Weekly Update: February 8, 2021
Association News
PCSAO Board of Trustees meets
PCSAO's Board of Trustees met Feb. 3, approving January meeting minutes, December year-end financials, and the March 4 Virtual Executive Membership meeting agenda. The board canceled April's New Executives Orientation given that a recorded orientation from November is available and approved two recommendations from the Legislative Committee. The board received updates from PCSAO staff including SFY22-23 budget, Kinship Support Program, Family First, OCST recommendations, legislation and rules, and Ohio START. The board will meet virtually on March 5. 

JFS HRA talks travel
The Job and Family Services Human Resources Association met Feb. 2 and continues to provide expert legal and human resources consultation to members. This week’s topics included managing staff travel requests and the vaccine rollout. The next meeting will be March 9 at 1 p.m.

Community Education Committee meets
PCSAO’s Community Education Committee met Feb. 5, with special guests Kara Wente, Shancie Jenkins and Bret Crow discussing ODJFS communication plans for the year and how the state can partner with counties on key initiatives. The committee also discussed Family First implementation, the Kinship Support Program and the state budget. The next meeting, March 5, will feature Lindsay Williams of the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund discussing Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Metros review Family First plans
At its biweekly meeting Feb. 4, metro PCSA leaders discussed planning for prevention services and residential changes coming due to Family First Act implementation. Counties participating in the pilot shared their perspectives, with both challenges and opportunities identified. Metros meet next on Feb. 18.

PCSAO praises investments in DeWine's budget proposal
PCSAO issued a statement praising Gov. Mike DeWine's ongoing commitment to children and families after he released his executive budget proposal this week. Read it here.
Ohio START
Ohio START holds first winter consortium meeting
On Feb. 4, Ohio START held the first of two winter consortium meetings with 80 attendees. During the meeting, participants heard program updates, attended breakout sessions focused on Ohio START practice, and discussed the evaluation team’s new reports generated by the online data system. The second winter consortium will be Feb. 10. Find more information and register here.
 
Ohio START welcomes Bhumika Patel
Ohio START is excited to announce that Bhumika Patel has joined the program as the Ohio START Coordinator. Bhumika previously served as the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator at PCSAO, where she provided training and technical assistance for those working with trafficked children involved in child welfare and juvenile justice. Bhumika will be working with Ohio START to help coordinate training, technical assistance and certification.   

Ohio START holds welcome webinar for new counties
On Feb. 3, Ohio START held a welcome webinar for counties joining the program in cohort 4. During the webinar, participants learned about Ohio START roles, technical assistance, training, funding and other logistics. Next, cohort 4 participants will attend Foundations 1 training on Feb. 16 and begin diving into Ohio START implementation.
State and Federal Updates
State updates
Gov. DeWine made the following announcements this week:

  • Pfizer has notified Ohio that it believes it will increase shipment of vaccine by 40 percent around mid to late February. Shipments could additionally increase even more by the end of March. Pfizer is currently shipping approximately 73,000 doses to Ohio per week. Moderna doses have increased from 73,200 two weeks ago to 105,600 doses expected next week.
  • Gov. DeWine outlined steps that Ohio has taken and will take to address inequities in healthcare as they relate to vaccine accessibility including ensuring multiple providers in every county, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, providing transportation, partnering with organizations that work with underserved populations, holding town hall meetings on access and holding vaccine clinics at affordable senior housing communities.
  • Gov. DeWine also commented on Ohio's $24.7 million settlement with McKinsey & Co. for its role in fueling the opioid crisis. The settlement is part of a $573 million national settlement encompassing 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Settlement funds will be distributed as part of the OneOhio plan, which focuses funding to programs that address prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery as well as criminal justice and public awareness costs that promote the overall health and well-being of Ohioans.
Rules Update
Pre-Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until Feb. 9:
 
The following rules are open for comments until Feb. 10:
  • Rule 5101:2-47-01 - Administration of the Title IV-E foster care maintenance FCM program.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-09 - Case record requirements for Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM).
  • Rule 5101:2-47-12 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM): Initial determination of program eligibility and reimbursability.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-13 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM): Legal responsibility requirements.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-14 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM): ADC-relatedness.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-15 - Foster care maintenance program reimbursability: authorization for foster care maintenance and auxiliary payment reimbursement.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-16 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) program: Reimbursable placement settings.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-19 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) program reimbursability: payments, reimbursements, graduation expenses and personal incidentals.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-20 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) program: Supplemental reimbursements for the cost of care for the child of a Title IV-E recipient parent.
  • Rule 5101:2-47-21 - Title IV-E Foster Care Maintenance (FCM) reimbursement for a child places into a Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP).
  • Rule 5101:2-47-23 - Beginning date of reimbursability for the Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM).
 
