Association Updates
PCSAO receives Voices Children's Advocacy Champion Award
On Feb. 22, Voices for Ohio's Children recognized PCSAO for our recent biennial budget advocacy that resulted in an increased investment for children services and the new kinship child care program by presenting its 2018 Children's Advocacy Champion Award. OACCA was recognized with the same award for its work on Fostering Connections (now Bridges), the new program for emancipated foster youth. Both associations were also presented with a proclamation from the Ohio House of Representatives. PCSAO is very grateful for this incredible award and recognition.
Foster Care Advisory Group prepares to hone recommendations
At its monthly meeting Feb. 20, the Foster Care Advisory Group discussed a range of supports available and needed for caregivers, including supports as they care for children affected by the opioid epidemic. Now that the group has covered recruitment, retention, certification, and supports, a final set of all of the recommendations discussed during the meetings will be developed for discussion at the upcoming Mar. 7 meeting. Recommendations will then be finalized at the April 4 meeting in time for the May 1 deadline. PCSAO members will have an opportunity to discuss the recommendations at the Mar. 12-13 executive membership meeting.
PRT Advisory Council welcomes three new counties
Clermont, Licking and Warren county PCSAs are the latest to implement youth-centered permanency roundtables. The Casey Family Programs model, supported by PCSAO, ODJFS and FYLaw, has demonstrated success in getting longstaying foster youth to permanency. See the
evaluation released Jan. 25
. The now 13 counties involved in PRTs met Feb. 23 by conference call to report in on successes and challenges and to provide support to the new counties as they prepare to launch the initiative. The next meeting of the advisory council is May 18.
Ohio START Steering Committee meets
The Ohio START Steering Committee met Feb. 21 at PCSAO. Discussion focused on the current status of implementation, clarifying programmatic questions, and upcoming trainings. The Steering Committee will meet next on Mar. 20 at the Ross County Service Center.
Licking County Strengthening Families Forum
Licking County JFS hosted a Strengthening Families forum Feb. 23 to educate community partners about the current needs of children in custody and their families. The county is asking partners to become proactive in developing and expanding community-based services to prevent children from coming into care or to assist in supporting families as children return home. The forum provided an opportunity for service providers to share what they currently are able to provide, opportunities for expansion, and identify possible gaps. Licking County JFS may issue a RFP soon to identify providers that can offer in-home and aftercare services.
UPP host site opportunities available
The eight University Partnership Program (UPP) universities are currently screening students for admission into UPP for next fall. If you are interested in being an field placement site (host agency) for a UPP intern, please be sure to contact a UPP university in your area and let them know of your interest. If you have not had the opportunity to host UPP interns in your agency and are interested in doing so, check out the new
UPP Implementation Readiness Assessment
. Both the assessment tool and names and contact information for the UPP universities can be found on the
PCSAO website
. Thank you to all county agencies that have taken UPP interns over the years!
Summit to bring together leaders around violence against children
PCSA directors and other system leaders are invited to attend the Calling All Heroes Summit March 22-23 at Nationwide Conference Center north of Columubs. The summit will explore best practices and key principles applicable to multiple systems for responding to Ohio's child victims of physical/sexual abuse in cases where the perpetrator has also battered adults in the children's lives. Participants will learn how child victim-centered advocacy paired with strategic, collaborative and innovative approaches at the case and systems level can keep Ohio's children safer while alleviating the trauma associated with the crime. Judges, CASAs/GALs, prosecutors, law enforcement, behavioral health providers and others are being invited.
Learn more and register
.
