Weekly Update: June 7, 2021
Association News
PCSAO Board of Trustees Meets

The PCSAO Board of Trustees met on June 2 and approved May meeting minutes and April financial report. PCSAO’s auditors joined the board to present their unmodified opinion with the 2020 audit. The board was informed that PCSAO represents all 88 county PCSAs again this year! Thank you to our members for continuing to be strong partners of PCSAO. The board selected a new conference venue for 2022 and 2023, and received updates pertaining to CHIPS, other pending legislation, SFY22-23 budget, Family First, OhioRISE, Ohio START, 2021 annual conference plans, Factbook, and the continuing REI learning series. The board will meet in person on Aug. 4. 

Center of Excellence Research commissioned by PCSAO gets published

With Ohio’s focus on best practice and evidence-based programs accelerating in the run-up to implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, PCSAO commissioned a study last year to explore Centers of Excellence (COEs) as a leading approach to curating such important knowledge for child- and family-serving systems. In that study, the feasibility, role, and impact of COEs were examined in such fields as education, child welfare, criminal justice, behavioral health, and social sciences. The study, conducted by Mighty Crow Media for PCSAO, included a literature review focused on the definition, creation, and evaluation of COEs, along with the results of interviews answering key questions about their establishment and sustainability. Research also included focus on COEs whose work has a relationship to the field of child welfare and the Family First Act. This research has now been published here in the Journal of Public Child Welfare. For questions or assistance accessing the article, contact Rebecca McCloskey.

Rules Committee Meets
The PCSAO Rules Committee met on June 3. ODJFS Office of Families and Children staff joined the meeting to discuss rules currently in clearance. The meeting also included an open forum for members to ask questions about other rules. Finally, the committee thanked Maggie Shea, Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services, for her many years of service on the Rules Committee and wished her luck on her upcoming retirement. The committee next meets on July 8; contact Mary Wachtel for more information.
PCSAO reiterates ask for increased funding to PCSAs
PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser testified before the Ohio Senate Finance Committee again June 2 to ask that the committee reconsider PCSAO's request to increase the state child protection allocation by $50 million to support counties in their transformation efforts and costs associated with the new Kinship Support Program. There was no new funding added for county agencies in the substitute version of the bill adopted this week. Read the testimony here, or watch the video here beginning at the 20:00 mark.

PCSAO seeks administrative assistant
Join our team! As we prepare to bid Brian Hearns farewell and wish him luck in his next adventure, PCSAO is hiring our next administrative assistant, ideally starting the week of June 28. We are seeking a full-time employee, but a part-time arrangement may be negotiated. Duties include general office support functions. Qualities: Organized, strong IT skills, good communicator. Review the job description. High school diploma required; AA/BA preferred. Seeking applicants from all backgrounds to ensure diverse talents on our team. E-mail cover letter and résumé to Scott Britton.
Ohio START
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.

START seeks technical assistance with onboarding
Ohio START is seeking to partner with a vendor to provide technical assistance to PCSAs, behavioral health partners and family peer mentors regarding recruiting, hiring, onboarding and successfully integrating family peer mentors into Ohio START. The request for proposals (RFP) can be found here. Contact Fawn Gadel, Director of Ohio START, with any questions. Proposals are due June 21.
PCSAO Annual Conference
Presenter applications open
PCSAO is planning its 36th annual conference, "Facing the Future Together: Our World, Our Commitment," for Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the DoubleTree Worthington. You are invited to submit the application below if you would like to be a presenter at our conference. Presenters at PCSAO's conference are volunteers; there is no compensation. If you would like to preview the application to see the pieces of information required to complete it, download a watermarked copy of the application here. You will need to download this template and upload it with your application. You can see a completed example of the template here. When you are ready, submit your application here.

Become conference sponsor, exhibitor
The PCSAO annual conference is an opportunity to reach more than 500 children services professionals across the state. The audience includes child protection caseworkers, supervisors, administrators, attorneys, directors, students and advocates. As a sponsor, you will benefit from face-to-face networking, organization logo included in conference material, on-site sponsorship recognition and publicity on PCSAO’s website. Exhibitor tables may be limited in number depending on health measures in effect at the time of the conference. Become a sponsor here.

Nominate professionals, youth, families for our annual awards
Many youth served by Ohio's child protection system have done wonderful things with their lives. Many have broken generational cycles of abuse, gone on to jobs or college, become foster parents or contributed to their communities in meaningful ways. Do you know young people who fit that description? Nominate them for our Rising Up and Moving On Award.

PCSAO wants to recognize families who stand out within the children services system, including
birth families who have stayed together or been reunified, as well as kinship, foster, or adoptive families who opened their homes. Do you know families whose accomplishments and hard work deserve recognition? Nominate them for Family of the Year.

