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The Ohio Children's Alliance is excited to announce that the Ohio Reach Postsecondary Designation is live. The Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education released a Directive today, encouraging Ohio Postsecondary Institutions (public and independent universities and colleges, community colleges, and Ohio technical centers) to support students with a history in foster care by becoming designated. This is an important step toward creating inclusive campuses that support our students with a foster care history and we are excited to welcome new institutions to our programming. The designation will provide students with a network of institutions and resources to empower them as they assess options for pursuing higher education pathways that can provide the financial, career, and academic supports they may look for. It will also create a stronger network amongst supportive institutions to benchmark and collaborate to share resources and successful methodologies, increasing the opportunities for foster care connected students to achieve success in higher education and career pathways. Please feel free to share this information with any colleagues or connections. All details and the application can be found here: https://ohioreach.org/postsecondary-designation and here: https://highered.ohio.gov/ohioreach and more information can be found here: https://highered.ohio.gov/about/news-events/all-news/ohio-reach_may2023

Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio Children’s Alliance is pleased to announce 17 grant recipients representing six community mental health agencies across Ohio. This opportunity was made possible with support from the Ohio Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence and Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. This opportunity was created to support mental health specialists in obtaining a Certified Tele-Mental Health Provider Credential (BC-TMH). Expanding access to behavioral health services to children is especially important today given the unprecedented need and the mental health workforce shortage. “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the virtual world into just about every aspect of our lives, including mental health services.” said Mark Mecum, Ohio Children’s Alliance CEO. “As demand increases from families across Ohio, children’s mental health agencies are committed to expanding access to high-quality care through this virtual platform. The Tele-mental Health credential distinguishes these practitioners as leaders in tele-mental health service delivery and signals to families that the services are aligned with best practices.” Mental health practitioners from the following agencies were awarded funding: Beech Brook Cadence Care Network Crossroads Health Family Pride of Northeast Ohio Maryhaven National Youth Advocate Program The selected individuals will enroll in the New STAR Institute to access the certification training. It includes a 9-hour self-paced training program covering the several aspects of using telehealth. Once completed, the individuals will qualify to take the exam to become a Board Certified-Tele-Mental Health Provider. The Ohio Children’s Alliance is a not-for-profit organization based in Columbus, Ohio. They are dedicated to sustainably improving the provision of services to children, young adults, and families through advocacy, education, and innovative solutions. Learn more at www.ohiochildrensalliance.org. ####

Before the Ohio General Assembly session expired last month, they passed a major spending bill, HB 45, which created a new adoption incentive program. This new program would incentive individuals who adopt children, whether they are from foster care, private adoptions, or even international adoptions. The incentives range from $10,000 to $20,000 per adoption, with most foster children adoption being in the $15,000 to $20,000 levels. According to ODJFS, the total annual cost of this new program could be greater than $40 million. Therefore, this is the largest new investment to promote adoptions in recent state history. As a result of this new massive program, the Ohio Adoption Tax Credit will also be phased out. We have begun to hold discussions with ODJFS about implementation strategies. There is a lot to explore over this next year. How will this new program affect post adoption subsidies, the Adoption Connections program, and overall recruitment of adoptive families? Foster care and adoption agencies will also need to assess how to leverage the incentives to motivate the right families to consider and follow through on adoptions. Our own staff unit that oversees the It Takes Heart resource home recruitment program is also exploring this opportunity. Over the course of 2023, we will learn much more about the program and have opportunities to work with ODJFS to shape its implementation. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this new law!

