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A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week
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Weekly Update for April 29, 2019
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Association Updates
In its 2018 annual report released April 17, PCSAO highlights the system reform launched last year, the Children’s Continuum of Care. The
annual report
spells out the need to make a change in a system that has long been in crisis.
Prevention luncheon in Trumbull County honors local champions
PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser had the honor of serving as the master of ceremonies at the Trumbull County CSB annual Rising Up and Moving On recognition luncheon April 16 in Niles. LeeAnne Cornyn, Director of Children’s Initiatives for the Office of Governor DeWine, provided the luncheon keynote. Community stakeholders were out in force, including CSB Board members, mayors, pastors and more. The luncheon honored Trumbull County families who overcame adversity. Those honored included Nathan Payne, Kristen Trumbull, Justin Bishop, Stephanie Yash, and Christopher Cates. Tim Schaffner, Trumbull County CSB Director, recognized Pastor Todd Johnson for his service to children.
FFPSA Leadership Committee meets
The ODJFS Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Leadership Committee held its sixth meeting in Columbus April 18. Carla Carpenter, OFC Deputy Director and FFPSA Leadership Committee Chair, opened the meeting and provided federal updates related to Family First. The Leadership Committee agreed to not have a formal Family-Based Care Subcommittee, but rather workgroups focused on various elements remaining for FFPSA, including model licensing standards and kinship navigator. SUD residential will now become a focus for the Prevention Services substance abuse treatment workgroup. Carpenter shared that the FFPSA Executive Committee will be formed soon and consist of Directors of ODJFS, MHAS, DYS, ODH, ODE, DODD, and ODM. The rest of the meeting focused on the readiness assessments and work to date of the QRTP Subcommittee and the Prevention Services Subcommittee. The FFPSA Leadership Committee will meet next on May 16.
Northeast District meets
The PCSAO Northeast District met on April 22. The district recognized Scott Ferris, Lorain County CSB Director, who will be retiring at the beginning of May. The district received updates from Bridges, Northwoods, and PCSAO. Those in attendance provided county updates, with most noting how it is becoming even more difficult to secure available placements in-state and nearby for children coming into care. Several of the counties noted that they are experiencing a greater increase of children coming into care. Those participating in Ohio START Cohort 2 noted that it has been a positive experience thus far. The District meets next on July 22.
Southeast District meets
Directors gathered for the quarterly meeting in Athens April 22. In addition to ODJFS and PCSAO reports, the group heard updates about the EDMS-child welfare project. Custody number and kinship services occupied much of the agenda. The district next meets July 22.
Wright State social work class
PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser presented to Wright State University’s undergraduate social work class on April 23. Sausser described the serious crisis in Ohio’s children services system, the need for reform, Family First Prevention Services Act, and the importance of maintaining the proposed investments in Governor DeWine’s budget. The students asked great questions related to the state budget, the new federal law, and the lack of available foster homes. Several of the students noted that they have an interest in working with children and families.
Ohio Reach Advisory Board holds final meeting with William Murray
The Ohio Reach Advisory Board met on April 26. It was the last Ohio Reach Advisory Board meeting for the director of Ohio Reach, William Murray. Murray announced to PCSAO and the Ohio Reach Advisory Board that he has been accepted into the Columbus Police Academy. Murray’s last day with PCSAO and Ohio Reach will be June 14. PCSAO and the Advisory Board will definitely miss Murray’s leadership, but congratulates him for his new career choice and the accomplishment of being accepted into the academy. The Board received the latest financial report from PCSAO, which serves as Ohio Reach’s administrative agency. The Board discussed future plans for Ohio Reach as there is proposed funding in Governor DeWine’s budget to continue this program.
PCSAO conference Call for Presenters
The 2019 PCSAO Conference Planning Committee is calling for presenters for the 34th annual PCSAO conference. The theme of this year's conference is "Champions for Children and Families." The committee will be looking for presenters who have dynamic and engaging presentations that are relevant to child welfare evidence-based practices, who will benefit attendees, and who are creative. The conference draws around 500 people each year and is a valuable opportunity to educate child welfare advocates across the state. The 2019 conference will be Sept. 25-27 at the DoubleTree in Worthington. Workshop proposal information and application can be found
here
and should be submitted to
pcsao@pcsao.org
by May 1. Any questions can be directed to the conference coordinator, Nitina Francis, at
pcsao@pcsao.org
or 614-224-5802.
Helping Ohio Parent Effectively (HOPE) update
Aside from their work with HOPE, some of our parent partners make presentations and facilitate training to community members and caregivers. One of the Parent Partners incorporated an exercise from the Building A Better Future curriculum into a foster parent training to help caregivers better understand the experience of the primary (birth) parents with children.
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Announcements and Resources
Human trafficking webinar
2019 Week of Appreciation
Thanks to the tireless efforts of frontline workers, Ohio has seen a decrease in deaths involving heroin in recent years. However, the state is still facing an addiction and overdose epidemic like never before and Ohio’s frontline workers need continued support. The Week of Appreciation is an opportunity to show support and appreciation to those who work directly with individuals struggling to overcome substance use disorders. This includes police officers, firefighters, EMTs, children services workers, emergency department staff, and anyone else who may experience burnout or secondary trauma as a result of their work with individuals with addiction. Local Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health (ADAMH) Boards will work with their County Hubs to plan and host events and activities throughout the week of April 29 - May 5 to thank local frontline workers. For more information or to get involved,
click here.
