Weekly Update: September 13, 2021 |
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Letter-writing campaign for slain caseworker succeeds
PCSAO issued a call to action last month for letters urging the State Parole Board to deny parole to the murderer of Franklin County Children Services caseworker Nancy Fitzgivens. The Parole Board received nearly a hundred emails and letters, and the inmate refused hearing. While a second-chance hearing will be held in December, it is unlikely he will be paroled. PCSAO thanks everyone who participated in the campaign.
OCWTP reviews Safe & Together, deliverables, LMS
The Ohio Child Welfare Training Program State Steering Committee welcomed Danielle Swendal of Knox County Job and Family Services as one of two county agency representatives at its monthly meeting Sept. 8. (The other county rep is Amy Amburn of Montgomery County Job and Family Services.) Tequilla Washington, manager of Children’s Justice and the Courts at the Office of Families and Children, presented on the Safe & Together intimate partner violence training program. Additional discussion focused on OCWTP contract deliverables and a new Learning Management System RFP currently under review. The next meeting is Oct. 13.
PCSAO welcomes Glenn College intern
Chelsi Rhoades has joined PCSAO as an intern as part of the Ohio Government Internship Program through the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. She is a senior at Ohio State University studying public policy and economics and plans to graduate in the spring of 2022.
Chelsi previously interned at the Food Research and Action Center, Innovation Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and served as the down-ballot coordinator on a congressional campaign. Chelsi grew up in Dayton and is passionate about social welfare policy.
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Ohio START welcomes Jen McClellan
PCSAO and Ohio START are excited to welcome Jennifer (Jen) McClellan to the Ohio START team as a Regional Manager. Jen will work with Jennifer Millisor to oversee the technical assistance arm of START. She has a variety of experience working for nonprofit organizations serving children, families, and adults in central Ohio. In the last several, years she has held leadership positions in mental health, foster care, and medical social work. Jen is passionate about meeting the needs of vulnerable Ohioans. Raised in central Ohio, Jen received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from The Ohio State University. Jen enjoys spending time with her husband, three children, and dogs. She spends most of her spare time at ice rinks where her children keep her busy with their hockey schedules.
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PCSAO 2021 Annual Conference |
Register soon!
Registration for PCSAO's 2021 annual conference is now open. We have great workshops lined up for caseworkers, from going to court with confidence and youth depression to preparing for permanency and involving fathers. We also have great content lined up for supervisors and managers, including leading during times of change, building cross-generational work teams, recruiting treatment foster parents, and how safety science applies to child protection. Attendance is capped at 350 this year, so register soon to have your full selection of workshops! Information is available on our conference webpage. View workshop descriptions here. If you have questions, contact Cassandra Freeland.
Thanks to our World Champion Sponsors
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With PCSAO’s annual conference this month, we are working hard to make this a great event and we need your help! As we have done in the past, we are collecting gift baskets from agencies to be raffled off during the conference. These gift baskets will serve to engage attendees and show appreciation for all involved. Most gift baskets feature a theme. No matter what theme you choose, please be sure that your basket is family friendly (no alcohol) and appeals to a wide audience.
For planning purposes, notify Anne Potts at anne@pcsao.org by Friday, Sept. 17 if your agency is interested in providing a gift basket. Baskets can be brought directly to the conference.
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Pre-Clearance: As of Sept. 10, there are no children services-related rules in Pre-Clearance.
Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until Sept. 23:
Filed with JCARR: The following rules were final-filed on Sept. 7 with an effective date of Sept. 17:
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Resources and Announcements |
NCWWI, Children's Bureau offer worker recognition Sept. 14
As part of Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week Sept. 13-17, the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute and the Children's Bureau are hosting a one-hour virtual recognition event on Sept. 14 at 3 p.m. This year’s speakers will talk about the ability to positively influence a life's trajectory through the heart, the head, and the hands. They include:
- Ohio native Adrian McLemore with the Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Children's Bureau Commissioner Aysha E. Schomburg
- Vernita Thompson, MSW and Kristy Colvin, MSW from the University of Buffalo
- Sarah Crisafi, MEd. E-RYT, educator and yoga teacher
This event is all about celebrating the people who do so much to empower children, youth, and families facing a variety of life challenges and obstacles. Register here.
Capacity Building Center for States Child Welfare Virtual Expo
The Capacity Building Center for States is hosting its Child Welfare Virtual Expo on Sept. 23. This year’s expo will address the racism and bias that continue to create disproportional representation in the child welfare system and disparities in outcomes for Black, American Indian, Alaska Native, and other children, youth, and families of color. Learn more and register here.
Casey Foundation, UNC-CH offer equitable implementation webinar
On Sept. 30 from 11 a.m.–1 p.m., the Annie E. Casey Foundation is hosting a webinar in partnership with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Social Work called “Equitable Implementation in Action.” This event is part of the 2021 UNC Institute on Implementation Practice virtual series, which is associated with the newly launched Collaborative on Implementation Practice. The purpose of this webinar is to shine a light on equitable implementation and to engage more deeply with the authors and articles highlighted in the Stanford Social Innovation Review supplement, “Bringing Equity to Implementation, ” which was released in May 2021. Find more information here; r egister here.
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Child Protection in the News |
The Family Dependency Treatment Court of Belmont County's Court of Common Pleas - Juvenile Division earns final certification.
An analysis of what foster families talk about on social media showed how the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up their anxieties and concerns about the children in their care. Researchers compared what foster families talked about online in the months prior to the pandemic to their discussions immediately following lockdowns.
In recent years, about five children annually were adopted through Crawford County Child Protective Services. So far this year, 20 have been adopted - and the agency is aiming for 21 in '21, said Cassandra Holtzmann, director of its parent organization, Crawford County Job and Family Services.
Allen County Commissioners delivered a proclamation recognizing September as Kinship Care Month, bringing awareness to aunts, uncles, grandparents and other extended family members across Ohio who are the primary caregivers to their nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
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Calendar and Job Postings |
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Sept. 20 | Legislative Committee Meeting
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 | PCSAO Annual Conference
Note: Some meetings will be 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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