Weekly Update: March 8, 2021 |
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PCSAO holds first executive membership meeting of 2021
PCSAO held its spring membership meeting virtually on March 4. During the morning session, PCSAO Board of Trustees President David Haverfield provided an update on PCSAO’s finances, and Assistant Director Scott Britton gave an update on PCSAO’s modernization and state budget efforts. Attendees also heard from David Edelblute, manager of the Children and Families Section of the Ohio Supreme Court, about how courts are preparing for Family First and QRTP, exploring CHIPS and examining quality legal representation. In the afternoon, ODJFS Assistant Director Kara Wente and Director of Children’s Initiatives Kristi Burre updated attendees about the children services transformation work, the state budget, workforce initiatives, Family First and the Family and Children First Council transition. Finally, the group heard from Office of Budget and Management Director Kimberly Murnieks and Director of Cabinet Affairs LeeAnne Cornyn about the overall budget, revenue projections and assumptions, and the children’s agenda.
Following ODJFS Director Kimberly Henderson's testimony March 4, PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser testified before the House Finance Health and Human Services Subcommittee. She was joined by PCSAO Treasurer Danny Brenneman, director of Coshocton County JFS; County Commissioners Association of Ohio President Tim Bubb of Licking County; Franklin County Children Services Executive Director Chip Spinning; and Ohio START Family Peer Mentor Sarah Hayden of Warren County Children Services. PCSAO expressed appreciation for the Governor's continued investment in children services and for the increased support for kinship families. Along with CCAO, PCSAO asked for $50 million in additional investments to support counties’ local match for the new Kinship Support Program and for Family First implementation. PCSAO's sister organizations, ODJFSDA and OCDA, also offered testimony (which can be found using the same links below). ODJFSDA Executive Director Joel Potts asked for increased support in the Local Program Support line item as well as the need for additional funds for adult protective services. OCDA Executive Director Amy Roehrenbeck offered testimony about the importance of the increase in the County Subsidy for Child Support Agencies, which has been flat funded since SFY2012. Read all the testimony here and watch a recording of testimony here, with PCSAO beginning at the 2:04:15 mark. Read more.
Community Education Committee meets
Board of Trustees meets
The PCSAO Board of Trustees met on March 5 and approved February meeting minutes and January's financial report. The board debriefed on the Executive Membership Meeting, discussed format options for the 2021 Annual Conference, revised five pending bills and took action on two of them, and received updates on the SFY22-23 budget and kinship care. The board’s next virtual meeting will be April 7.
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2020 Impact Report
Ohio START released its 2020 impact report last week. The report was well received by community partners. It provides 2020 data about the program and also features testimonials from participants as well as a success story. Read it here.
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ODJFS Director Henderson announces departure
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Kimberly Henderson announced that she will be stepping down effective March 8. She will serve in an advisory capacity until May, when she will relocate to North Carolina. Ohio Department of Administrative Services Director Matt Damschroder will become acting director while the state launches a national search for Director Henderson’s successor. We greatly appreciate Director Henderson’s dedication and partnership over the past two years, especially the efforts she has made to keep county agencies informed and to offer guidance during the pandemic. She will be missed.
ODJFS testifies on state budget
COVID-19 updates
- In response to the increase in vaccine coming into Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine opened Phase 1C and Phase 2 of Ohio's vaccination plan March 4.
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Phase 1C includes Ohioans with certain medical conditions not addressed in previous phases, including Type 1 diabetes, pregnant women, bone marrow transplant recipients and those with ALS. Phase 1C also includes Ohioans with certain occupations including childcare services, funeral services and law enforcement and corrections officers. Approximately 246,000 Ohioans are eligible in phase 1C.
- Because the risk of more severe reactions and outcomes of COVID-19 increases with age, Phase 2 will open vaccinations based on age, beginning with Ohioans ages 60 and older. This group includes approximately 695,000 eligible Ohioans.
- Gov. DeWine announced Friday that Ohio would open 15 long-term mass vaccination clinics throughout the state in the coming weeks. An eight-week mass vaccination location at Cleveland State University staffed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency will open March 17, and two pop-up mass vaccination sites in Columbus and Cincinnati will open after March 17.
- The Governor announced that the criteria for lifting all health orders will be when Ohio gets down to 50 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks. This has been a standard measure the state has used since the start of the pandemic. On March 3, Ohio had 179 cases per 100,000 people.
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Pre-Clearance: The following rule is open for comments until March 11:
The following rule is open for comments until March 12:
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Rule 5101:2-42-12 - Assessment to determine child’s placement into a qualified residential treatment program.
Clearance: The following rules are open for comments until March 8:
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Rule 5101:2-47-01 - Administration of the Title IV-E Foster Care maintenance Program.
