 |
A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week
|
|
Weekly Update for July 29, 2019
|
Association Updates
Conference registration opens
Registration for the annual conference scheduled Sept. 25-27 is now open! Check out the
conference registration brochure
for the list of workshops, make your selections, and
register early
to take advantage of discounts. Rates increase after Aug. 17. One- and two-day rates are available in addition to the three-day registration fee. Hotel reservations must be made separately.
Gift baskets are a great opportunity to support the conference in a fun and creative way. This is a chance to highlight unique local offerings like desserts, specialty drinks and more. Gift baskets can be brought to the conference location on Sept. 25. This is one of the major highlights of the conference. We thank you for your contributions and participation!
To learn more about the various sponsorship and exhibitor packages and to register,
click here
. If you have any questions or would like more information about these opportunities to support the child welfare community,
contact Nitina Francis
via email or phone at 614-224-5802. Opportunities for sponsorships and exhibit tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis., so register early, but no later than Sept. 1.
Ohio START seeks PCSAs to join Cohort 3
The application for PCSAs to join Ohio START’s 3
rd
cohort is now open. The link in last week's update was incorrect.
Apply here
. The application will close on Aug. 23 and PCSAs will be notified of acceptance by Sept. 5. For any questions, please reach out to
Fawn Gadel
.
Ohio START seeks to fill positions
PCSAO is looking to build its Ohio START team to continue to support the program as it expands across the state. PCSAO has posted several positions, the details of which can be found below:
- Technical Assistance Consultants: PCSAO seeks five regional technical assistance consultants to assist with the implementation and sustainability of the Ohio START program by providing direct technical assistance to Ohio START grantees. The consultant will be responsible for providing technical assistance including adhering to model fidelity and enhancing collaboration among community partners in one of the five Ohio START regions. This is a part-time position and will report to and work closely with the Ohio START Program Manager and other staff as identified. This position will require travel, mainly in an assigned region and to Columbus for meetings. It is estimated that the consultant will work 20-25 hours per week. You can view the position description here and submit your resume, cover letter and three professional references through the application form no later than Aug. 5.
- Family Peer Mentor Consultant: PCSAO seeks a Family Peer Mentor Consultant to assist with the recruitment, certification and management of the Ohio START program’s family peer mentors. The Ohio START Family Peer Mentor Consultant will work with the Director of Ohio START and Ohio START Program Manager to aid local Ohio START grantees to recruit, train and certify family peer mentors. This is a part-time contract position that will report to and work closely with the Ohio START Program Manager and other staff as identified. This position will require travel, possibly across Ohio, to provide technical assistance to Ohio START grantees. It is estimated that the consultant will work 20-25 hours per week. You can view the position description here and submit your resume, cover letter and three professional references through the application form no later than Aug. 5.
OhioKAN presents recommendations
The Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigator (OhioKAN) Stakeholder Workgroup met for the third and final time on July 22. Kinnect, ODJFS’ partner in facilitating the design and planning process for Ohio KAN, presented initial recommendations for key program components, regional structure, scope of work/job responsibilities of OhioKAN, implementation strategy, and evaluation plan for the group’s review and feedback. Kinnect will facilitate a series of OhioKAN town hall meetings around the state beginning Aug. 27 and running through mid-September. More information can be found
here.
Southeast District meets
Directors and administrators at the Southeast District meeting in Athens July 22 engaged with Kari Akins of the ODJFS Office of Children Services Transformation, Chelsea Cordonnier of the Governor's Office of Children's Initiatives and Crystal Williams of the ODJFS Office of Families and Children. Discussion items included an ombudsman program, caregiver bill of rights, Family First and more. The next meeting will be Oct. 28.
ASAP model looks to expand to new counties
At the central regional meeting of the Accelerated Safety Analysis Protocol July 24, ODJFS, Franklin County Children Services and Hamilton County JFS shared experiences and early results from ASAP, a real-time quality improvement approach to identifying high-risk cases and providing safety-focused case support to county agencies. The project is seeking 10-12 new PCSAs to participate as it rolls out.
HOPE plans for quarterly meetings
HOPE partners are in planning mode for upcoming meetings and conferences.
The HOPE quarterly meeting are coming up, with the first half including representatives from START, ODJFS and Succeed to continue the discussion to include peer-to-peer work in Ohio’s children services system. HOPE will lead workshops at the CASA and PCSAO conferences in September.
