Weekly Update: April 11, 2022 |
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Board of Trustees meets
Trustees met in person on April 6 and congratulated Board Secretary Cassandra Holtzmann, Crawford County JFS, on her recent appointment as director of Summit County CSB. With this transition, Holtzmann will leave the Board of Trustees, as she no longer can represent the Northwest District. The board nominated and approved Amy Frame, director of Perry County CSB, as the new board secretary. Trustees accepted February financial reports, approved a revised membership proposal that will be shared at district meetings this month, and supported HB 561 to designate Jan. 11 Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The board met with ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder and discussed priorities related to the PCSA workforce crisis and placement challenges. PCSAO staff provided updates related to Ohio START, rules, kinship, and tiered foster care. The board meets virtually next on May 4.
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Wear Blue on Wednesday
Wear Blue, our statewide awareness campaign to show support for preventing child abuse and neglect, takes place on Wednesday, April 13. Take a photo of yourself and your family, coworkers, friends, neighbors, fellow students, and others wearing blue. Share the photo on your county children services agency’s Facebook page or on the Ohio Wears Blue Facebook page. Use our hashtag: #OhioWearsBlue.
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Congratulations to Jefferson County's Jennifer Yasho |
Congratulations to Jennifer Yasho from the Jefferson County JFS Children Services Division. She was named an Everyday Ohio Hero by the Ohio Children's Trust Fund. Watch her speech here. She works tirelessly to ensure the safety of every child her agency cares for, even if it is not her case. She shows up every day, often working overtime, to make sure that no child is left in a dangerous situation. Jen stands up for the children of Jefferson County and is not afraid to advocate on their behalf. Overall, Jen is hard working, kind, and committed to help prevent child abuse in the county every single day.
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Agencies launch Safety Culture Learning Community
On April 5, 15 public children services agency teams gathered to officially launch the Safety Culture Learning Community. The teams will conduct an organizational assessment and then work together to develop and nurture a culture of learning, wellness, and appreciation. All efforts of the learning community are designed to increased workforce retention, child safety, and workplace connectedness.
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PCSAO seeking Communications and Events Manager |
PCSAO is seeking a full-time Communications and Events Manager. Cassandra Freeland will be joining our friends at Kinnect in May after two years with PCSAO. We wish her the best and appreciate her amazing contributions to PCSAO's annual conference, Ohio START, and strategic communications (including the Weekly Update). Help us find Cass's successor! PCSAO is a friendly, collegial team that values diversity. Review the job description for duties and qualifications; submit a cover letter and résumé via this online portal. Applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
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Ohio START Foundations III training |
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Ohio START facilitated Foundations III: Treatment Provider Strategies on March 30. PCSA staff and behavioral health partners learned how their relationships are critical to achieving positive outcomes in the Ohio START program. PCSAs began identifying needs and resources in their communities, while behavioral health providers explored ways to align services with the Ohio START and children services timelines. Foundations II: Family Peer Mentor Hiring & Supervision will be offered on April 22. Please visit the Ohio START webpage for a full list of available training.
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Pre-Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until April 21:
The following forms are open for comments until April 21:
Clearance: As of April 8, there are no children services-related rules in clearance.
Filed with JCARR: The following rule was revise-filed on April 5 with a hearing on April 19:
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About the 2022 conference
PCSAO is holding its 37th annual conference Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 19-21 at the Hilton Easton. Our theme, “As Our World Turns,” recognizes that the children services field is in the midst of many changes and can feel like we are spinning so fast, we can’t slow down. At the same time, the theme employs lighthearted humor around soap operas. For those of you who aren’t familiar with them, soap operas are radio or television series characterized by melodrama and sentimentality – kind of like a reality show!
Call for presenters opens
Our call for presenters is now open! Presenters at PCSAO's conference are volunteers; there is no compensation. See a preview of the application here. Ready to apply? Complete the application form here.
Become a sponsor!
The PCSAO Annual Conference is an opportunity to network with more than 500 children services professionals across the state. See our sponsorship flyer for more information regarding sponsorship levels and the benefits of becoming a PCSAO Conference sponsor. See a preview of the application here. Ready to become a sponsor? Complete this form.
