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Governor DeWine recently announced grant awards to expand early childhood mental health services across the state. Early childhood mental health (ECMH) refers to the social, emotional and behavioral wellbeing of young children and their families, including the ability to understand and express emotions, form healthy attachments, and feel confident exploring their environment. Through the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, and the Governor’s Office of Children’s Initiatives, nearly $1 million in grants were awarded to 12 mental health providers across the state. This large investment will allow more families to access mental health services for children during a crucial time of development. View the Governor’s press release here > #Governor #MentalHealth

On January 22, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown sent Governor DeWine a letter requesting increased kinship caregiver funding in the wake of D.O. v. Glisson saying approved kinship caregivers should receive the same payments as licensed foster parents. “Kinship caregivers across our state have taken the brave step of opening up their homes and their hearts to raise vulnerable children who could otherwise transition into homelessness, costly foster care placements, or the juvenile justice system,” Sen. Brown wrote. He added that “Federal, state, and local policies fail to recognize these challenges, which may prevent grandparents from accessing the housing, health, education, and legal services they need. Any strategy to address this crisis and support kinship caregivers must maximize every available resource.” The Senator also encouraged the state to implement the Guardianship Assistance Payment program for kinship caregivers. That program would expand placement options for children including those in foster care. #Governor #Kinship #Guardianship #FosterCare

Just before Christmas, InnovateOhio, an initiative created by Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted released a report titled “The Ohio Broadband Strategy.” The report, called “a crucial step forward in our efforts to bridge the digital divide…” by the Lt. Governor includes telehealth as a top priority of InnovateOhio, whose goal is launching a telehealth pilot providing mental health services to Ohio’s underserved and unserved areas. “Ohio will work to leverage and create value out of existing health assets for high-speed internet expansion to rural areas for telehealth services. The state will also continue to focus on federal dollars available to support telehealth services in Ohio.” View the full plan here > #Governor #Telehealth #InnovateOhio #MentalHealth

Last week we finished a new report titled A Path Forward For Kinship Families where we explore the current kinship care structure and provide recommendations that support a balanced, comprehensive approach to serving kinship families. Three years ago the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in D.O. v. Glisson that foster care maintenance payments must be the same for approved relative caregivers (kinship caregivers) as licensed non-relative caregivers (foster parents) in the Sixth Circuit’s four states: Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Ohio is the only state that has not made progress toward kinship and foster care parity. We believe our members have an important role to play in ensuring that kinship families across the continuum have the service and supports needed to help children thrive. This includes payment parity but also larger reforms to the kinship care landscape including pathways for strengthened licensure, access to supports, and prioritization of permanency. View our kinship report here > #Report #Kinship

Exhaustive list of issues identified, including 1,100 technology system defects. Last week, Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran released a 2019 year-end summary memo to Governor DeWine summarizing an exhaustive list of issues Ohio Medicaid inherited during its first year under the DeWine administration. According to the Department, Ohio Benefits, Ohio’s technology system that determines Medicaid eligibility, has nearly 1,100 defects. These defects include overwriting and eliminating documentation needed to prove eligibility, setting incorrect dates for benefit renewals, and in some cases, not triggering renewals at all. Also highlighted in the report was the overall decline in the Medicaid caseload beginning in March 2017 and its negative effects. “…only a few states witnessed a significant degree of increased morbidity, as in Ohio. While Ohio’s trend was most concentrated with the Group 8 expansion, this increased morbidity is also evident in the Covered Families and Children population.“ the report stated. Additionally, she criticized the last administration’s approach to managed care reimbursement of behavior health providers, multi-system youth and custody relinquishment, community engagements and work requirements waiver, PBMS, and Institutions for Mental Diseases Compliance and Financing, among others. “Considerable time and resources have been dedicated to repairing Ohio’s Medicaid program over the course of the last year.” She continued: “Though we have significant work ahead, our team is committed to restoring accountability to the Medicaid program and successfully implementing the priorities of this administration.” Contact Kate Rossman for the full report.

Congress passes H.R. 1865 The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act with inclusion of The Family First Transition Act. FFTA is bipartisan legislation we sent a call to action in November that would provide policy and financial aid to implement FFPSA. This means that Congress has now approved substantial funding to Ohio and other states to support Family First readiness, which is amazing news. Thank you to those who joined us in contacting your Members of Congress and urging them to support FFTA – our lobbying efforts paid off! It passed with bipartisan support in both chambers and with 10 cosponsors from the Ohio Congressional delegation: Representatives Chabot, Gibbs, Gonzalez, Johnson, Joyce, Kaptur, Latta, Ryan, Stivers, and Turner. Because of its passage, states are now slated to receive: $500 million in one-time transition funding to help states implement Family First ($18 million slated for Ohio) More flexibility for states to utilize one and two star evidence-based Prevention programs Short-term funding enhancement to states with expiring Title IV-E waivers (including Ohio) to help bridge the financial transition the waivers expiring nationally

10th and final meeting was held on January 13, 2020. The January 13 Children’s Services Advisory Council Meeting was the 10th and final of the forums held around the state, having traveled to Athens, Wapakoneta, Pataskala, Bowling Green, Medina, Lebanon, Canton, Cincinnati, and Columbus before its last stop in Cleveland. Thank you to all of the providers and advocates who provided testimony during this process on behalf of vulnerable kids and families. CEO Mark Mecum provided written comments to the Council on behalf of our 80 community agencies that empower over 100,000 children and family members each year calling for child welfare system realignment for FFPSA, boosting local recruitment efforts of treatment foster homes, and restructuring foster parent training, among others. “Now is a critical time to coordinate policy initiatives impacting child welfare, including Ohio’s foster care program,” Mecum said.  “We are committed to working with these new offices, the Council, and all system stakeholders to forge a better future for Ohioans.” We will remain vigilant as recommendations are shaped to give to the Governor.

Trading “custody for care” is discussed in the brief. The Institute for Innovation and Implementation released an issue brief on the practice of parents having to relinquish custody to obtain mental health services for their children that they could not access otherwise — trading “custody for care.” The document discusses the extent to which it continues, when and why it occurs, and progress that has been achieved to prevent it through legislation and advocacy initiatives. Read the report here.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently announced the members of his new Ohio School Safety Working Group. Ohio Children’s Alliance Mark Mecum was appointed to represent the voice of kids and community providers who keep kids safe and well. Governor DeWine called for the creation of the working group in August when announcing the development of the Ohio School Safety Center, a new office focused on bringing school districts and law enforcement across the state together to prevent and prepare to respond to threats, acts of violence, and acts of self-harm. The working group, led by the Ohio Department of Public Safety, is evaluating current issues regarding safety and advising the Ohio School Safety Center on its work. Ohio Children’s Alliance looks forward to working with a variety of stakeholders across the state to improve pediatric mental health.