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Franklin County Children Services and The Village Network are excited to announce an exciting, new partnership that will help protect children and brighten futures by strengthening families. Effective Tuesday, January 17, 2023, The Village Network joined Franklin County Children Services’ network of care management entities. This partnership will allow The Village Network to provide supportive, personalized case management services to families who are involved with Franklin County Children Services. As the county agency mandated by law to respond to all cases of child abuse and neglect, Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) received over 28,000 calls to its intake hotline in 2021. The agency also accepts referrals from Franklin County Juvenile Court for unruly or delinquent youth. Currently, when Franklin County Children Services determines that a family would benefit from continued involvement or increased support, the family's case may be serviced by the agency or transferred to one of two care management providers--The Buckeye Ranch’s Permanent Family Solutions Network program or the National Youth Advocate Care Management program, which together served over 4,000 youth and families in 2021. Case management services involve collaboration with each family to develop a customized plan. The plans are specific to each family’s needs and provide support and direction to families; referrals to community agencies for treatment or resources; and/or coordination with the court system. A caseworker supports the family as they complete the plan and monitors their progress. “As the demand and duration of these cases continues to increase, the need for additional support for the Franklin County community became apparent,” said Charles Spinning, Executive Director of Franklin County Children Services. “By adding an additional care management partner to our child welfare repertoire, we will be able to increase support and provide additional resources to Franklin County children and families.” Spinning added, “The Village Network’s vision, adherence to best practices, and consistently high-quality outcomes align well with that of Franklin County Children Services. The Village Network also specializes in trauma-informed care, demonstrates excellence in empowering families for success, and have many successful collaborations with community partners throughout the state of Ohio, making them an ideal partner to do this important work.” To learn more about Franklin County Children Services, please go to http://childrenservices.franklincountyohio.gov/index.cfm. For more information about The Village Network, please visit their website at thevillagenetwork.org.

2023 marks our 50th anniversary of advancing our mission to improve Ohio’s system of care for children, families, and community agencies. Since our founding in 1973 as Ohio’s first statewide child advocacy organization, the Alliance has made incredible progress in growing support for our work and in advancing our mission. Our most recent progress can be seen in our 2022 impact statement – check it out here! During the last year, our membership and staff grew to record heights, we advanced more grants and programs than ever before, and, as a system, Ohio experienced an unprecedented investment in a System of Care for children and families. In honor of our 50th anniversary celebration, which will last through 2023, we are excited to release a special logo to be prominently displayed in our communications. Our 50th anniversary will also be celebrated at our Annual Spring Conference, which will take place on Capitol Square in Columbus, April 18-19, and will include an advocacy day where citizens can meet directly with their elected Representatives and Senators. Other special golden anniversary celebration activities will include a multimedia storytelling project, member appreciation opportunities, giveaways, and much more. Visit our website for more information about special 50th anniversary opportunities and activities: https://www.ohiochildrensalliance.org.

On January 10, 2023, two Ohio Children's Alliance member agencies, the Buckeye Ranch and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, announced a new partnership to address the need for higher acuity care for youth and their families with a new 48-bed residential mental health treatment facility. This collaboration aims to create optimal residential treatment programs to bridge inpatient psychiatric treatment for youth with especially challenging needs. With more than 57,000 square feet, the new state-of-the-art facility at The Buckeye Ranch is expected to break ground in spring 2023. It will include a new education center, up-to-date space for intensive treatment, and a crisis stabilization center – all allowing for greater family engagement, involvement, and visitation. Overall, the facility will provide families with additional access to residential treatment and more intensive help for youth with serious emotional and behavioral health concerns. The expansion will be funded through a combination of operations and community philanthropy. Click here for more information and to access the full press release. Congratulations to the Buckeye Ranch and Nationwide Children’s Hospital on this exciting expansion!

Mike DeWine was recently sworn in for his second term as Ohio Governor and had a lot to say about mental health in his second inaugural address. In his speech, the Governor talked about Ohio's future and the work yet to be done. In particular, he shared his desire for Ohio to be “the best state in the nation” for mental-health treatment, research, and prevention efforts." The Governor's second inaugural address follows up on comments he previously made regarding his new two-year state budget plan which will be released in the coming weeks. FY24-25 plans are aimed at expanding Ohio’s mental-health services by putting millions toward expanded services, research, and job development. Once the Governor's budget, due by January 31, is released, the state legislature will have months to reshape, renege, and renegotiate pieces of it. Stay tuned to Ohio Children's Alliance news for more updates on the budget process. Click HERE to read the Governor’s second inaugural address.

On behalf of the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (CABH COE), the Ohio Children’s Alliance is proud to announce the release of a Request for Applications for Telehealth Credential Support Grants. Grant funding will go toward eligible providers earning the Board Certified-Telemental Health (BC-TMH) credential. Eligible uses of funding are: (1) reimbursement for the costs of training registration (through the New Star Institute) and the exam and (2) as an incentive to participate in and complete the credentialing process. Requested funds per application shall not exceed more than $1,600. The window to apply for this opportunity will remain open from January 9 to February 10, 2023. You may find the RFA application and budget template here and at socohio.org. The total amount per award and number of awards shall be determined by the number of applications received, the quality of the applications, and alignment with the selection criteria. Awards will be limited to no more than two (2) providers per agency. Additionally, there will be a virtual Overview Conference for this opportunity on January 17 at 10am. To join the conference, click https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88282612489.