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Rule 5101:2-47-09 - Case Record requirements for foster care maintenance (FCM).
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Rule 5101:2-47-12 - Title IV-E Foster care maintenance (FCM) Initial determination of program eligibility and reimbursability.
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Rule 5101:2-47-13 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) program eligibility: Legal responsibility requirements.
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Rule 5101:2-47-14 - Title IV-E Foster care maintenance (FCM) program eligibility: ADC-relatedness.
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Rule 5101:2-47-15 - Foster care maintenance reimbursability: authorization for foster care maintenance and auxiliary payment reimbursements.
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Rule 5101:2-47-16 - Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM) program: Reimbursable placement settings.
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Rule 5101:2-47-19 - Foster care maintenance program reimbursability: Reimbursements, Graduation Expenses, and Personal Incidentals.
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Rule 5101:2-47-20 - Title IV-E Foster care maintenance (FCM) program reimbursability: Supplemental reimbursement for the cost of care for the child of a Title IV-E recipient parent.
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Rule 5101:2-47-21 - Title IV-E Foster Care Maintenance (FCM) reimbursement for a child placed into a Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP).
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Rule 5101:2-47-23 - Beginning date of reimbursability for Title IV-E foster care maintenance (FCM).
The following rule is due for five-year review and is open for comments until March 12:
Filed with JCARR: The following rule was original-filed on Feb. 8 with a hearing date of March 17:
The following rule was revise-filed on Feb. 10 with a hearing date of March 10:
The following rule was original-filed on Feb. 19 with a hearing date of March 30:
The following rules were original-filed on Feb. 24 with a hearing date of March 30:
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Rule 5101:2-45-01 - Administration of the Title IV-E candidate for family first prevention services (FFPS) program.
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Rule 5101:2-45-02 - Title IV-E candidate for family first prevention services (FFPS) program eligibility.
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Rule 5101:2-45-03 - Reimbursement for Title IV-E candidate for family first prevention services (FFPS) program.
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Rule 5101:2-45-04 - Traditional candidate for Title IV-E foster care.
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Resources
LaTourette joins OCA
Sarah LaTourette is joining the Ohio Children's Alliance (OCA) as Chief Advocacy Officer. In this new position, she will oversee advocacy and member services for OCA. LaTourette served as the Ohio Family and Children First Director in Gov. DeWine's Administration, overseeing county Family and Children First collaborations and statewide multi-system youth initiatives, and leading successful family-focused policy initiatives. From 2015-2019, LaTourette also served as a State Representative for Ohio's 76th House District, which includes most of Geauga and northern Portage counties. In that capacity, she was instrumental in creating and co-chairing the Joint Committee on Multi-System Youth. PCSAO has always appreciated her dedication to children and families, and we look forward to working with her in her new position.
Statewide Trauma-Informed Care Summit registration opens
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) will host the Eighth Annual Trauma-Informed Care Summit virtually May 18-19. This year’s theme is “Creating Environments of Resiliency and Hope: Trauma-Informed Care Inside a Pandemic.” Cost is $39. Click here to register.
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Child Protection in the News |
The next executive director of Allen County Children Services is likely to come from within.
18-year-old, Ka’Marr Smith has traveled a tough road. After the death of his mother, he bounced around between family members. Smith found himself getting into trouble and acting out, which lead him down an even darker path. “I went to juvy, probably four or five times, and that’s when they told me I was going to a residential facility for the first time,” said Ka’Marr Smith. Smith’s struggles within the foster care system were a wake-up call.
The Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition started planning early in 2020 how to mitigate the damage from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and forced isolation on progress that had been made in the opioid epidemic. The coalition is a partnership among public and private, health, government, first-responders and faith-based organizations and others.
On Friday, Governor Mike DeWine detailed the foster care initiatives in his proposed Executive Budget for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023. The initiatives focus on improving the state's foster care system, expanding existing programs and children services and prioritizing the best interests of children.
Richland County Children Services (RCCS) is helping celebrate this year's Social Work Month in March with the theme "Social Workers are Essential" to highlight the invaluable contributions social workers make in our society, especially as this nation addresses the Coronavirus pandemic. The Social Work Month campaign will inform the public, policymakers, and legislators about the way the nation's social workers each day meet people where they are and help them live to their fullest potential.
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Calendar and Job Postings |
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March 11 | Rules Review Committee Meeting
March 12 | Conference Planning Committee Meeting
March 15 | Legislative Committee Meeting
March 17 | Southwest District Meeting
Note: Meetings will be held via web meeting for the foreseeable future.
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Looking for a career in child protection? Or a new position to challenge yourself?
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