Weekly Update: June 14, 2021 |
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PCSAO responds to substitute budget bill
PCSAO issued a statement of support for the substitute version of the state budget bill, HB 110, passed by the Senate Finance Committee and the full Ohio Senate last week. The substitute bill passed by the Senate adds $10 million to the State Child Protection Allocation. “We are grateful to the Senate for recognizing that funding must align with new state and federal policy changes by adding $10 million per year to the State Child Protection Allocation,” wrote PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser. The bill also restores the $10 million Kinship Caregiver Program earmark in TANF funds. Read the full statement here.
OCWTP moves initiatives forward
The Ohio Child Welfare Training Program State Steering Committee met June 9. In addition to updates, the committee considered website redesign, racial equity recommendations, and revisions to competencies. The next meeting will be Aug. 11.
YCPRT Advisory Council meets
The Youth-Centered Permanency Roundtables Advisory Council met June 11. Managed by Kinnect, YCPRTs are moving forward in multiple counties, with updates to the curriculum, data submissions, and evaluation in progress. Subcommittees meet Aug. 12, and the council meets again Sept. 17. Learn more.
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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 onboarding assistance
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.
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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 an example here. You will need to download this template and upload it with your application. 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. They 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 are due July 2.
Thanks to our World Champion Sponsor
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As of Jun. 11, no new rules are in Pre-Clearance, Clearance, or JCARR. |
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Free webinar on grief from pandemic’s many losses
The Ohio Children’s Alliance is offering a webinar on “Dealing with Grief from the Pandemic’s Many Losses” on June 16 from 10-11 a.m. Clinical psychologist and family therapist Dr. Barry Jacobs will be the presenter. While many employees will be celebrating the return to normalcy, others will still be hurting because of the half million Americans who have died and the losses of income for those who were temporarily laid off. Attendees will learn seven actions employers can take to cultivate a workplace that supports and nurtures caregiver employees. Register here.
Supreme Court to host meeting on quality hearings
The Supreme Court of Ohio will host a Court Café on Quality Hearings in Abuse, Neglect, Dependency (AND) Cases on June 18 from 12-1 p.m. The café will review the SACWIS court report and accompanying court toolkit developed by the Quality Hearing workgroup to increase best practices, improve family engagement in hearings, and ensure that judicial officers obtain all the necessary information needed to determine reasonable efforts and finalize the permanency plan. Speakers include the Hon. Linda Teodosio of Summit County Juvenile Court and Mag. Michelle Edgar of Fairfield County Juvenile/Probate Court. The target audience is juvenile court judges, magistrates, and court administrators and children services agency staff. All participants need to register through OhioCourtEDU. Non-court attendees will need to create a new account under the “All Others” category. Contact Judicial College staff or Tequilla Washington with questions.
National Reunification Month webinar June 30
The Capacity Building Center for the States is offering a webinar on “Preserving Families and Creating Connections” on June 30 from 1:30-3 p.m. as part of National Reunification Month. The webinar will feature representatives of the Family Connections Program in Washington State sharing how their program supports families and creates connections. Attendees will identify shared parenting practices within their own systems that need improvement or change, and learn strategies to promote and build family partnership. Register here.
Pathways to Community Plans of Safe Care trainings available
On June 7, Gov. Mike DeWine, along with cabinet directors and agency leaders, held a kick-off event called “Pathways to Community Plans of Safe Care.” The event focused on cross-agency collaboration to elevate infant and maternal health and better serve Ohio families. Agencies shared how they are building infrastructures to efficiently provide families with supports and services they need to thrive, including a commitment to plans of safe care for infants. A series of quarterly trainings will be held to support this work. Sign up here.
Ohio Reach accepting scholarship applications
Ohio Reach is accepting applications for a $1,000 scholarship for students who have spent time in foster care. Read more about the requirements and access the application here.
Education funds available for foster youth affected by pandemic
Ohio received money from the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2020 to help current and former foster youth affected by the pandemic with Education and Training Vouchers (ETV). The CAA ETV requires students to complete an application and submit a monthly budget. Find more information here, or apply here.
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Child Protection in the News |
In 2019, 570 young people ages 18 to 24 sought homeless services in Cuyahoga County, and only a small percentage of those 570 people secured supportive housing. Partners in Cuyahoga County's Housing First initiative in late May announced a partnership with A Place 4 Me to build a new $12 million 50-unit supportive housing development in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood that serve transition-aged youth ages 18 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness.
Right now, the lack of a clear definition for "child maltreatment fatality" lets too many kids slip through the cracks. We can't solve the problem if we don't even have accurate data on how bad it is. That's why I joined my Republican colleague, Senator Roy Blunt, to reintroduce our bipartisan Child Abuse Death Disclosure Act, to provide policymakers and public health officials with a clearer picture on exactly how many children we are losing each year. Our bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to consult with state and local officials, child welfare practitioners, pediatricians, public health officials, and law enforcement to develop a national standard definition related to child abuse deaths
A federal judge has been trying for years to get Ohio to quit dragging its feet and start paying kinship caregivers their due under federal law. Ohio counties are saying there's not enough money in the state's pending budget proposal to make it feasible.
Governor Mike DeWine is scheduled to kick off an event focused on the safety and health of families across Ohio. The Pathways to Community Plans of Safe Care event is a cross-agency collaboration that will address the safety, health, and substance use disorder treatment needs of infants and their affected family or caregiver.
Families of Ohio’s foster care children say they’re receiving a blind eye when it comes to crucial needs for child care. That’s causing a major push for change in the state’s child welfare and foster care system.
A new bill in honor of Takoda Collins passed Ohio’s House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The bill aims to hold Children and Family Services legally accountable for collaborating with police on child abuse cases.
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Calendar and Job Postings |
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June 21 | Legislative Committee Meeting
June 23-4 | Executive Membership Meeting
Note: Some meetings will be held via web meeting 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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