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Ever since 2007, Thanksgiving has been a time for Ohio’s current and former foster youth to gather in November for Thanksgiving Together. The event is an opportunity for participants to share their voices, insights, talents, abilities and goals for the future. Thanksgiving Together welcomes current foster care youth age 14+, and former foster care youth ages 18+ to attend. Youth and alumni are welcome to bring one or more guests. The purpose of this annual gathering is encapsulated in this quote from a poem by former foster youth Danny Taylor: “I ask myself every day, how can I build on this foundation? I want my brothers and sisters to have it better than me. Come forth, let your plate be stacked… Every time I take a bite, I savor the flavor and think how much better it tastes around everyone.” In 2022, early Thanksgivings will be held in Xenia and Columbus. Registration is free, but required. (Link to register: https://fosteractionohio.org/thanksgiving-together) 2022 Southwest Ohio Thanksgiving Dinner Saturday, November 12, 2022 From 12:30 – 3:00 pm Emerge Banquet Center, 2690 West Enon Road, Xenia OH 45385 *Associated with the Emerge Emancipation Program 2022 Central Ohio Thanksgiving Dinner Sunday, November 20, 2022 From 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Reynoldsburg High School’s Summit Campus 8579 Summit Road, Reynoldsburg OH 43068 *The entrance to the event will be marked with balloons During the event, participants will be able to network, encourage one another, and share their personal recipes for success. They will also learn information about resources to help them succeed. The event includes a raffle and giveaways, including blankets from My Very Own Blanket. The hope is that participants leave with more than what they came with – including encouragement in their hearts. Below are some examples from cards made by current and former foster youth to encourage one another.

November is National Adoption Month, and we want to raise awareness that permanency is needed for more than 3,000 children in Ohio’s foster care system who are waiting to be adopted. One way to facilitate permanency is ensuring an adequate child welfare workforce. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in conjunction with Adopt America Network (AAN) has announced the statewide launch of the Adoption and Resource Home Assessor Program (ARHAP) on July 11, 2022. Since then AAN has been completing almost two hundred Homestudy or Kinship Assessments. ARHAP is currently serving 22 Public agencies and 8 private agencies across the State. Many private agencies are experiencing high turn-over with staffing. If they are fortunate to have an Assessor available to do Assessments, often times those families are left waiting until the Homestudy can be completed. The ARHAP Program was designed to help agencies through these tough times. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Families and Children (OFC) has been working to collaborate on ways to address the issue of identifying and certifying resource and adoptive homes across the state. County public children service agencies (PCSAs) and Title IV-E courts experience challenges in finding resource (foster and kinship) and adoptive families who can meet the needs of children in their custody for many different reasons, which may include a lack of qualified assessors to complete the required home studies as well as a lack of resource and adoptive family candidates. OFC has been working to establish new ways to increase the number of resource and adoptive families available and to augment the current home assessor workforce for agencies, as they work to meet the needs of the children entrusted to their care. The Adoption and Resource Home Assessor Program (ARHAP) has been created to help meet these needs. ARHAP maintains a pool of certified assessors in every region of the state who perform assessments for Public Children Services Agencies (PCSA), Private Noncustodial Agencies (PNA), Private Child Placing Agencies (PCPA) and Title IV-E courts, upon request and as availability permits. ARHAP accepts requests to perform homestudies for adoption, foster, foster and adoption, and kinship assessments, including those home studies and assessments required through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) process. During the 2023 fiscal year, ODJFS will cover the Assessor costs of up to 800 homestudies and 700 kinship assessments through ARHAP. After accepting a request, ARHAP’s staff assign and monitor the progress of the assessor and will report the home study’s/assessment’s progress to the requesting agency every two weeks. If you have questions about ARHAP, would like to submit a request for services, or would like to schedule an introductory meeting for your agency, please contact the AAN Director of Operations and Programs, Jessica Swaisgood at Jswaisgood@adoptamericanetwork.org. You may also visit www.ARHAP.org to learn more and request a home study/assessment.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced he is enhancing his Bold Beginning Initiative to remove barriers to health care, ease financial burden, and support parents. In partnership with the Governor’s Children’s Initiative, Governor DeWine’s Bold Beginning Initiative is being expanded to include plans surrounding healthcare, stability, and Ohio as an employer taking the lead to support new families. Some examples of Bold Beginnings programming to improve healthcare and family stability: More Health Coverage for Moms and Babies Comprehensive Maternal Care Program Supporting Mental Health and Wellness Care Coordination for Children with Complex Needs Safe, Secure Housing for More Struggling and New Mothers Expand Programs to Meaningfully Engage Fathers Click HERE to read the full press announcement.