In a surprise move, and with Democrat support, the Ohio House has voted for Jason Stephens [R-93] as its new speaker. Stephens won the speaker vote 54-43 over frontrunner Derek Merrin [R-42]. Subsequently, seasoned state legislator Scott Oelslager [R-48] was chosen as Speaker Pro Tempore. The rest of the House majority team was elected during yesterday's House session and is comprised of: Rep. Bill Seitz as Majority Floor Leader; Rep. Jon Cross as Assistant Majority Floor Leader; Rep. Jim Hoops as Majority Whip; and Rep. Sharon Ray as Assistant Majority Whip. As a result of the November election, the Republican Caucus has increased their majority by three seats for the 2023-24 legislative session. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has recently announced the appointment of Matthew Price as the Deputy Director of the Office of Community Treatment Services. As Deputy Director, Price will oversee the bureaus of Children, Youth and Families and Adult Mental Health Treatment. Price brings more than 15 years of clinical experience and leadership to OhioMHAS. He began his career at NewPath Child and Family Solutions, an Ohio Children's Alliance member organization. He was in a number of roles before serving as the Director of Residential Interventions throughout the last five years of his tenure with NewPath. Most recently, Price was a regional coordinator on the Aetna OhioRISE team where he engaged and collaborated with stakeholders from many systems including behavioral healthcare, child welfare, developmental disabilities, juvenile justice, and Family and Children First Councils. Price received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati. He is a licensed independent social worker with Supervision Designation.

President Biden into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 on December 29, 2022.The $1.7 trillion federal spending bill included numerous provisions affecting kids and families, including: Requiring state Medicaid managed care plans to publish searchable provider directories including information on whether the provider is accepting new patients, the provider’s cultural and linguistic capabilities, whether provider offers services via telehealth and other information. Supporting nutrition programs including a $13.4 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, $28.5 billion for Child Nutrition Programs, and $6 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Supporting child care by investing $8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and nearly $12 billion for Head Start. Phasing out public health emergency provisions. States will be able to start evaluating Medicaid enrollees’ eligibility and terminating their coverage as of April 1. In addition, the enhanced federal Medicaid funding will phase down through December 31, 2023, though the states will have to meet certain conditions during that period. Investing $512 million for SAMHSA suicide prevention activities, including $439.6 million for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and $4.2 billion to combat the opioid epidemic. Providing housing assistance including $3.6 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, $2 billion for the Rural Housing Service, $1.5 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and more. Allocating $140 million for Project AWARE, which helps schools build capacity for the implementation of wellness and mental health awareness programs. You can find a summary here.

On December 14, over a dozen bills, including an omnibus spending bill, were passed by the state legislature and sent to the governor. The flurry of legislative activity after several silent months is part and parcel of a "lame duck" season, or the end of a legislative biennium. Here is some of the highlighted legislation from the end of the 134th General Assembly: HB 45, sponsored by Representatives Thomas West and Bill Roemer. The legislation, which would establish temporary tax amnesty program, became a “Christmas Tree”, and included many amendments, including one allocating $85M from ARPA HCBS to MHAS and ODHE for behavioral health programming, and other initiatives to recruit, train and retain a robust BH workforce. SB 131, sponsored by Senators Roegner and McColley. The legislation would allow out-of-state licensees in good standing to obtain an Ohio license to practice their profession. It would require applicable licensure boards, including the CSWMFT Board, to grant a license to an applicant with an existing out-of-state license if certain conditions are met. SB 202, sponsored by Senators Robert Hackett and Nickie Antonio. This bill would prohibit a person's disability from being the basis to deny or limit custody, parenting time, visitation, adoption, or service as a guardian or foster caregiver, regarding a minor. House Bill 509, sponsored by Representatives Sarah Fowler and Marylin John. This legislation would make revisions to the policies of 19 State Licensure Boards and revise or eliminate 29 state licenses. The CSWMFT Board, the Board of Nursing, the DODD Board, and the Board of Psychology were among the state boards affected by the legislation. The bill also contained general provisions applying to every Board. You can find summaries of all of these bills at https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/.