The following rules are open for comment until Feb. 11:
  • Rule 5101:2-38-01 - Requirements for PCSA case plan for in-home supportive services without court order.
  • Rule 5101:2-38-04 - PCPA requirements for completing the semiannual administrative review.
  • Rule 5101:2-38-05 – PCSA case plan for children in custody or under protective supervision.
  • Rule 5101:2-38-07 - PCPA case plan for children in custody or under court-ordered protective supervision.
  • Rule 5101:2-38-09 - PCSA requirements for completing the case review.
  • Rule 5101:2-38-10 - PCSA requirements for completing the semiannual administrative review.
  • Rule 5101:2-39-01 - Removal of a child from the child’s own home.
 
Clearance: As of Feb. 5, there are no children services-related rules in Clearance.

Filed with JCARR: The following rules have been amended to reflect recent legislative changes, specifically the passage of HB 8, Foster Caregiver Training. They were original-filed on Feb. 2 with a hearing date of March 10:
  • Rule 5101:2-5-33 - Foster caregiver preplacement and continuing training.
  • Rule 5101:2-5-38 - Payment of foster caregiver training stipends; reimbursement of training allowances to recommending agencies.
Resources and Clips
Resources

Ohio creates trauma certificate to help children, families
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, OhioMHAS, and the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association have collaborated to offer a new online training certificate that will assist social service professionals, public assistance professionals, and early childhood professionals who work with children and families who have experienced trauma. The training is free, and the certificate will be effective for two years. It is a three-tier certificate and curriculum. Professionals can achieve proficiency in the following levels: Trauma Aware, Trauma Informed and Trauma Competent. Find more information here.
 
Bridges celebrates three years
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the Ohio Children’s Alliance announced that in its three years, more than 2,000 young people have been served by the Bridges program, which helps foster youth successfully transition to independence. Bridges allows young people who age out of foster care to request housing or other supportive services at any time between their 18th and 21st birthdays, as long as they are in school, working, participating in an employment program, or have a medical condition that prevents them from going to school or working. Find more information about Bridges here.

FYLaw offers Wells Conference March 24-26
FYLaw will host its 15th annual Wells Conference on Child Welfare and Adoption Law March 24-26. The conference will be a virtual event on Zoom for three hours each afternoon. The theme is “Child Welfare: Lessons Learned in 2020 for 2021 and Beyond.” Find more information here.

CSSP releases blueprint for anti-racist early childhood efforts
The Center for the Study of Social Policy released a report entitled Supporting the First 1,000 Days of a Child’s Life: An Anti-Racist Blueprint for Early Childhood Well-Being and Child Welfare Prevention this week. The report offers a blueprint for creating equity-centered, anti-racist policies that support the health and well-being of children and families of color. PCSAO participated in interviews that led to the blueprint. 
Child Protection in the News
Feb. 3 – Teen Dating Violence: Red, Green Flags of Relationships – Public News Service
Young love is supposed to be sweet and fun, yet one in three teens experiences abuse from a romantic partner. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Megan Crouch, director of prevention for the Abuse and Rape Crisis Center in Warren County, explained that teens today are more likely to be abused via their phone than a fist. Crouch said better awareness of dating violence as a teen also can reduce the risk of domestic violence as an adult. Today, one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe physical violence from an intimate partner.
 
A proposed compensation plan for relatives caring for children who have been removed from their biological parents' custody may not help many families in Butler County. In 2017 the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled those relatives must be compensated. Ohio did not comply until late last year after the state was sued again in November. The legislature passed a law that allows for kinship caregivers to receive $10.20 per child for day for up to nine months - for a total of $2,750 - or whenever they might be certified as foster parents. However, Butler County Job and Family Services Executive Director Bill Morrison said there could be a catch.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated nearly every aspect of life since it arrived in Ohio. It also exacerbated another public health crisis that has plagued the state for the past decade: the opioid epidemic.
 
Boarded up with broken windows and peeling paint, the historic Park Hotel needs a lot of work, but the goal is to transform it into apartments catering to people aging out of foster care.
Calendar and Job Postings

Feb. 12 | Conference Planning Committee Meeting
Feb. 22 | Legislative Committee Meeting
Feb. 24 | Ohio START Leadership Council Meeting

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