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Resources and Opportunities |
Casey Family Programs offers Questions from the Field
Casey Family Programs (CFP) works with child protection agencies, tribal authorities, judicial representatives, and policymakers around the nation to answer critical questions about ways to reduce the need for foster care and improve the lives of families and children. CFP solicits questions from partners around the country and consults with experts to produce briefs and other useful resources. These include engaging leaders with lived expertise, leadership lessons, lessons from other fields, and strategy briefs. Find the full resource page here. Examples of this resource include:
ODJFS releases new document on Kinnect family finding resources
The ODJFS Office of Families and Children released a new policy document that covers family finding training resource and guidance document links developed by Kinnect. Find ODJFS’ publications here. The Kinnect to Family initiative is an intensive family search and engagement program with the goal of family reunification through kinship care. This calendar year Kinnect initiated Search, Engage, Explore, Kinnect (SEEK) training. The training and resource guidance documents were created for the purpose of assisting in strengthening Ohio’s family finding process. Find more information on SEEK training here.
Kinship Caregiver Tool webinar April 26
CFP, the Children’s Defense Fund, Generations United, and the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law are offering a webinar on April 26 from 2-3 p.m. to explore a new tool called “Kinship Caregiving Options: Considerations for Caregivers.” The tool provides a broad national overview of the choices and considerations to help caregivers both inside and outside the child welfare system make informed decisions about pathways to pursue. Register here.
Registration opens for 2022 Opioid and Other Drugs Conference
The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities Foundation, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction, will host Ohio’s 2022 Opiate and Other Drugs Conference June 6-7 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus. The two-day conference will focus on opiates, stimulants, and other substance use disorders, specifically on efforts related to prevention, education, intervention, treatment, recovery, family supports, community engagement, and more. Find more information here, and register here.
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Child Protection in the News |
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Twenty years have passed, but Jessica Miranda remembers the bedroom ceiling as if it were yesterday.
Lucas County Children Services seeks to lead in protecting children who are at risk of being abused or neglected. The organization works with community members, families and service providers to identify risk and coordinate services to create healthy families for kids.
A version of the controversial Florida law restricting how teachers talk about sexual orientation and gender identity has been introduced in Ohio. Known as a parental rights bill by supporters and the "Don't Say Gay" law by opponents, Ohio's House Bill 616 would ban discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity until fourth grade in all public and most private schools.
Federal pandemic waivers took a bite out of child hunger, according to census data, and there are concerns those trends could be reversed when the waivers expire in June. The policies improved access to school meals through universal free lunch, additional emergency funds for EBT cards, and by giving districts the flexibility to feed kids through mobile delivery and backpack programs.
The Ross County Child Protection Center placed 2,306 pinwheels in Yoctangee Park on Friday. Each one represents a child abuse or neglect report in Ross County during 2021.
More than 900 children were served by a local child advocacy center in 2021, and the Montgomery County prosecutor said it’s incumbent on everyone to speak up when they suspect child abuse.
April 5 - Questioning of foster child in Athens County rape investigation raises issue of juveniles’ legal rights - WOUB
When Athens County investigators were looking to question a boy in the foster system who was a suspect in a rape investigation, they ran into some resistance. Several employees at Athens County Children Services, which runs the county’s foster care program, raised objections. They wanted the boy to have an attorney present during questioning.
Trumbull County Children Services is kicking off Child Abuse Prevention Month with a pinwheel display and program at 1:30 p.m. today on the lawn of the Kinsman House in Warren.
During the month of April, we recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the importance of our community working together to help families thrive and prevent child maltreatment. In 2021, Allen County Children Services investigated 881 reports of child abuse and neglect, which is an increase of more than 15 percent from 10 years earlier.
It’s an increase that no one wants to see but it must be addressed, and this month has been set aside to bring awareness to it. April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and Allen County Children Services started the month with their annual flag raising.
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Calendar and Job Postings |
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April 15 | East Central District Meeting
April 21 | Northwest District Meeting
April 22 | Conference Committee Meeting
April 25 | Southeast District Meeting
April 25 | Northeast District Meeting
April 25 | Legislative Committee Meeting
April 28-29 | New Executives Orientation
Note: Some meetings are being held via web and others in-person.
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Looking for a career in child protection? Or a new position to challenge yourself?
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