Anti-Human Trafficking Update
PCSAO and grant partners provided human trafficking training to community partners of the Lorain County Board of Mental Health on June 19 and juvenile justice professionals at Miami Valley Juvenile Rehabilitation Center on June 23. If you are interested in bringing human trafficking training to your agency, contact PCSAO’s Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator,
Bhumika Patel
.
Rules update
Pre-Clearance: The following rules within Chapter 5101:2-33, Administrative Requirements, are currently in pre-clearance to five-year review, until Aug. 15. Review and comment
here.
- 5101:2-33-07, Delegation of responsibilities and contracting for the performance of specified agency duties
- 5101:2-33-20, PCSA complaint review and report disposition appeal policy
- 5101:2-33-21, Confidentiality and dissemination of child welfare information
- 5101:2-33-23, Case records for children services
- 5101:2-33-26, The county child abuse and neglect memorandum of understanding
- 5101:2-33-28, Joint planning and sharing of information among the PCSA and CDJFS
Clearance: ODJFS has drafted a new rule regarding the $5M/year Foster Parent Recruitment Allocation included in the state budget, Sub. HB 166. These funds are provided to PCSAs for staff to provide foster parent recruitment, engagement and support activities. Review and comment
here.
JCARR: As of July 26, no additional children services-related rules have been filed with JCARR.
|
Announcements and Resources
New bulletin available on chronic child neglect
Chronic child neglect is a complex challenge for families and child welfare professionals. It is difficult to identify and treat, and it can leave many caseworkers feeling overwhelmed. Get tips on how to work with families dealing with chronic neglect and gain a better understanding of how chronic neglect is different than incident-based neglect in this
bulletin for professionals
.
Register for 2019 Virtual Expo
Consider attending the
2019 Child Welfare Virtual Expo
Sept. 19, an annual one-day virtual event sponsored by the Children’s Bureau and the Capacity Building Center for States. Administrators, managers, supervisors, workers, attorneys, judges and many others will benefit from the digital conference. Join from a computer, tablet or smartphone.
|
Child Protection in the News
The influx comes at a time when the foster care system is scrambling to adjust to major federal changes.
A rift between Montgomery County and the union representing its child welfare workers grew wider following this week's county commission meeting. The day after a judge ordered striking workers represented by the Professionals Guild of Ohio (PGO) back to their jobs for 60 days, county commissioners approved $55,000 on outside legal counsel to fight the union's ongoing demand for a 6% pay increase the county called "fiscally irresponsible."
... of Jobs and Family Services, of the state's new budget, which will gives a hundred-million-dollar boost to county children services agencies.
County children services agencies will get a ... Sausser, executive director of Public Children Services Association of Ohio.
Martial arts expert Shannon Hiromasa says most people have never been in a fight. And those that have usually haven't been in a choke-your-neck, kick-you-in-the-groin, try-to-gouge-your-eyes-out kind of fight. "I'm aiming with the bottom of fist like I'm stabbing someone with an ice pick," Hiromasa said while training a group.
The sharp increase in abused and neglected children, attributed to the surge in drug abuse by their parents, has leveled off in Licking County, but the number of children in the county's care continues to increase.
To celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary, Rob and Jane Portman decided to come to Medina for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Children's Center of Medina County. The Children's Center, located at 724 E. Smith Road, will provide child advocacy, anti-human trafficking and family visitation services. There are two floors to the center, each with separate entrances. There are more than 20 rooms with 5,200 square feet. The all-inclusive project cost an estimated $575,000.
... child and family services ever made by the State of Ohio,” said Angela Sausser, executive director of Public Children Services Association of Ohio.
As part of the new Ohio budget, county children service agencies are getting a $118 million per year boost.
Ohio's new spending budget is sending a significant amount of money towards children services across the state. About a hundred million dollars have been set aside for county children services for the next two years. Making it the largest amount ever given to child and family services, and for Allen County Children Services it will allow them to rebuild their staff, which had to be cut in order to pay for a spike in cases as a result of the opioid epidemic.
Federal prosecutors in Cincinnati filed criminal charges Thursday against an opioid distributor and two of its former executives, accusing them of conspiring with doctors and pharmacies to pour millions of addictive pain pills into Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.
|
Aug. 2 | Community Education Committee Meeting
Aug. 7 | Board of Trustees Meeting
Aug. 9 | Conference Planning Committee Meeting
|
"When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me." --Fred Rogers
|
Public Children Services Association of Ohio | 614-224-5802 |
www.pcsao.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
