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A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week
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Weekly Update for June 11, 2018
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Association Updates
Board of Trustees meets
The PCSAO Board of Trustees met on June 6 and approved the May meeting minutes, treasurer’s report, the 2017 audit report, and a hardship request. The board discussed Family First Prevention Services Act, Protect Ohio waivers, the upcoming Executive Membership meeting, CFSR Program Improvement Plan recommendations submitted to ODJFS, the Citizen Review Panels report, pending legislation, and other priorities. The Trustees will not meet in July. The next meeting of the board will be Aug. 1.
JFS Human Resources Association meets
At its quarterly meeting, JFS HRA offered two outstanding presentations, one on documenting employee performance by Valarie Nash of Summit County Children Services and another on Ohio’s new medical marijuana program and its impact on the workplace by Andrew Esposito of Clemans Nelson. The next meeting will be Sept. 12 in Delaware County.
Anti-human trafficking update
On June 7, PCSAO's Bhumika Patel and Veronica Scherbauer from the Department of Public Safety presented at the Ohio Head Start Association June Leadership and Professional Development Conference. Over 60 individuals attended their presentation called “Human Trafficking: Ohio’s Children and Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Labor Trafficking.” The Ohio Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers is hosting a webinar on
Human Trafficking Involving Foreign and Unaccompanied Minors
June 18 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Contact ONCAC’s Statewide Human Trafficking Coordinator, Seth Boughton, at
sboughton@oncac.org
with questions.
Update: Social worker acting pursuant to statute
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled last week that social workers acting pursuant to
statute
when they interview those in custody—and who are not acting under the direction or control of law enforcement—are not law enforcement agents and do not have to read or remind those in custody of their rights before conducting the interview. The Supreme Court ruled that a Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services social worker did not have to read Demetrius Jackson his
Miranda rights
before interviewing him about the alleged 2015 rape of a 14-year-old girl, after Jackson had declined to speak with police after they read him his Miranda rights.
Read more
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Rule updates
Rule 5101:9-6-59 "State Adoption Incentive Program Allocation" is in clearance until June 19. Changes include:
- Public Children Services Agencies (PCSAs) will no longer receive this allocation as an advancement; and
- Updating language to provide consistency and clarification reflecting the most current funding practices.
Please review and comment on the proposed rule changes
here
. Below is a list of recent filing activity:
- 5101:2-5-32, ODJFS, Occupancy limitations and accessibility
- 5101:2-7-02, ODJFS, General requirements for foster caregivers and applicants
- 5101:2-7-11, ODJFS, Socialization and education
- 5101:2-7-15, ODJFS, Transportation
Click on the rule number to go to the
Register of Ohio website
for details about the rule filing. Click
here
to send a comment to the JCARR committee or JCARR staff. To view rule filing activity on all rules, visit your My Active Rules page on the
RuleWatch Ohio website
.
House committee adopts TANF bill
The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has adopted, 22-14, a partisan bill reauthorizing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The legislation, entitled the
Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) for Success Act of 2018
(H.R. 5861) may reach the floor later this month. H.R. 5861 would abolish the current process for determining state and county Work Participation Rates (WPR). In its place, the bill would introduce a system that calculates WPRs based on Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) outcome metrics. The measure also would expand the definition of TANF work activities, including allowing individuals to count as work time spent in vocational education for more than 12 months. Additionally, states, upon HHS approval, would be allowed to tap their TANF block grants in order to fund other work activities if the state were to deem the activities to be necessary to move individuals into economic independence. The bill also eliminates the ability to transfer up to 10% of the TANF block grant to the Social Services Block Grant. This elimination is of great concern to PCSAO, knowing that PCSAs rely on this TANF transfer for child welfare activities. The Senate Finance Committee has not yet announced a schedule for introduction and markup of its counterpart bill. Senate legislation will need to be bipartisan in order for it to pass on the floor with the requisite 60 votes.
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Announcements and Resources
PCSA executive transitions
- Butler County Children Services – CW administrator Julie Gilbert has been promoted to the Director of Butler County Children Services, continuing to serve under JFS Director William Morrison.
- Champaign County JFS – Executive Director Sue Bailey-Evans is retiring, and CW administrator Stacy Cox will be appointed as the new executive director.
Please join us in congratulating both Julie and Stacy, and wishing Sue the best of luck for her retirement!
OAPG invites participation in future meetings
The Ohio Adoption Planning Group (OAPG) is a statewide consortium of adoption professionals and parents representing a diverse group of child welfare agencies and organizations. Formed in 1981, the group brings together public and private partners from over 40 adoption agencies that meet bi-monthly to collaborate on issues concerning the permanency of Ohio’s children and their families. The meetings provide the chance for your adoption staff/permanency leads to get better acquainted with people, programs and services and will help them stay connected to other adoption professionals who can be ongoing resources. Meetings are held in central Ohio in the basement of Worthington United Methodist Church (600 N. High Street, Worthington 43085) from 10 a.m. to noon. Remaining meetings for 2018: June 6, Sept. 5, Dec. 5. If you are unable to attend but would like to be included in future emails and notices, send contact information to Jodi Rice, Co-chair, at
Jodi@openarmsadopt.com
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Child Protection in the News
Rachel Martin spends time with a little boy in Vinton County, Ohio, who was taken from his mother as an infant and is being raised by his adoptive mother.
"Every child who has come into my home has given me something to carry with me. They taught me things I would never learn anyplace else,” said Terry Paronish, a foster parent who was the keynote speaker at the recent Foster Parent Recognition dinner hosted by Trumbull County Children Services.
The Ashtabula County Children Services Board, desperate to attract new foster families to accommodate a recent, dramatic spike in displaced children, has turned to crowdfunding to create an advertising campaign.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine released Wednesday the Ohio START Interim Report, tracking the progress of the Ohio START (Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma) Pilot Program. Ohio START is an intervention program that provides specialized victims services, such as intensive trauma counseling to children who have suffered victimization due to parental drug use.
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June 18 | Legislative Committee Meeting
June 20 | Ohio START Southern Consortium
June 20 | Ohio START Steering Committee Meeting
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"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
-
Henry Ford
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Public Children Services Association of Ohio | 614-224-5802 |
www.pcsao.org
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