Weekly Update: May 3, 2021
Association News
Southeast District meets
Southeast Ohio agency directors met virtually April 26 with a full agenda of presentations and updates, including Kim Kehl of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Sharla O’Keeffe of Northwoods, Megan Stevens and Cindy Ricketts of ODJFS on the new Accenture Virtual Experience Solution (AVEnueS), Tara Shook and Liz Holzworth of ODJFS on the Kinship Support Program, and Hannah Knies of ODJFS on Family First. Directors also heard updates from PCSAO trustees and staff. The next district meeting is July 26.

HB 8 workgroup meets to refine foster caregiver training
The ODJFS workgroup recommending changes to resource (foster) parent preservice and ongoing training met April 29 to discuss survey results, identify foundational and ongoing training content, and revisit current rules. The group will continue meeting as it finalizes recommendations.

Metro counties discuss vaccination, quarantines, return to office
PCSAO’s metro counties met for their biweekly check-in on April 29. They discussed vaccination protocols, quarantine requirements being lifted for fully vaccinated people and plans for returning to offices. The metros will meet next on May 13.

Northeast District meets
The PCSAO NE District met virtually on April 26 and discussed trauma-informed care training needs with Kim Kehl from OhioMHAS and learned about Northwoods' recent and future enhancements from Sharla O’Keefe. PCSAO provided updates on the budget, Family First, OhioRISE, COE, PCSAO’s REI training, and the outcome of Wear Blue Day. The counties conducted a brief round robin on local updates. The district will meet next virtually on July 26.
Director Damschroder visits Knox County JFS
ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder visited Knox County JFS on April 30. In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month and Earth Day, Director Damschroder joined Knox County JFS Director Matt Kurtz, The Village Network CEO Richard Graziano and Commissioner Bill Pursel, president of the Knox County Board of Commissioners, in planting a tree to symbolize hope, promise, and a brighter future. Director Kurtz organized several sites for Director Damschroder to visit after the tree planting, including the Children’s Resource Center operated by The Village Network, Ohio Means Jobs One Stop Center, and a food pantry at Interchurch Social Services. PCSAO was honored to participate in this visit. 
Three counties ask voters to support levies
Tomorrow’s primary election is quiet for many voters across the state, but in three counties, voters are being asked to support county children services levies. Allen is asking for a renewal, while Knox and Portage have new levies on the ballot. Levies are critical for supporting the cost of serving families and children in Ohio, which relies more heavily on local funding to pay for these costs than almost every other state. Good luck!
Ohio START
Ohio START Leadership Council meets
On April 28, the Ohio START Leadership Council met, welcoming four new members representing both PCSAs and behavioral health agencies. During the meeting, the council discussed programmatic updates, START certification, Family First implementation, and sustainability planning. The council will meet again on June 23.  

Come work with us!
Ohio START is seeking a regional manager to assist with management and implementation of our program, focused on the development and oversight of technical assistance in a specified region of the state. Read more and apply here.
State and Federal Updates
Gov. Mike DeWine announcements this week:
  • Gov. DeWine announced that any Ohioan who has been fully vaccinated will no longer have to quarantine if exposed to someone with COVID-19. An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines or two weeks after the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
  • This health order applies to all adults except those in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or other congregate care settings. Nursing homes and long-term care facilities, including staff and residents, should continue to quarantine following CDC guidance. 
  • This order also applies to high school students, including student athletes.
  • The Ohio Department of Health is rescinding the Sept. 24, 2020, order that provided guidelines for indoor and outdoor visitation at intermediate care facilities. These facilities should now follow current guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine appropriate access to the facility and resident visitation.

