Weekly Update: May 17, 2021 |
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PCSAO panel testifies before Ohio Senate Finance Committee
Coshocton County JFS Director Danny Brenneman and South Central Ohio JFS Director Jody Walker joined PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser in requesting a $50 million increase to the State Child Protection Allocation to assist counties with skyrocketing placement costs and new state and federal programs. Ohio START Family Peer Mentor Sarah Hayden of Warren County Children Services also testified about her experience and the importance of providing supports to families. Read more. View the testimony here beginning at the 1:01 mark.
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PCSAO seeks administrative assistant
Join our team! As we prepare to bid Brian Hearns farewell and wish him luck in his next adventure, PCSAO is hiring our next administrative assistant, ideally starting the week of June 28. We are seeking a full-time employee, but a part-time arrangement may be negotiated. Duties include general office support functions. Qualities: Organized, strong IT skills, good communicator. Review the job description. High school diploma required; AA/BA preferred. Seeking applicants from all backgrounds to ensure diverse talents on our team. E-mail cover letter and résumé to Scott Britton.
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Regional manager needed!
Ohio START is seeking a regional manager to assist with management and implementation of our program, focused on the development and oversight of technical assistance in a specified region of the state. Read more and apply here.
Ohio START holds second spring consortium meeting
On May 12, Ohio START held the second spring consortium meeting with approximately 110 people in attendance. During the meeting, participants heard program updates, learned about new Motivational Interviewing training and coaching, reviewed newly revised program documents and heard from evaluators at Ohio University regarding Ohio START staff surveys. Ohio START will hold its third Annual Summit on Aug. 10. For more information, visit ohiostart.org.
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State and Federal Updates |
Gov. Mike DeWine announcements this week:
- Gov. DeWine announced the removal of most pandemic health orders as of June 2. Measures being removed will include facial covering protocols, social distancing guidelines, and capacity restrictions for indoor and outdoor events.
- The governor also announced COVID-19 Pfizer vaccinations will now be available to Ohio’s youth, age 12 years and older, following the FDA’s update of the emergency use authorization (EUA) last Monday to include youth ages 12-15.
- Children under age 18 who are not emancipated must have parental consent for any vaccine. A parent or legal guardian generally should accompany the minor to receive the vaccine, unless the administration of the vaccine occurs in a physician’s office, school-based or school-associated clinic setting or similar setting.
- In an effort to increase the number of Ohioans who currently have not taken a COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated, Gov. DeWine announced a series of statewide drawings to help incentivize vaccinations. Beginning May 26, Ohioans aged 18 and older will be entered into a weekly drawing with a prize of up to $1 million. There will be a total of five weekly drawings. Winners must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the date of the respective drawing.
- Ohioans 12-17 will be entered into a drawing for a four-year full scholarship to any of Ohio's state colleges and universities, including full tuition, room, and board.
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The drawings will be administered by the Ohio Department of Health, with technical assistance from the Ohio Lottery Commission, and will be funded through existing allocations.
- Gov. DeWine announced that the administration will inform the U.S. Department of Labor that Ohio intends to stop participation in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program on June 26. The program gave states funding to offer enhanced unemployment benefits, including an additional $600, and now an additional $300.
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As always, more information is available at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
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Pre-Clearance: As of May 14, there are no children services-related rules in Pre-Clearance.
Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until May 18:
Filed with JCARR: As of May 14, there are no new children services-related rules filed with JCARR.
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American Cornerstone Institute offers Foster Month webinar
The American Cornerstone Institute is offering a webinar called “A Celebration of Empowerment for Foster Youth Awareness Month” today (May 17) from 2-3 p.m. Speakers include founder and chairman of the institute Dr. Ben Carson, Lynn Johnson of CityServe, Chris Patterson of BreakThrough Inc, Ohioan Jamole Callahan of the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, and Adora Onuora of FYI. Register here.
Legal representation pilot applications being accepted
The Ohio Supreme Court is now accepting grant applications to support legal representation pilot projects that deliver legal representation to families at risk of involvement or involved with the child welfare system. Eligible applicants are Ohio juvenile courts, county public children services agencies, regional legal aid offices, county public defenders offices, Ohio law schools, social work schools or universities, or any Ohio community entity positioned to support a pre-petition or multi-disciplinary legal representation model.
RecoveryOhio offers training modules
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), RecoveryOhio, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and Working Partners® have partnered to create three new Recovery-Friendly Training Modules. They will help employers develop their approach to hiring and retaining employees who are in recovery. The new Recovery-Friendly Training Modules can be found at RecoveryOhio.gov in addition to the five previously launched modules by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce in 2017.
OCTF grants for child abuse neglect and prevention programs
The Ohio Children’s Trust Fund (OCTF) released a Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) through ODJFS for the purpose of soliciting applications from service providers across Ohio to support the OCTF’s mission to prevent child abuse and neglect through investing in strong communities, healthy families and safe children. OCTF seeks to select a minimum of eight grantees. Responsibilities of the selected applicants will include implementing primary and/or secondary child abuse and neglect prevention programming in alignment with the requirements outlined in this request for applications. Only qualified family serving entities that provide direct services and supports to families throughout Ohio will be selected. Find more information here.
JFSHRA offers webinar on “Preparing For the Next Opportunity”
The Job and Family Services Human Resources Association is offering a webinar called “Preparing for the Next Opportunity” June 22 from 9-11 a.m. Registration is limited to 100 people and is first-come, first-served. The webinar will provide with those interested in promotions skills on how to identify what they want and why, outline a plan to get there, develop an effective resume and cover letter, and navigate the interview process. Cost is $10 per person, which will be used to help fund the 2022 JFSHRA HR for Supervisors Conference. Registration will be open until June 11 at 4 p.m. Register here.
Center of Excellence webinar recording available
The Office of Families and Children, in partnership with OhioMHAS, held an introductory webinar on the new Center of Excellence on April 7. The webinar recording and slides are now available online. Click here to view the recording, download the slides and read responses to questions asked during the webinar.
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Child Protection in the News |
After avoiding the spike experienced across the state in 2020, Summit County’s overdose deaths are trending upward in 2021.
As the Ohio Senate continues hearings on the biennial state budget, there are calls for lawmakers to move the needle on investments in child wellbeing.
Deanna Jones stepped to a lectern in the Ohio Statehouse last week and told lawmakers that having a youth ombudsman office might have saved Ma’Khia Bryant’s life.
For Marion Family Court Judge Robert Fragale, the cycle of incarcerated youth becoming incarcerated adults was growing too quickly. Through his years as a judge, he saw young teens sent away to juvenile detention only to wind up back in a courtroom years later being convicted as an adult.
Today, during National Foster Care Month, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a $340,290 grant to the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority through its Family Unification Program (FUP).
Ma'Khia Bryant was charging at two young women with a knife, police body camera video footage shows, when an officer arrived and fatally shot her outside the foster home she had been living in for about two months.
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Calendar and Job Postings |
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May 17 | Legislative Committee Meeting
May 19 | Southwest District Meeting
June 2 | Board of Trustees Meeting
Note: Meetings are being held via web meeting, but will soon return to in-person.
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Looking for a career in child protection? Or a new position to challenge yourself?
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