Study examines impact of Family First on congregate care

A recent study conducted by Chapin Hall and the American Academy of Pediatrics looked at the impact of Family First on congregate care. The study found that in the year since congregate care reforms have been implemented under Family First, states have reduced the use of congregate care and have increased the use of kinship foster care. However, there are many challenges, including workforce capacity, lack of therapeutic foster care models, and limited funding. Learn more and download the report. 

Reach Scholarship application remains open

The Ohio Reach scholarship is a $1,000 renewable award given each semester to cover costs associated with schooling. Applicants must have been in the custody of a public children service agency for at least one day after the age of 13 and must be enrolled either part-time or full-time pursuing a certificate, associate’s degree, or bachelor's degree at an accredited higher education institution in the state of Ohio. High school students must have accepted an offer from a post-secondary institution in the state of Ohio. Students may complete the application through June 1.

Registration opens for Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit

The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center is hosting a free virtual event, the Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit, for professionals seeking to promote family-school-community partnerships. Attendees will learn and share tools to work collaboratively. The event will be Sept. 22 and is open to state/regional/school leaders, teachers, family liaisons, parents/caregivers, researchers, and community partners. See here to register, or visit this website to learn more.

Upcoming CANS trainings

Upcoming CANS training dates and registration information can be found here. These virtual trainings are sponsored by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and are free for Ohio's System of Care workforce.

OSPF offers in-person professional development trainings

Through a federal grant, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation is offering training this spring and summer. The professional development training will focus on suicide prevention, risk assessment, safety planning, and treatment for mental and behavioral health professionals. Registration is open for the following trainings. Space is limited.

Upcoming trainings:

• Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) for Health and Behavioral Health Professionals Working in Outpatient Settings (AMSR-Outpatient) formulation model and helps clinicians feel confident navigating challenging conversations about suicide. The next training will be held May 19 in Athens.
• Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) is an evidenced-based treatment framework used to assess suicidality and specifically treat suicide risk. This three-part training provides mental health professionals with essential knowledge in using the CAMS framework to collaborate with patients in the treatment of their suicidal drivers. The next training will be held May 26 in Toledo.

All trainings:

• Zero Suicide Institute’s Safety Planning Training (good for BH and primary care providers) offered Aug. 11 in Cleveland.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) offered by application June 7-9 in Columbus.
• Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) offered May 26 in Toledo, June 26 in Youngstown, and July 28 in Athens.
• Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) offered June 16 in Cleveland and Aug. 18 in Toledo.
• Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) offered May 19 in Athens, June 1 in Cincinnati, and July 14 in Toledo.

May 13 – Foster care parents needed as children entering system continues to rise – Northeast Ohio Parent

Not every child is safe. There is a child or sibling group, somewhere in Northeast Ohio, today, who will have to leave their current home environment, due to abuse, neglect or other circumstances where their family is unable to care for them, and take their first step into foster care. But where will they go? That is the question.

May 12 – County START team presents at state summit – The Advertiser-Tribune

Seneca County's START – Sobriety, Treatment and Reducing Trauma – team was selected to present at the Ohio START annual summit May 1 to caseworkers, supervisors, behavioral health providers and family peer mentors. Attendees at the summit at Fawcett Event Center at Ohio State University in Columbus learned how best to serve families struggling with co-occurring child maltreatment and substance use disorder.

May 10 – 8 infant deaths in 4 months; county urges parents to use safe sleep habits – Dayton Daily News

Eight infants under 1 year old have died this year due to unsafe sleep habits in Montgomery County, prompting county officials to make a public push about how best to keep babies safe when they are most vulnerable.

May 10 – Heroes work at the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services: David Crampton – Cleveland.com

The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com have frequently documented deficiencies in the efforts of the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS). However, there is also good news to report. As a member of the Cuyahoga County DCFS Advisory Board, I attended a recent staff awards ceremony. I saw and heard employees at all levels express their heartfelt appreciation for their peers, supervisors, support staff, and community partners.

May 9 – 'Death disguised as candy:' BCI confirms 'rainbow fentanyl' in Ohio – Dayton 24/7 Now

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has identified "rainbow fentanyl" among confiscated drugs in the state, Attorney General Dave Yost announced. BCI’s Drug Chemistry Laboratory said 1,025 brightly colored pills, identified as fentanyl, were recently seized by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office as part of a Columbus-area drug-trafficking investigation.

May 9 – Fentanyl continues as a driving force behind Montgomery County overdose deaths – Dayton Daily News

Fentanyl contributes to the vast majority of drug overdose deaths in Montgomery County and nationally. May 9 was the second-ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day, and Montgomery County officials are pointing to the importance of education surrounding the drug’s local impact.

May 9 – Ohio could soon loosen its child labor laws – Cleveland Plain Dealer

A state House committee passed legislation Tuesday allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the school year, teeing up a final floor vote on the bill.

May 8 – Overdose deaths: Black people dying at a much higher rate than whites in Franklin County – Columbus Dispatch

It's no secret that along with the COVID-19 pandemic came a sharp increase in overdose deaths in Franklin County.

May 8 – The abuse of children, no matter where they come from, is unacceptable | Opinion – Cincinnati Enquirer

In February, The New York Times reported on an explosion in migrant child labor in the U.S. Someone said to me, "I thought that was an issue resolved in the 1930s." It wasn’t. And the report was not a surprise to those of us who see patterns of abuse of migrants, including children, every day.

May 8 – Laws against transgender youth more harmful than good | Opinion – Cincinnati Enquirer

Imagine your doctor calls to tell you that your life-sustaining medication, which is backed by scientific studies and trusted by major medical societies, is now illegal in your state. This is the reality transgender people are facing right now.

May 5 – Foster kid to foster parent, advocates talk change amid worker shortage, retention battles – ABC 6

Jewel Harris is 24 years old now. But at ages 3 and 13, Harris told ABC6/FOX28 she went into foster care. "You'll wake up one day, and you'll go to school, and then you'll get out of school, and all your stuff will be packed up full of trash bags...and someone's picking you up like, 'oh, yeah, you're moving'," Harris said.