ODJFS shares Kinship Support Program overview
ODJFS has made a recording of the webinar "An Overview of the Kinship Support Program" available, along with questions and answers from the session. Click here to access the webinar recording and questions.
National Foster Care Month
May is National Foster Care Month, and Gov. DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted declared May as foster care month in Ohio. The national theme this year is “Foster Care as a Support to Families, Not a Substitute for Parents.” Ohio has over 8,000 certified foster families who have committed to providing a temporary safe haven for children when it is not safe for them to remain in their own home. Because parents, kin and foster caregivers have been working together, it was possible for over 7,700 children and youth to be reunified with their families in 2020. Find more information about ways you can recognize National Foster Care Month here.
Rules Update
Pre-Clearance: The following rule is open for comments until May 6:
 
Clearance: The following rule is open for comments until May 6. This rule identifies terminology and definitions utilized in Ohio’s child welfare system. The following terms have been added, defined and/or amended: "Adoption disruption, Adoption dissolution, Aftercare services, Aftercare supports, Approved adoptive home, Approved kinship home, Child, Criminal records check, Cultural competency, Disabled infant, Handicapped person, Interstate placement, Kin or Kinship caregiver, Physical impairment, Pre-adoptive family, Protective day-care services, Putative father, Resource Caregiver, Resource Family, Transfer and Waiting child." The terms "Hold status, Ohio adoption photo listing (OAPL) and OAPL matches" have been stricken from the rule due to the termination of the OAPL.
 
Filed with JCARR: The following rule was revise-filed on April 27 with a hearing date of May 12:
  • Rule 5101:2-47-21 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) reimbursement for a child placed into a qualified residential treatment program (QRTP).

The following rule was original-filed on April 28 with a hearing date of June 2:

The following rule was final-filed on April 23 with an effective date of May 3:
Resources and Clips
Resources
CIP offers system of care best practice series
Child Protection in the News
Ma'Khia Bryant was 13 years old when Columbus police removed her and three siblings from their mother's home and placed them in the emergency care of Franklin County Children Services in March 2018.

Three Ohio courts established wider reaches for child and family welfare against substance use with grants aimed to incorporate more community stakeholders.

Montgomery County Job and Family Services saw at least a 20% decrease in calls toward the end of the school year and they finished off 2020 with 3,957 investigations.

Ma'Khia Bryant and her sister lived with their foster mother in a two-story house in a middle-class neighborhood, next to a cornfield along the edge of the city limits here.

Eight days after a police officer killed Ma'Khia Bryant in front of her foster home in Columbus, Ohio, the 16-year-old's anguished family convened on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday to call for federal investigation into the child welfare system that was supposed to care for her - and the police agency tasked with protecting her.

When Cincinnati police asked for help in their search for Nylo Lattimore in December, there was no case for the 3-year-old in Hamilton County's Department of Job and Family Services. That's where people should call if they suspect abuse or neglect of a child.
 
With more awareness needed about the challenges LGBTQ people face in the juvenile justice system, the Ohio Supreme Court is educating judges and court staff on how best to handle these delicate cases.
 
April 26 – Keeping Ohio Kids Safe a Shared Responsibility – Public News Service
Advocates hope their message of protecting kids being a shared responsibility will strike a chord with Ohioans during Child Abuse Prevention Month and beyond. Tim Schaffner, executive director of Trumbull County Children Services, said there's a strong correlation between abuse or neglect and the challenges families face related to employment, health care, mental health and substance abuse. He noted generational trauma also is a factor.
 
The number of children in foster care in Tuscarawas County has risen by more than 50 percent in the year since the pandemic began, according to David W. Haverfield, director of Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services.
 
As I write, some three days have passed since 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot fatally by a policeman in Columbus, Ohio. Three days is an eternity in Twitter time. Yet by any standard other than the mad intensity of the news, it’s still too soon.
Calendar and Job Postings
May 5 | Board of Trustees Meeting
May 6 | Rules Review Committee Meeting
May 7 | Community Education Committee Meeting
May 14 | Conference Planning Committee Meeting

Note: Meetings will be held via web meeting until further notice.
Looking for a career in child protection? Or a new position to challenge yourself?