure sign of the shortage of foster parents is the appearance all over the area of road signs such as this one.

A mental health agency that specialized in counseling abused and vulnerable children will close Thursday. The reason for Northeast Ohio Behavioral Health's closing is unknown. Executive Director Robin R. Tener, who had led the agency since 2002, didn't return messages seeking comment. NEOBH was founded in 1999 and had offices in Jackson Township and Cuyahoga Falls. The agency had at least 21 clinical staffers who provided services to children, adolescents, adults, families and couples.
Upcoming Events

Nov. 1 | Rules Review Committee Meeting
Nov. 2 | Community Education Committee Meeting
Nov. 7 | Board of Trustees Meeting

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.

UPP graduates seeking employment at a PCSA are listed on our website.
Quote of the Week

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
 – Steve Jobs
Public Children Services Association of Ohio | 614-224-5802 | www.pcsao.org
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