ODJFS has announced that the Ohio Certification for Agencies and Families (OCAF) will be used statewide to streamline and standardize the inquiry, application, and certification process for foster and/or adoptive homes, as well as agencies, in Ohio. This portal will provide one source for certification of agencies and families. OCAF will be developed and implemented in phases, with Phase 1 expected to go-live at the end of October 2022. Phase 1 will allow agencies to enter inquiries they have received into OCAF, send inquiry packet information through portal messages to prospective families, and accept electronic foster care and/or adoptive applications (the JFS 01691) from prospective families. Future phases of OCAF will include a full integration to Ohio SACWIS. Items used in the Provider Module of Ohio SACWIS, such as the homestudy, certification, recertification, rule violations, and activity logs will eventually be added in to OCAF. The goal is for families, agencies, and agency workers to be able to enter and maintain all certification activities in OCAF. These phases are expected to be implemented in 2023 and 2024. Please contact us with any questions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra signed the latest extension of the PHE designation. This extension, which is set to expire January 11, 2023, marks the continuation of several temporary authorities afforded under the PHE. Read a summary outlining the Medicare- and Medicaid-specific flexibilities afforded under the COVID-19 PHE. The public health emergency was initially declared in January 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began. It has been renewed each quarter since and was due to expire on October 15, 2022. HHS said that the Biden Administration will give states 60 days' notice prior to termination or expiration. It has been speculated that this may be the last extension of the PHE. This renewal extends the wide array of waivers and flexibilities that have been issued by HHS in response to COVID-19, including the scale-up of telehealth visits, emergency approval of new drugs and tests, and new flexibility for government-run health insurance programs. The Ohio Department of Medicaid recently released a COVID-19 Unwinding page, which includes materials and templates for stakeholders and partners to help prepare Medicaid members for the end of the public health emergency (PHE) and any actions they need to take.

Recently, ODJFS sent information to public and private agencies about the new Child and Adult Protective Services (CAPS) Learning Management System (LMS). Here are the highlights: A new learning management system will be implemented later this year to help connect the Office of Families and Children and its trainees. The Child and Adult Protective Services Learning Management System (CAPS LMS) will serve certain county and state employees as well as external populations including foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers. To facilitate the transfer to CAPS LMS, scheduled downtime dates for E-track and GoSignMeUp will be from November 18 – November 29, 2022. Users will not have access to any learning management system during this time. Agencies will no longer have access to your completed certificates in the legacy systems once the downtime begins because previous certificates will not be available in CAPS LMS. If you need to show proof of your training certificates for licensure purposes, you must download, save, and/or print the relevant certificates by November 17, 2022. CAPS LMS launches on November 30, 2022.

As many of you know, ODJFS is currently leading an initiative to standardize a three-tier Tiered Foster Care (TFC) system, which would change the treatment foster care landscape statewide for public and private agencies as well as youth and families. They have also stood up a Workgroup and several subgroups to provide feedback on and help shape the work. The Workgroup meetings will be paused in November and December and a Pilot Tiered Foster Care system will be established in the coming weeks. Currently, the public agencies participating in the Pilot are undergoing training with ODJFS, and private agencies are being identified for participation. Recently, ODJFS discussed two draft documents with the Tiered Foster Care Workgroup: Caregiver Support Document Caregiver Assessment Tool The Caregiver Support Document would not be required, but could be completed by the treatment team in collaboration with the foster parent to identify any needed supports. The Caregiver Assessment Tool would need to be completed by a licensing assessor for each caregiver as an initial assessment and again each time a child is placed to determine the caregiver’s qualifications. As a reminder, under the Tiered Foster Care system, both children and foster families would need to be placed into a particular tier corresponding to needs and/or skills. Foster families would not be licensed by tier, but would be identified and placed into a particular tier after being licensed. Please review these and share any questions/comments/feedback with kate.rossman@ohiochildrensalliance.org. You and the families you serve can also share any feedback on any portion of the Tiered Treatment Foster Care work to OFC-Tiered-Foster-Care@jfs.ohio.gov.

Miami University has announced their award of $5M through a partnership between OhioMHAS and the Ohio Department of Education to prioritize mental health and wellness for K-12 students and staff across the state. The grant will allow Miami to transform the Center for School-Based Mental Health Programs into a new School-based Center of Excellence (SBCOE) for Prevention and Early Intervention to address an ongoing mental health crisis. The SBCOE will act as a hub to house a host of current and ongoing school-based mental health initiatives, statewide projects, and multi-year projects including the Ohio School Wellness Initiative (OSWI), which recently completed a 21-month plan to establish best practice standards for student assistance programs and staff wellness frameworks. Alongside OSWI, the SBCOE will oversee several additional plans and projects including: Supporting a workforce development program to address the shortage of K-12 mental health providers by providing training and support for aspiring and existing professionals. Facilitating key collaborative partnerships among educational institutions, professional organizations, and businesses that have a vested interest in the well-being of families, children, students, and schools across communities. Establishing more services for students who may need extra support, as well as for those with previously diagnosed mental health or substance use issues who may need intensive individualized services. To learn more, read Miami University's full announcement here.

