PCSAO Weekly Update: October 11, 2022

Weekly Update: October 11, 2022

Association News

Board of Trustees meets

The PCSAO Board of Trustees met in person on Oct. 5 and approved monthly financials, revised financial policies and procedures, FY2023 association budget, and the draft 2023-2024 strategic modernization plan that will go to members for consideration. The board identified topics for discussion at the Executive Membership Meeting Dec. 1-2, reviewed the draft 2023 trustee slate that districts will take action on at October meetings, and reflected on the annual conference Sept. 19-21. The board spent time discussing the reporting portal, Tiered Foster Care, and other efforts moving forward at this time. The board will meet virtually on Nov. 2.

Community Education Committee meets

Reframing messaging around childhood adversity was the main topic of the Oct. 7 meeting of the Community Education Committee. Seven counties have children services levies on the November ballot (Butler, Hocking, Mahoning, Preble, Ross, Scioto and Wayne), and Facebook – which some levy campaign groups use -- is prohibiting ads on social issues the week before the election. The committee briefly discussed research on the impact of increasing concrete and economic supports on the children services system and also reviewed the monthly foster care report. The next meeting will be Nov. 4.

Attend Robin Reese's retirement celebration

Join Lucas County Children Services in celebrating Executive Director Robin Reese’s retirement on Nov. 2. They hope to reach as many people as possible who would like to attend the event to pay tribute to a woman who has worked tirelessly for the protection and safety of families and children for over 40 years. Find more information here.

Ohio START

Quarterly coaching session offered

The first of two quarterly coaching sessions was held last week, and the second is scheduled for this Thursday from 9-10 a.m. Topics for the quarterly coaching sessions are developed based on feedback from the annual Ohio START survey. This month’s session focuses on developing and maintaining effective teams. Technical Assistance Consultants Diana Hoover and Tim Beasley developed the content and facilitate this interactive session.

Rules Update

Clearance: The following rule is open for comment until Oct. 12:

Rule 5101:1-3-01, 5101:1-23-10, and 5101:1-23-20.1 – Include the implementation of the state Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KGAP).

Filed with JCARR: The following rules were final-filed on Oct. 3 with an effective date of Oct. 15:

Rule 5101:2-48-05 – Agency adoption policy and recruitment plan.
Rule 5101:2-48-12 – Completion of the adoption homestudy.
Rule 5101:2-48-13 – Non-discrimination requirements for adoptive placements.
Rule 5101:2-48-16 – Adoption preplacement and placement procedures.
Rule 5101:2-48-24 – Agency adoption review procedures.

Resources and Clips

Resources and Opportunities

Ohio Children’s Trust Fund requests grant applications

The OCTF, housed within the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), released a Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) for the purpose of soliciting applications from up to three county public children services agencies (PCSAs) to serve as local demonstration sites for a pilot project entitled "Developing a Cross-System Approach to Primary Prevention: Enhancing Protective Factors by Establishing an Integrated Child and Family Well-Being State System Design." Details regarding the RFGA release can be found at Ohio Grants: Funding Details. Applications are due by Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. by registering through the grants.Ohio.gov website.

Join OACB, DODD to learn best practices in early intervention.

Join OACB and DODD, along with Part C providers, partners, and families throughout Ohio, to hear hot topics and up-to-date research on best practices in early intervention. The webinar will be held virtually on Oct. 19, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. All Part C providers and families are encouraged to attend. Click here for more information.

Apply to Growing Home Fellowship Program

The Growing Home Fellowship is a leadership development program that seeks to retain and attract up to 120 professionals, ages 18-35, serving the K-12 population by awarding a $32,000 stipend across five years. This includes classroom educators, as well as others who work with K-12 students in school or out-of-school environments, such as counselors, school psychologists, school nurses, occupational and physical therapists, speech language pathologists or audiologists, out-of-school-time support staff, children services caseworkers, and many others. Find the fellowship overview here.

OhioRISE/PCSA open office hours change

OhioRISE open office hours for children services staff have changed. Virtual open office hours will now occur weekly on Fridays at 11 a.m. Here is the link to join the Teams meeting.

October CANS training events scheduled

The Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS assessment tool has been developed for broad application across multiple systems, including youth involved in child protection, developmental disabilities, youth services, and mental health and addiction. The CANS assessment tool gathers all dimensions of the youth and family story to determine needs and strengths and integrates multiple storytellers, capturing the voice of the youth and family to produce a full consensus-based assessment. October's schedule for CANS, CANS booster and qualified individual training will satisfy the Ohio live training requirement and prepare participants to take the CANS certification exam. Find dates and registration links here.

Child Protection in the News

Sept. 29 - Coshocton woman posthumously honored for her work with Job and Family Services Coshocton Tribune - Coshocton Tribune

Jenn Selders was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January and died in June. The Coshocton native and graduate of Ridgewood High School was 48. She worked for JFS from April 1999 to her death, last serving as an ongoing caseworker and supervisor. In the past she was an intake investigator, family meeting facilitator, intake screener/IV-E caseworker and intensive home based caseworker.

Oct. 3 - Governor’s initiatives to ‘support parents’ headed for budget cycle next year - Ohio Capital Journal

Gov. Mike DeWine’s office has released a set of initiatives they say will work to improve child outcomes throughout the state, if passed in the next state budget.

Oct. 4 - $4M federal grant awarded to Hancock County program connecting youth, families to network of care - WTOL

A program that has expanded youth and family services in Hancock County was recently awarded a major federal grant. The System of Care project was launched four years ago in Hancock County to better serve area youth who are dealing with mental health challenges.

Oct. 4 - Kinship care suits Lisa Bible just fine - The Carroll County Messenger

Many Ohio children are fortunate to be cared for by kinship caregivers when their own parents are unable or unavailable to care for them. Although kinship care is normally provided by relatives, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and even older siblings. In the case of a Carroll County woman, her journey with kinship care began as a kind and loving neighbor to four young children.

Calendar and Job Postings