Each year, PCSAO also recognizes the achievement of professionals who serve Ohio’s public children services agencies. Do you know a child protection caseworker, support staff, or supervisor whose accomplishments and hard work deserve recognition? Nominate a staff member here.

All nominations must be submitted by July 2.

If you have questions, contact Cassandra Freeland.

Thanks to our World Champion Sponsor
State and Federal Updates
Gov. Mike DeWine announcements this week:

Gov. DeWine announced that the Ohio Department of Health rescinded the COVID-19-related health orders with several exceptions. The following orders remain in effect:
  • The order to require screening for admission to state-operated psychiatric hospitals or to Department of Youth Services facilities.
  • The director’s order designating The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center a Public Health Laboratory.
  • The order to facilities to notify residents, guardians and sponsor of positive or probable cases of COVID-19.
  • The order requiring reporting and notification regarding COVID-19 cases in K-12/

Gov. DeWine reminded Ohioans of the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and for those that are not fully-vaccinated to wear masks indoors.

As always, coronavirus.ohio.gov is a good place to check for updated information.
Rules Update
Pre-Clearance: As of June 4, there are no children services-related rules in pre-clearance

Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until Jun. 10:
 
 
JCARR: As of June 4, no additional children services-related rules have been filed. 
Resources and Clips
Resources
Webinar on behavioral health continuum for youth
The Children’s Defense Fund – Ohio and the Mental Health and Addiction Advocacy Coalition are offering a webinar on their joint report “Mind the Gap: Creating a Robust Continuum of Behavioral Health Care for Young Ohioans” on June 11 at 9:30 a.m.

30th Annual Addiction Studies Institute – June 18-19
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center will host the 30th Annual Addiction Studies Institute (ASI) virtually on June 18-19. The conference is the largest of its kind in the Midwest, offering participants up to 11.25 continuing education hours. Renowned psychologist and author Dr. Tian Dayton will provide keynote remarks. Learn more or register here.

June 22 Health Equity Summit 
As part of the 2021 Ohio Prevention Conference Virtual Training Series, OhioMHAS and The Ohio State University College of Social Work will host a Health Equity Summit on June 22. Focused on addressing health inequities through prevention, the summit will feature Dr. Paola Molina and Rebecca Larson of the OMNI Institute, Chardé Hollins of the Cuyahoga County ADAMHS Board, and La’Quana Williams of the Prevention Institute, each exploring how prevention professionals can address health disparities and work for racial and social justice. Register here.

Casey Foundation seeks fellowship nominations
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is seeking nominations and applications for the twelfth class of its signature Children and Family Fellowship®. The fellowship is an intensive executive leadership program, now in its third decade, designed to give more child- and family-serving professionals the confidence and competence to lead major system reforms and community change initiatives that get equitable results. Nominations must be submitted no later than Aug. 20, 2021. Nominees are then invited to complete a full application online, which must be submitted by Sept. 10, 2021. Read more.
Child Protection in the News
Children's services leaders in Ohio are reiterating calls for more funding to local agencies.

Ma’Khia Bryant was shot and killed by a Columbus police officer during an altercation at the foster home where she was living. While an investigation is still underway, one thing we do know is that the system responsible for keeping the 16-year-old safe failed her in critical ways.

Paula Bryant had longed to bring her children home after they spent years in the custody of the foster care system.

I lived in a foster home in central Ohio the first nine months of my life. Born to a teenage mother, I was given up for adoption and taken in by a family until I was placed in a permanent home on the east side of Columbus.

May 28 - Child Protective Services: How do cases work? – Advertiser Tribune 
The Advertiser-Tribune sat down with leaders of Seneca County Jobs and Family Services to get a better understanding of what Child Protective Services does and what to expect when getting a visit from CPS. Kathy Oliver (director of Seneca County Jobs and Family Services), Steven Kaifas (assistant director of Seneca County Jobs and Family Services) and Jennifer Schumacher (CPS administrator) discussed the process.

CareSource announced its $96,000 grant to the Montgomery County Educational Service Center (MCESC) to help bring a new early childhood education pilot program to Ohio. MCESC is partnering with Dr. Bruce Perry, the Neurosequential Network, and The Village Network (TVN) to develop the first trauma and neurobiologically-informed, replicable Neurosequential Model Preschool Program.
Calendar and Job Postings
June 11 | Conference Planning Committee
June 21 | Legislative Committee Meeting
June 24-25| Executive Membership Meeting

Note: Some meetings will be held via web.
Looking for a career in child protection? Or a new position to challenge yourself?