The Ohio Children Services Transformation Advisory Council, led by the Office of Children’s Initiatives, released its final recommendations for the future of child welfare after almost a year of work.
The Children Services Transformation Advisory Council, announced in November of 2019, is made up of families, youth, and stakeholders, and has representation from four Ohio Children’s Alliance members and its CEO, Mark Mecum. “We are pleased with the final recommendations and are eager to support Governor DeWine’s Administration to implement them.” said Ohio Children’s Alliance CEO Mark Mecum. “The recommendations give us a launching pad to achieve family-focused transformation in our child welfare system.”
The advisory council was created to build on the historic investments included in the State Operating Budget providing more opportunities for families and children.
Tasked with reviewing the state of Ohio’s foster care system and developing recommendations for improving the experience of children and families, the council hosted 10 regional foster care forums throughout the state and conducted months of focused research and working group meetings.
These final recommendations summarize the state’s local barriers and best practices in child welfare, broken into the following categories: (1) Prevention, (2) Workforce, (3) Practice, (4) Kinship, (5) Foster Care, (6) Adoption, and (7) Justice System.