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A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week
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Weekly Update for June 22, 2020
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Updates from Gov. DeWine
Gov. Mike DeWine and his administration made the following announcements this week:
- Amusement parks, water parks, racinos, and casinos were permitted to reopen Friday, June 15.
- Gov. DeWine highlighted coronavirus hotspots popping up in Southwest Ohio.
- The governor indicated he will have guidelines for K-12 schools reopening in the fall within the next week, saying that the plan won’t be “one-size-fits-all.”
PCSAO continues to follow the COVID-19 situation closely and interact with state officials and community partners to ensure that county agencies are well represented and receive clear information. For the latest information from the state, visit the
coronavirus.ohio.gov
page.
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Nominations due June 30!
Thousands of children and youth served by Ohio's child protection system have done wonderful things with their lives. Many have broken generational abuse cycles to become supportive, nurturing parents. Others have gone on to jobs or college, and some have even become foster parents. Many have contributed to their communities in meaningful ways. Do you know young people who fit that description?
Nominate them for our Rising Up and Moving On Award.
PCSAO wants to recognize families who stand out within the children services system, including
birth families who have stayed together or been reunified, as well as kinship, foster, or adoptive families who opened their homes. Do you know families whose accomplishments and hard work deserve recognition?
Nominate them for Family of the Year
.
Each year, PCSAO also recognizes the achievement of professionals who serve Ohio’s public children services agencies. Do you know a child protection caseworker, support staff, or supervisor whose accomplishments and hard work deserve recognition?
Nominate a staff member here
. Nominations must be submitted by June 30.
Save the date!
We are planning to move our conference to a virtual format for two days, Sept. 16-17. Mark your calendar and look for more details this summer!
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Pre-Clearance: As of June 19, there are no children services-related rules in pre-clearance.
Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until June 26. The Family First Act made changes to Title IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act for Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs), which are a specific category of non-foster home placements. Rules are being amended, rescinded and created to outline requirements for submitting a cost report for the QRTP programs certified after Oct. 1, 2020. These rules will become effective Oct. 1, 2020. You can read a summary of the proposed changes
here.
- Rule 5101:2-47-10 - Reimbursement for Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) costs for a foster home.
- Rule 5101:2-47-11 - Reimbursement for Title IV-E Foster Care Maintenance (FCM) Costs for Children's Residential Centers (CRC), Group Homes, Maternity Homes, Residential Parenting Facilities, Private Foster Homes, and a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Residential Facility.
- Rule 5101:2-47-11.1 - Reimbursement for Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) costs for Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) certified after October 1, 2020.
- Rule 5101:2-47-16 - Title IV-E Foster care maintenance (FCM) program: Reimbursable placement settings.
- Rule 5101:2-47-26 - Title IV-E agencies, private child placing agencies (PCPA), private noncustodial agencies (PNA), residential care facilities, substance use disorder (SUD) residential facilities: penalties for failure to comply with fiscal accountability procedures.
- Rule 5101:2-26.1 - Public Children Services Agencies (PCSA), Private Child Placing Agencies (PCPA), Private Noncustodial Agencies (PNA), Residential Care Facilities, Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Residential Facilities: Title IV-E Cost Report Filing Requirements, Record Retention Requirements and Related Party Disclosure Requirements.
- Rule 5101:2-47-26.2 - Cost Report Agreed Upon Procedures Engagement.
Filed with JCARR: As of June 19, no children services-related rules have been filed with JCARR.
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Announcements and Resources
Neighborhood forum on kinship, foster care, adoption June 23
Casey Family Programs, Ohio Office of Children Services Transformation and the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association are again offering a Virtual Neighborhood Connections Forum on June 23 from 12-1 p.m. The subject this week is kinship, foster care, and adoption. The program will feature three presenters from Fostering Love, Adoption Network Cleveland, and Kinnect. The forums are held every other Tuesday at noon through the end of July.
Register here.
OhioMHAS prevention conference virtual training series
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is offering a virtual training series on prevention including the following presentations. Click the links for details, presenter bios, and to register online.
- June 29, 9-11:30 a.m. | Reframing Prevention: An Introduction to evidence-based communications
- June 29, 1-2:15 p.m. | Academic Outcomes, Blackouts, and Cognitive Effects: Going Beyond The ABCs of Alcohol’s Effects and Exploring Evidence-Based Prevention/Intervention Opportunities
- June 30, 9:30-10:45 a.m. | Fostering Emotional and Behavioral Health for Children
- June 30, 1-2:15 p.m. | Screen Time: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
- July 1, 9:30-10:45 a.m. | The Role of Preventionists in Accelerating Health Equity and Communities of Well-being
- July 1, 1-2:15 p.m. | Suicide Prevention Plan for Ohio: How We All Play a Role
OCWTP offers virtual classes, casework quarantine resources guide
The Ohio Child Welfare Training Program offers live caseworker core classes as well as a casework quarantine guide. To sign up for a live virtual course, visit the
OCWTP website
. The casework quarantine guide covers many topics including assessments, case planning and interviewing.
Find it here.
CDC and Children’s Bureau offer webinar recording on child welfare worker safety
The Children’s Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control held a webinar June 11 on “Child Welfare Worker Safety in the Time of COVID: CDC Recommendations for In-Person Interactions with Families.”
You can access the materials here.
Ohio Children’s Alliance to manage Ohio Reach
The Ohio Children’s Alliance announced this week that it is partnering with the Ohio Department of Higher Education to manage the Ohio Reach program, which equips college campuses to identify and engage students who were formerly involved in foster care. The program offers supportive services to the colleges, a mentoring program for selected students, and even an emergency fund to help students overcome short-term crises such as securing housing during school breaks.
Read more here.
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Child Protection in the News
Montgomery County Children Services said it is implementing several workflow changes after a state investigation.
Montgomery County’s refusal to fill many open caseworker positions will undermine proposed reforms aimed at improving child abuse and neglect investigations, the union representing local Children Services caseworkers said Wednesday.
In Ohio, some of our most vulnerable neighbors rely on programs from the state and local governments. Family and Children First Councils are seeing some of the biggest need. Now, they're getting a $1 million grant to provide more services.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought about an adverse side effect: the under-reported abuse and neglect of children hidden from view.
As much of the country reopens following coronavirus shutdowns, Licking County has begun to see an uptick in child abuse referrals.
Foster families can offer a child a solid temporary home when there are issues with their biological family.
A local woman, “scared to death,” was found running from a Mason hotel during an investigation of a human trafficking case filed this week against a Cincinnati man, according to authorities.
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Profiles of Hope and Courage: Children Services in the Era of COVID-19
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Anthony: Kids belong with their family
Anthony is a 30 Days to Family caseworker with Lucas County Children Services. He has 18 total years of experience including serving as caseworker for both intake and ongoing cases and working with youth as an independent living specialist. Throughout his 18 years in child welfare, one thing has motivated Anthony the most: “Kids belong with their family,” Anthony said.
PCSAO is collecting stories from the front lines of child protection to raise awareness of the challenges our children services professionals, and the families they serve, are facing during this pandemic. Despite all the changes in their daily lives, they remain hopeful and courageous.
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June 25 | Executive Membership Meeting
July 9 | Rules Review Committee Meeting
July 10 | Conference Planning Committee
Note: Meetings will be held via web meeting or teleconference for the foreseeable future.
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Public Children Services Association of Ohio | 614-224-5802 |
www.pcsao.org
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