Weekly Update: November 1, 2021 |
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Barnes announces retirement
Julie Barnes, director of Summit County Children Services, announced that she will retire effective May 1, 2022. She has dedicated 32 years to serving children and families in both Summit and Stark counties, and has served as a dedicated trustee and board secretary on the PCSAO Board of Trustees. We wish her well, and she will be missed.
Four counties look for levy support
Tomorrow is Election Day, and four counties are seeking voter support for children and human services levies. Good luck to all!
- Adams County Children Services: New 1-mill five-year children services levy;
- Ashland County JFS: Replacement with increase 2-mill five-year human services levy;
- Hamilton County JFS: Renewal with increase 4.51-mill five-year children services levy; and
- Montgomery County JFS: Renewal 8.21-mill eight-year human services levy.
Northwest District meets
The PCSAO Northwest District held a hybrid meeting Oct. 21. Trustees provided board updates, and the district selected its 2022 district leadership and meeting dates. PCSAO staff led discussion on PCSAO’s work in the areas of safety culture and shared practice model, and provided association updates. The district will meet next on Jan. 20, 2022.
Northeast District meets
The Northeast District met online Oct. 25 for its final meeting of the year. Trustee and PCSAO updates were provided, along with discussion on safety culture and practice model. Tania Burnett, director of Ashtabula County Children Services, was reappointed to PCSAO's board, and Kristen Fox-Berki, director of Lorain County Children Services, was appointed to replace Summit's Julie Barnes, who is completing her third consecutive term on the board. Welcome, Kristen! The district next meets Jan. 24, 2022.
Southeast District meets
PCSAO’s Southeast District met Oct. 25. Staff from the Dave Thomas Foundation and ODJFS provided an overview of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. PCSAO staff provided the PCSAO update and presented on safety culture and shared practice model. The district meets next on Jan. 24, 2022.
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Join the Ohio START team!
Ohio START and PCSAO are seeking a part-time regional technical assistance consultant to assist with the implementation and sustainability of the Ohio START model in Northeastern Ohio. The consultant will be responsible for providing technical assistance including adhering to model fidelity and enhancing collaboration among community partners. Read more and apply here.
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Pre-Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until Nov. 28:
Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until Nov. 8:
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Rule 5101:2-5-26 - Procedures for Revocation, Denial of Initial Certification or Denial of Recertification of a Foster Home Certificate.
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Rule 5101:2-7-08 - Alternative Care Arrangements.
The following forms are open for comments until Nov. 3:
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JFS 01348 - Safety Audit.
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JFS 01653 - Medical Statement for Foster Care/Adoptive Applicant and All Household Members.
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JFS 01680 - Verification of Assessor Qualifications.
Filed with JCARR: The following rules were original-filed on Oct. 27 with a hearing on Dec. 2:
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Rule 5101:2-38-01 - Requirements for PCSA case plan for in-home supportive services without court order.
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Rule 5101:2-38-05 - PCSA case plan for children in custody or under protective supervision.
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Resources and Announcements |
ODJFS to hold Nov. 9 webinar on best practice incentives
ODFJS will hold a Teams Live event Nov. 9 from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. to outline the state’s Best Practice funding strategy incentives, which were part of the state budget passed last summer. The budget allocated $5 million in funding per State Fiscal Year (SFY) for strengthening best practices to help achieve better outcomes for children, youth, and families. The Teams Live event will include details of monthly reports that will be sent and technical assistance ODJFS will provide. Ohio’s new Best Practice funding strategy incentivizes two measures fundamental to the children services mission:
- Assessments/Investigations completed on-time, and
- A composite visitation score of all required face-to-face visits with children and parents.
HPIO webinar on strengthening Ohio’s addiction response Nov. 16
From 2018 to 2020, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio's (HPIO) Addiction Evidence Project has catalogued and assessed state-level policy changes and identified strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement on a range of substance use topics. On Nov. 16, HPIO will present findings from the final policy brief in the series, Taking Action to Strengthen Ohio's Addiction Response. The 30-minute webinar will provide:
- An update on where Ohio stands on addiction-related trends;
- A summary of Ohio's addiction policy strengths, gaps, challenges and opportunities for improvement;
- A prioritized set of policy recommendations;
- Insights on addiction, race and geography; and
- A new framework to describe the factors that contribute to drug overdose deaths.
OACBHA offers Children’s Crisis Response Academy Nov. 19
The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, in partnership with PCSAO, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, will host a virtual Crisis Academy on Children's Crisis Response on Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. The session will focus on the changing landscape of youth residential services and care coordination, including discussion on psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs), qualified residential treatment programs (QRTPs), child and adolescent needs and strengths (CANS) assessments, family and permanency teams, and special considerations for how Ohio will implement this level of care. Register here.
Ohio Reach offers peer support
Through its Peer Mentorship Program, Ohio Reach is offering peer support to youth who are near emancipation, whether they are nearing emancipation or have emancipated recently. When they are paired, their peer mentor will reach out via text, call, or email to begin building a relationship and help young people set their own goals that they want to achieve post emancipation. Youth can sign up to be matched with a peer mentor here.
NCWWI board recommends systemic change
The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Advisory Board issued a visioning report recommending sweeping change in child welfare. The board represents a wide range of constituencies, including leaders in tribal, public, and private sectors including parents and youth, as well as educators, elected officials, labor, and the media. Recommendations include the need to:
- Build family capacity to parent and eliminate removals of children due to poverty through the mobilization of concrete resources;
- Use active rather than reasonable efforts in all services, addressing proactively the needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) families and child welfare staff;
- Build more robust community-based kinship care practices and supports, including father engagement; and
- Create systems of family support through parent-led family resource centers, peer supports for parents, differential response systems, and the adoption of tribal practices, including peacemaking, and more relational and responsive practices addressing poverty.
Read the full report here.
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Child Protection in the News |
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The clock is ticking for Ohio families to ensure they get the benefits of Child Tax Credit payments for 2021. The American Rescue Plan increased the benefit, and added advance monthly payments of up to $300 per child, which started in July. There is a Nov. 15 deadline for families who do not file income taxes to register for the payments, and organizations are working to reach those who may be missing out.
November is National Adoption Month, and this year the focus is on the teenagers in foster care who need unconditional commitment, love, and support from a family long-term.
Parenting requires love and a desire to protect and nurture children. Foster parenting calls for an extra dose of love and compassion, empathy and understanding. Uncertainty is one of the many challenges foster parents face. They might have the child for several weeks, months, or even years -- or only a few days.
Senator Tina Maharath (D-Canal Winchester) and Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) are sponsoring what’s being called the “Foster Youth Bill of Rights”. The lawmakers said the bill will give at least 15,000 children in the state’s custody more knowledge about their options, and give them more of a voice in their care. The bill is similar to laws passed in 20 other states.
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Calendar and Job Postings |
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Nov. 3 | Board of Trustees Meeting
Nov. 4 | Rules Review Committee Meeting
Nov. 5 | Community Education Committee Meeting
Nov. 15 | Legislative Committee Meeting
Note: Some meetings are being 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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