The Youth Navigator Network (YNN) has officially launched and is still recruiting members for the Young Adult Advisory Council (YAAC). Currently, there are three active youth members, and YNN would love to grow the council in the new year. YNN is seeking youth ages 14-26 who are or who have been involved in the child welfare system to serve on the YAAC.As a member of the council, the young person would meet once a month with the team to discuss working agendas for the YNN as well as additional goal setting for their personal and professional use. All members are provided a stipend of $20 per hour for their activities and engagement with the YAAC. It is a great personal and professional experience for young adults interested in community engagement and helping to continue to build on the YNN! Any young adult who is interested in joining the YAAC can email Marissa Tuma. The Kinnect website also has information regarding the YAAC.

The Child and Family Health Collaborative of Ohio, a subsidiary of the Ohio Children’s Alliance, is pleased to announce its re-selection as the Ohio Bridges Program grantee. Bridges is a voluntary statewide program serving young adults who have aged out of foster care. ODJFS and the Collaborative have partnered together on the program since its inauguration in 2018. Over the last nearly five years, the Collaborative, through its network of 21 service providers, has successfully connected over 3,600 young adults with safe/stable housing, educational and career opportunities, and resources to support their personal safety, mental health, and more. “A few years ago, this program was just a concept, inspired by countless voices of foster youth and alumni,” said Mark Mecum, CEO for the Child and Family Health Collaborative of Ohio. “Today, we are engaging young people in every corner of Ohio. Young adults are setting goals, graduating from high school, enrolling in college, securing job training, and even landing competitive jobs. Their success – and the program’s success – is inspiring, and we look forward to more impactful years working with ODJFS.” Participant data, highlighted in our most recent impact report, shows that Bridges is working, and that the program provides significant value add for those it serves. ODJFS and the Collaborative look forward to continuing this partnership to better the lives of former foster youth in Ohio. For more information about Bridges or to apply, visit https://bridgestosuccess.jfs.ohio.gov/.

The Ohio Department of Medicaid announced that it will not implement the new Next Generation managed care plans or the full Ohio Medicaid Enterprise System (OMES) on December 1. Instead, ODM will launch the Next Generation managed care plans and program requirements on February 1, 2023. They will also implement the new Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) at this time. Subsequently, ODM will fully launch OMES modules to provide streamlined processes for claims, prior authorizations, and other administrative tasks for providers. In the meantime, ODM states that providers should continue conducting business as you do today on and after December 1 – including the processes, procedures and systems used today to submit claims, prior authorizations and complete other administrative functions. The Department will provide more information about the upcoming implementation for members and providers in the coming weeks, and asks that you please reach out to the Next Generation mailbox with questions.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is recommending for the first time ever that health care professionals screen children and adolescents ages 8 to 18 years for anxiety, and screening children from 12 to 18 years for major depressive disorder. Although the Task Force ultimately concluded there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening for anxiety and depression in younger children, concerns have been expressed about escalating mental health needs. In December the U.S. Sur­geon Gen­er­al issued an advi­so­ry on the urgent need to address the nation’s youth men­tal health cri­sis; more recently, a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that rates of anxiety and depression increased more than 25 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting over a million children. The Task Force's announcement was based on a literature review published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In their report, the Task Force called for studies to close research gaps in several areas, including: the benefits and harms of screening children and adolescents for anxiety or suicide risk in primary care settings compared with no screening or usual care, the feasibility of using screening tools in primary care; the accuracy of screening tools in children and adolescents and the effectiveness of anxiety treatment in younger children; the benefits and harms of screening for and treating major depressive disorder in children 11 years or younger; and the effects of collaborative care and integrated behavioral health in children and adolescents. You can read the report here.

