A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week
Weekly Update for January 21, 2020
Association Updates

Northwest District meets
PCSAO and OJFSDA Northwest District met Jan. 16. In addition to conducting business, the district received updates on the Associations’ boards and committees, discussed collaborative projects, and reviewed a peer support program for children services staff. ODJFS provided information on CPOE changes that will be taking place this year. The district received priority updates from PCSAO and OJFSDA including the foster care forums, legislation, rules, Family First, and the recently released Medicaid report. Shadow Box met in the afternoon, generating interest in jointly pursuing this training opportunity. The PCSAO Northwest District will meet next on April 16.

Southwest District meets
The Southwest District met Jan. 15 to hear updates from PCSAO, ODJFS, IHS and RTCs. Other topics included technology, subsidy negotiation, workforce, placement costs, and multi-system youth. The district next meets on March 18.

FFPSA Leadership Committee updates
The Family First Prevention Services Act Leadership Committee met via webinar on Jan. 15 and approved December minutes. The Committee received updates pertaining to the Executive Committee, QRTP, Prevention Services, Tiered Treatment Foster Care, and OhioKAN. FFPSA Leadership Committee will meet next on Feb. 26.

Welcome Brian Hearns and Lisa Fry
Brian Hearns officially began employment as PCSAO's administrative assistant last week, though many members met him while he was on contract during the December membership meeting. He joins Lisa Fry, operations manager, in serving both the association's and Ohio START's needs related to finance, office management, and frontline service. Learn more about Brian and Lisa .

UPP reaching out to agencies for input into annual evaluation
The University Partnership Program, Ohio’s Title IV-E Workforce Professional Education Program,  will be conducting its annual evaluation in the next few weeks and would like input from counties that have hired UPP graduates in the last two years. Leaders in those counties can expect an email or phone call from Kelly Lynch, UPP coordinator.

Ohio START offers back-to-back training
Children and Family Futures and Ohio START provided a one-day training in three sessions focusing on behavioral health treatment provider strategies within START that support behavioral health treatment and child welfare outcomes. "Foundations #3 - Behavioral Health Treatment Provider Strategies" was offered Jan. 14-16 in Lima, Akron and Pickerington with over 100 participants from START local teams including PCSA and BH provider partners attending. Participants had the opportunity to discuss within their teams how the strategies have been and/or will be implemented in their community.

Rules updates
Pre-Clearance: As of Jan. 16, no children services-related rules are in pre-clearance. 

Clearance: As of Jan. 20, no children services-related rules are in Clearance.

Rules filed with JCARR: No additional children services-related rules have been filed with JCARR.
Announcements and Resources

Register: Annual Eastern Ohio Leadership Conference
Attention PCSA and JFS directors, managers, and supervisors: The 26th Annual Eastern Ohio Leadership Conference, “2020 Vision,” is approaching. The East Central and Southeast Ohio Regional Training Centers, together with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, will be presenting the conference March 25-27 at the Carlisle Inn in Sugarcreek. This conference will focus on the current issues and challenges that face today’s leaders.  Download the brochure . Refer to page 8 for information about the room block, which will be held until Feb. 25. Registration is free but required, and closes March 17. Contact Darla Zajack by email or phone at 740-432-2355 x252 with questions.  

Early childhood mental health services receive $1 million boost from Governor
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in partnership with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s Children’s Initiative and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, has announced the recipients of nearly $1 million to expand early childhood mental health services. The funding, which will benefit 12 organizations serving regional populations, reflects Gov. DeWine’s mission to elevate the importance of children’s programming in Ohio and drive improvements within the many state programs that serve children. Learn more .

Federal tools promote healthy child welfare workforce
The Department of Health and Human Services has published a list of resources to support child welfare professionals as they work to protect children and families while maintaining their own well-being. The resources emphasize workplace safety, self-care, and Quality of Life measures to promote a healthy work environment for child welfare workers. Learn more .

New resources available for juvenile justice-involved children
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has curated a set of resources and discussions about the best way to serve children who are involved in the juvenile justice system:
  • Juvenile Court Diversion: This is a series of case studies that discuss how programs in Philadelphia, Los Angeles County, and Memphis were launched and sustained. All of these programs had similar goals of improving juvenile court diversion and using community supports. Speakers include John Cookus, Kevin Bethel, Jessica J. Ellis, and Bernard Williams.
  • Supporting Youth in Trouble with the Law: This link provides a set of videos that showcase the work Washington state has been committed to. These focus on collaboration between government and youth-serving local groups and their effort to provide youth with positive opportunities and role models in their communities.
  • Webinar featuring Prosecutors Pursuing Juvenile Justice Reform: Three prosecutors are hosting a webinar to share their strategies for adopting a less adversarial and less punitive approach to youth in the juvenile justice system. The webinar will be at 1 p.m. on Feb. 5. The panelists are John Jordan, Robert Listenbee, and Philip Sanchez, and it will be moderated by Mark Soler. Click here to register.
  • Nate Balis on the Strengths of the JDAI Network: Nate Balis is the director of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Justice Strategy Group. This is a video of his presentation at the 2019 JDAI Inter-Site Conference about the importance of the JDAI network. 
Child Protection in the News

A federal office that oversees the care of migrant children in the U.S. said a Columbus-based social services nonprofit has scuttled its plans to provide foster care services and up to 40 beds for children it would have sent to Cleveland. National Youth Advocate Program will instead provide services for the children in its care at an additional site in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida suburb of Davie, Florida, according to a statement issued late Tuesday by the Administration for Children and Families. The administration is over the Office of Refugee Resettlement and is part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Teddy's Law, a 2013 bill sponsored by former Ohio Senator Capri Cafaro, was the name given to Ohio SB 248. It was supposed to reform homeschool law and allow agencies and schools to have greater access to systems that would allow them to identify at-risk children. But it didn't pass, and neither did multiple other attempts at reform. The bill became a reminder of how many barriers are in place to keep children safe.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to reform the foster care system across the state, and if a Monday night public forum in Cleveland is any indication, reforms are needed.

The program, a partnership between Mercy Health-St. Rita's and Coleman Professional Services, was developed to help opioid-dependent pregnant women and postpartum mothers stop using heroin and, ultimately, retain custody of their children. Embrace combines medication-assisted treatment - Subutex - with counseling and support services to help women find work and stable housing, lessening the probability of relapse. The problem caught the attention of former Gov. John Kasich's administration, which launched a pilot program in Athens, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland to expand treatment options for opioid-dependent pregnant women.

Guardians caring for hundreds of thousands of children born dependent on opioids since 2000 should be grouped together as part of the class action lawsuit filed by local governments and others against the manufacturers, distributors and sellers of prescription pain medication, lawyers argued in a motion filed in federal court in Cleveland.
Upcoming Events

Jan. 27 | Legislative Committee Meeting
Jan. 27 | Northeast District Meeting
Jan. 27 | Southeast District 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 .
Public Children Services Association of Ohio | 614-224-5802 | www.pcsao.org
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