Ohio wears blue for child abuse prevention

On Wednesday, April 10, PCSAO joined Ohio in wearing blue to raise awareness for child abuse prevention. PCSAO member agencies, community partners, and advocates took to social media to promote the Wear Blue campaign and stand against child abuse in Ohio. See selected news coverage below and check out the state Facebook page.

State of the State response: Governor prioritizes all children

“On this day when children’s advocates across the state are wearing blue to demonstrate their commitment to preventing child abuse and neglect, we applaud Gov. Mike DeWine for his ongoing, persistent focus on Ohio’s children, their overall well-being and the need to create a sense of urgency for their futures. This is especially true for children involved in Ohio’s foster care system.” Read more here.

OCWTP meets

The Ohio Child Welfare Training Program State Steering Committee met April 10. Brian Wear of East Central Ohio Regional Training Center and Tracie Stein of Southeast Ohio RTC were recognized for overseeing the highly successful Eastern Ohio Leadership Conference, now in its 30^th year. Rick Shepler of the Center of Excellence for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health presented on Motivational Interviewing. The committee also heard stakeholder reports; received updates on assessors, mandated training, and transfer of learning coaching; and reviewed metrics. Finally, OCWTP marked Wear Blue Day with a group photo. The next meeting will be May 8.

JFSHRA meets

Ohio Job & Family Services Human Resources Association (JFSHRA) met on April 9 and welcomed Madalyn Helmig from Clemans, Nelson & Assoc. who discussed the importance of writing strong position descriptions and keeping them updated. PCSAO will be sending out a new workforce survey, Ohio Job and Family Services Directors Association (OJFSDA) is prepping for their annual training conference May 9-10 and OCDA is changing their name to Ohio Child Support Professionals Assn. The next meeting is scheduled for June 11.

Ohio START

Ohio START Summit registration closing soon

Calling all START workers! Ohio START caseworkers, supervisors, behavioral health providers, family peer mentors, and advocates are invited to register for the 2024 Ohio START Annual Summit taking place May 2 in Lewis Center. This year’s event features a keynote by Stefanie Robinson, Executive Director of Hope Recovery Community; a panel of START fathers; staff awards; and many workshops to choose from! Visit the event website to see the full agenda and register by April 22. Please contact anne@pcsao.org with any questions.

Ohio START director speaks in D.C.

Fawn Gadel, Director of Ohio START, traveled to Washington D.C. on April 5 to speak to the House Ways and Means Committee staff during an educational briefing on families involved with child protection due to parental substance use. During the briefing, Fawn along with practitioners from three other states shared innovative projects from across the country that are achieving success with the families they partner with. Fawn took the opportunity to share the great work and successes of Ohio START.  

Data supports expansion of START to more families

New data published in the Children and Youth Services Review shows that Ohio START has been effective in serving families with children of all ages. The National Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) model is an evidence-supported intervention for families with at least one child under age 6 involved in the child welfare system due to substance misuse. Ohio’s adaptation of START extends the model to serve all eligible families regardless of the age of children in the household. Read the article.

Ohio START leadership keynote

On Ohio Wears Blue Day, Ashtabula County Children Services hosted their annual It Takes a Community luncheon to celebrate outstanding families and community partners for their support and dedication to the community. Ohio START Regional Managers Jen McClellan & Jennifer Millisor were honored to keynote this inspiring event. 

Annual Conference

Save the date: 2024 PCSAO Annual Conference Sept. 9-11

The 2024 PCSAO Annual Conference, taking place Sept. 9-11 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton, is an exciting opportunity to share best practices, connect with colleagues, and be inspired to continue this important work. The conference draws more than 500 child protection professionals from around Ohio including caseworkers, supervisors, administrators, clinicians, attorneys, and advocates. In recognition of Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week, this year's theme is "This Is Us: The Child Protection Team." Visit our conference webpage to learn more. Contact anne@pcsao.org with any questions.

Call for conference presenters

PCSAO is now accepting workshop proposals for our annual conference. Unique workshops that can be offered for CEU and CLE credits will be prioritized. Special consideration will also be given to workshops presented by staff of Ohio’s public children services agencies and workshops that have a DEI lens. Complete the presenter application here. Applications are due May 1.