A quick rundown of Ohio child protection news this week
Weekly Update for July 6, 2020
Association Updates

Updates from Gov. DeWine
The governor made the following announcements this week:
  • Beginning July 20, nursing homes are permitted to begin outdoor visitation as long as all safety standards are met.
  • Interim Ohio Health Department Director Lance Himes extended the health orders in place through July 7.
  • The Ohio Department of Education has created the Reset and Restart Ohio plan to provide school districts with guidance on reopening, including assessing symptoms, developing a testing strategy, developing sanitation protocols, practicing social distancing in all areas and situations, developing a facial covering policy that includes staff being masked, and developing a plan for transportation.
  • The governor also outlined an early warning system for Ohio's counties based on a series of data metrics. This will provide leaders with data and information that will allow them to layer additional measures in areas with increased cases.
For the latest information from the state, visit the  coronavirus.ohio.gov page.

Ohio START named bright spot by Southeast Ohio Legal Services
Ohio START was named as a bright spot by Southeast Ohio Legal Services in its June 2020 report on the Appalachian Ohio Children’s Victim Assistance and Prevention Project. Ohio START was praised as a game changer that has increased positive outcomes for children, families and the organizations that work with them. You can read the report here.
PCSAO Conference 2020

Save the date!
We hosting our conference virtually Sept. 16-17. Mark your calendar and look for more details this summer!
Rules Updates

Pre-Clearance: The following rule is open for comments until July 16:
Clearance: As of July 2, there are no children services-related rules in clearance.

Filed with JCARR: The following rule was original-filed on June 29 with a hearing date of July 29:
  • Rule 5101:2-33-02 - PCSA requirement to participate in child protection oversight and evaluation. As a reminder, this rule went through the Microburst on Reviewing Rules Policies Hearing (MORRPH) process in late April and early May.   
Announcements and Resources

Virtual Neighborhood Connections Forum on disparities, race and marginalized populations
The Office of Children Services Transformation and the Ohio Child Care Resource & Referral Association will host their fifth biweekly Virtual Neighborhood Connections Forum on July 7 from 12-1 p.m. The meetings are for nonprofit and community organizations that provide resources and supports to children and families. The theme for the next call is “Disparities/Race equity/Working with marginalized populations.” Alisha Nelson, director of RecoveryOhio and cochair of the Minority Health Strike Force, will be presenting. Register here .

Legislative Children’s Caucus meeting on education equity and reopening schools 
The Ohio Legislative Children’s Caucus, cochaired by Sen. Peggy Lehner and Rep. Allison Russo, will host a webinar June 10 from 1-2 p.m. on education equity and reopening schools, focusing on understanding the obstacles to achieve education equity for all students as Ohio looks at reopening schools in the fall. The lawmakers will examine these obstacles before determining the funding needed to reopen. Register here .

Annie E. Casey Foundation releases KIDS COUNT Data Book 2020
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently released the 2020 edition of the  KIDS COUNT® Data Book , an annually published resource that tracks child well-being nationally and state by state, and ranks states accordingly. The 2020 data book shows improvement nationally on 11 indicators in the KIDS COUNT Index; three indicators stayed the same and two worsened. Read the book here.
Child Protection in the News

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson knows some of the best ideas often come not from the top down but from the bottom up. He said one in four will become homeless within four years of leaving foster care. In an effort to find something to help, they came up with the FYI or Foster Youth to Independence program.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and his wife will meet with First Lady Melania Trump . . .

Kids are living inside of a Cuyahoga County office building. Cuyahoga County's Department of Children and Family Services calls it a "last resort." A child advocacy group calls it concerning. Both agree something needs to change in Ohio's foster care system.

The Dayton Daily News surveyed state lawmakers who represent Montgomery County, as well as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to ask their views on proposed reforms to Ohio children services agencies based on issues identified at Montgomery County Children Services.

A state review of Montgomery County Children Services spurred by the deaths of children after their families were involved with the agency identified shortfalls in how the agency operates.
Profiles of Hope and Courage:
Children Services in the Era of COVID-19

Theresa: Working hard to provide her team everything they need

Theresa is the adoption supervisor for Butler County Children Services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency is still visiting families when necessary. For ongoing cases where children have active safety plans, such as kids in their own home or placed with a relative, caseworkers make sure the family is following the safety plan and these may take place virtually. For new cases, the agency prefers a face-to-face visit to occur.

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Matt, Dwayne and Kade: 'All along, we had a good feeling about it'

Matt always pictured himself as a dad. Driving to work one day, he heard an ad on the radio about adoption and foster care. When he got home, he talked with his husband Dwayne and they decided to look into it. They started foster care classes the following week. For six weeks, they attended class two nights a week for three hours. They had finished classes and were waiting on their final paperwork when a caseworker emailed them about a boy named Kade. She had gotten to know Matt and Dwayne and thought Kade would be a good match for them.

Theresa connected PCSAO with them to share their story. Read the story of their family

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.
Upcoming Events

July 9 | Rules Review Committee Meeting
July 10 | Conference Planning Committee Meeting

Note: Meetings will be held via web meeting or teleconference for the foreseeable future.

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 .

Also, check out recent graduates of the University Partnership Program who are trained and ready to be hired by public agencies.
Public Children Services Association of Ohio | 614-224-5802 | www.pcsao.org
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