MHTTC System of Care training on suicide prevention strategies
OACBHA has been named as the State of Ohio partner for the Great Lakes Region 5 Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). The MHTTC represents SAMHSA’s new approach to building a national system of technical assistance (TA) and training for community organizations and treatment provider agencies, to enhance treatment and recovery services, and implement new evidence-based practices to best serve individuals experiencing a mental illness. OACBHA has partnered with Randi Tolliver, Ph.D., CADC and Ann Schissel, Ph.D, L.P. of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation to develop a system transformation training for organizational and clinical leadership on suicide prevention through a cultural competency lens. The MHTTC System of Care Training on Suicide Prevention Strategies will be May 29 at the
Xenos Cafe Auditorium
.
For information about the event and to register,
click here.
Peer recovery support conference
OhioMHAS is hosting a two-day conference that will provide Certified Peer Recovery Supporters with required continuing education units to maintain their certification. The Peer Recovery Conference 2019 will be at the Crowne Plaza June 3-4. This training is open to persons in recovery from mental health challenges and/or substance use disorder and peer staff and volunteers. There will be a limited number of Community Family Partnership Team (CFPT) scholarships available for individuals who would like to secure a hotel room for the conference. If you live 50 miles or more away from Columbus, you are eligible to apply for a CFPT scholarship. Submit completed CFPT scholarship applications to
Sharon.fitzpatrick@mha.ohio.gov
. More information can be found
here.
Building resilience through community-school partnerships
The Ohio State University College of Public Health invites you to partake in a community conversation on building resilience in children through school-community partnerships. The purpose of this event is to listen to challenges and ideas from school principals, present evidence from the scientific community, and hear from practitioners who are implementing innovative interventions in their schools and communities. The focus will be on social-emotional learning techniques and other practices that promote healthy behaviors and discourage high-risk behaviors in children, particularly in the context of Ohio’s largest public health challenge, the addiction crisis. Approximately 75 individuals are expected to participate, with backgrounds ranging from youth wellness, social services, school administrators, researchers, and policy makers. The event will be May 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Ohio Union. More information can be found
here.
FYLaw launches new legal advice website
A new service and website from the Family & Youth Law Center aim to help people who need quick legal advice, or who intend to represent themselves in court and need guidance. The service focuses on particularly vulnerable people like youth aging out of foster care, or parents receiving addiction services. Access the new website
here.
Cuyahoga County Division of Children Services open house
The Cuyahoga County Children Services Division is hosting an open house for child protection specialists and social workers. The open house is designed for attendees to find out more about what it takes to be successful in these jobs and what the realities of the job are. The event will take place May 16, with morning and evening sessions at the Jane Edna Hunter Building, 3955 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lisa Engle at
lisa.engle@jfs.ohio.gov
or call 216-881-5402.
FFPSA Prevention Services Handbook of Standards and Procedures available now
The Prevention Services Clearinghouse
Handbook of Standards and Procedures
describes the Clearinghouse’s (1) procedures for identifying programs and services and associated research studies for review or re-review; (2) standards for assessing the design, execution, and findings of research studies and for rating programs and services; and (3) definitions of key terms. Click
here
to view the
Handbook of Standards and Procedures
. A future webinar will be held to discuss the new Handbook. The Prevention Services Clearinghouse website is scheduled to launch this spring. The website will allow Clearinghouse users to identify programs and services rated as well-supported, supported, promising, or does not currently meet criteria. It will also include instructions for subscribing to an email list to receive regular updates. For additional information visit:
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/project/title-iv-e-prevention-services-clearinghouse
.
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Child Protection in the News
The keynote speaker was Kristi Burre, director of the Ohio Office of Children Services Transformation. Burre was appointed at the beginning of the year by Gov. Mike DeWine to lead child protection and foster care reform efforts.
In four months there have been two confirmed infant deaths and five more suspected deaths related to unsafe sleeping practices in Montgomery County.
Athens County Children Services, and children services agencies across the state, have struggled in recent years with a growing number of abuse and neglect cases as a result of drug-addiction issues among parents.
A $750,000 grant awarded to Southeastern Ohio Legal Services will let the organization join with many community partners to create the Appalachian Ohio Children's Victim Assistance and Prevention Project, which will focus on addressing the gap in crime victim services, work to expand existing resources and create new strategies to provide services to children impacted by the epidemic.
The board that has the sad task of reviewing child deaths in Hancock County has determined that 20 of the 84 deaths in the last 10 years might have been prevented, and has some recommendations on how the county might prevent future tragedies.
In rural Athens County, professionals give children in the foster care system an opportunity to succeed as they transition from childhood to adulthood.
Oversight of Miami County Children’s Services will be shifted from the Miami County Children’s Services Board to the Department of Job and Family Services effective July 17.
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May 1 | Board of Trustees Meeting
May 2 | Rules Review Committee Meeting
May 3 | Community Education Committee Meeting
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Public Children Services Association of Ohio | 614-224-5802 |
www.pcsao.org
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