The 29th AFCARS report was recently released. This report provides preliminary estimates of Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data for FY 2021. National foster care and adoption data released show the number of children entering foster care has decreased for the fourth consecutive year, and the number of children adopted from foster care decreased for the second consecutive year. These numbers align with ACF’s prioritization of prevention and kinship services provided in the community. However, factors related to the pandemic may have also contributed to the observed decreases in foster care and adoption. As states are permitted to resubmit AFCARS data, the estimates may change over time. This report reflects all AFCARS data received as of June 28, 2022, related to AFCARS reporting periods through September 30, 2021. You can read more here.

Ohio’s SFY 2023 Crisis Academy will continue on Dec. 9 with The EmPATH Model and Behavioral Health Urgent Care. Hosted by OhioMHAS, in partnership with RecoveryOhio and the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, this webinar focuses on both the Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing (EmPATH) and Behavioral Health Urgent Care models and how they are being used within the crisis continuum of care. Dr. Scott Zeller, the developer of the EmPATH model, will share how hospital systems have utilized this model to improve client care while avoiding unnecessary time in traditional emergency departments. Travis Atkinson from TBD Solutions will provide an overview of behavioral health urgent care models. Additionally, two local system of care will share their experiences starting a psychiatric urgent care unit, the challenges and opportunities they have encountered, and how the unit has improved crisis care in their community. CEUs are being requested for Ohio social workers, counselors, SUD treatment and prevention professionals, and peer supporters. Click the link above for more information and to register.

In 2020, Ohio House Bill 8, (HB 8) which authorized the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to re-design foster parent training curriculum and hour requirements, became law. Since then, ODJFS has been drafting administrative code language to implement these changes and on November 2, OAC rules 5101:2-5-33 and 5101:2-5-38 were final filed with the state. OAC 5101:2-5-33: Foster Caregiver Preplacement and Continuing Training provides guidance on the training requirements of a foster caregiver. Changes in this rule will: Lower the pre-service training hour requirement to 24 hours. Lower the ongoing family foster parent training requirement to 30 hours Lower the ongoing treatment foster parent training requirement to 45 hours. Continue to mandate 18 pre-service training topics, although they have been altered. Mandate 11 training topics in the first certification period, which is called “Resource Readiness”. Allow for 100% of training to be completed via live-synchronous training. Allow for training outside of the classroom to count as one-half of all required continuing training hours. OAC 5101:2-5-38: Payment of foster caregiver training stipends; reimbursement of training allowances to recommending agencies provides guidance to agencies on agency payment and reimbursement for foster caregiver stipends and training allowances. Changes in this rule will: Lower the reimbursement of pre-service training to 24 hours. Lower the reimbursement of ongoing family foster parent training to 30 hours Lower the reimbursement of ongoing treatment foster parent training to 45 hours. Increase training stipends to $15 for families and reimbursement for agencies to $20. All of these changes will take effect beginning in January, 2023. How do you feel about these changes? Is your agency prepared for January? Contact Kate.Rossman@ohiochildrensalliance.org with any questions or feedback.

ODJFS Offices of Family Assistance and Families and Children, in partnership with OhioMHAS, is releasing information on the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) renewal process. Individuals with current Trauma-Informed Care Certificates are now able to renew their current level certificate or apply for a higher-level certificate through their OCCRRA Ohio Professional Registry (OPR) account. The renewal process can begin 90 days prior to a TIC certificate expiration. Those who already have a TIC certificate will receive an email about renewing the certificate approximately 90 days prior to the expiration date of the current certificate. Certificates renewed at the same level will be valid for a period of two years. If an individual is interested in a higher-level certificate, a new application will need to be completed. The new application can be submitted through the account already created in the OPR. Please note that the Level 3 Trauma Informed Care Certificate includes an education requirement. If you are going to apply for the Level 3 Certificate, upload the required education to the Education tab in your profile for review by the OPR staff.

One year ago the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) declared a National State of Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. To mark this anniversary, AAP, AACAP and CHA sent a letter with over 130 signatories to the Biden administration asking they do more to address the mental health needs of children, specifically requesting they issue a National Emergency Declaration in children’s mental health. The organizations are calling for a robust and comprehensive mental health workforce strategy that prioritizes investments in training pediatric mental health and primary care professionals, including promoting relational health and trauma-informed care approaches. The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that they believe a federal state of emergency declaration would "galvanize existing critical funding streams and support to help ensure that all children and adolescents can access the full continuum of mental and behavioral health care from promotion and prevention to early identification and treatment." Learn more in their press release.