Every voice matters. Using your voice effectively is a powerful tool to effect change. That’s why Selfless Love Foundation is declaring October as Foster Youth Voice Month. Through impactful stories from young people who have been in the child welfare system, the national campaign will help to change the lives of foster children now and in the future. Selfless Love Foundation’s foster youth initiative, One Voice Impact (OVI), which provides opportunities for young people to work alongside leaders to improve the child welfare system, has successfully advocated for research to improve independent living services and developed a network of youth councils in Florida. To learn more about the Selfless Voice Foundation or to get involved, visit their site here.

The Ohio Association of Health Plans has recognized the CareSource Child & Family Health Collaborative Behavioral Health Respite Care Program with a Pinnacle Award. The Child and Family Health Collaborative of Ohio, a subsidiary of the Ohio Children's Alliance, and CareSource have partnered to develop a program offering therapeutic relief for families with the goal of preventing the need for acute behavioral health interventions. Within six months of receiving respite care, the program has decreased acute services usage by 88%. The OAHP Pinnacle Award recognizes health plans for achievements in addressing challenges of a shifting health care environment through achievements in health care programs. You can learn more about this award-winning program, which connects caregivers and families with vital resources, here: https://www.cfhcohio.org/respite-care

Earlier this year, OhioMHAS convened a 340 Review Stakeholder Workgroup to review Ohio Revised Code Chapter 340 which regards Ohio ADAMH Boards. The Workgroup has been reviewing and identifying code sections, defining specific challenges, and exploring recommended solutions. As a new phase of the 340 review process, OhioMHAS is now convening in-person and virtual listening sessions to allow for local input and perspective on issues the 340 Workgroup has been considering. Anyone interested in participating in-person or virtual, must RSVP to 340ReviewWorkgroup@mha.ohio.gov no later than one week in advance of the meeting date. RSVPs should include full name, organization (if applicable), and county of residence. Please also indicate if any special accommodation is needed. The meetings are open to the public, and a public comment period will be a part of each of these sessions. The dates and times of these meetings are below: In-Person Sessions have been organized regionally by OhioMHAS Regional Psychiatric Hospital catchment areas and there are four left: Northeast Ohio: Thursday, Oct. 13, (2-4 p.m., Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St, Akron). RSVP by Oct. 6. Appalachia/Southeast Ohio: Thursday, Oct. 27, (location to be confirmed). RSVP by Oct. 20. Southwest Ohio: Monday, Nov. 7, (2-4 p.m. Warren County Educational Service Center, 1879 Deerfield Rd. Lebanon). RSVP by Oct. 31. Northwest Ohio: Monday, Nov. 14, (2-4 p.m., Wood County Educational Service Center, 1867 Research Drive, Bowling Green). RSVP by Nov. 7. Virtual Sessions To receive a link to these sessions, please register by sending an email to 340ReviewWorkgroup@mha.ohio.gov no later than one week in advance of the meeting date. Monday, Oct. 24, 6-8 p.m. RSVP by Oct. 17. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 6-8 p.m. Please note this session is reserved specifically for peers and organizations run by peers. RSVP by Oct. 25. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m.-12 noon. RSVP by Nov. 2.

ODJFS posted draft changes to OAC 5101:2-33-70 in October 2021 and has undergone several rounds of public comment and feedback. Some of the significant provisions include: Additional data entry requirements were added for PCPAs and PNAs regarding visits with the provider. Requirements for data entry into the residential treatment information system (RTIS) within SACWIS regarding discharge planning activities and aftercare support for those operating residential facilities. A prohibition of employees or contractors from entering or viewing data when a conflict of interest exists. Allowing for a corrective action plan to be put in place if it is found that there has been a violation of the rule and the JFS 07078 “Code of Responsibility.” Requirements for SACWIS/RTIS information to be submitted the same day, or when available. The rule has now been final filed and will take effect October 1. You can find the new language here. As you implement these changes, contact us and let us know what you think!

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) recently updated its roadmap for the eventual end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) for health care providers. The public health emergency was initially declared in January 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began. While the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not announced its intention to end the PHE, it encourages providers to prepare for the end of the PHE, which is currently set to expire on October 15. Many of the waivers and flexibilities that were critical to respond to the pandemic will terminate when the PHE ends. CMS continues to update its resources and materials to help providers with the transition from the PHE. For more information on COVID-19 blanket waivers, click here and for additional resources. As a reminder, a wide array of waivers and flexibilities that have been issued by HHS in response to COVID-19, including the scale-up of telehealth visits, emergency approval of new drugs and tests, and new flexibility for government-run health insurance programs will end when the federal public emergency ends.

HHS, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, announced more than $47 million in new grant funding opportunities, designated by the Bipartisan Safer communities Act, that will go to programs to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and assist high-risk youth and families by promoting resilience and equity in communities. These programs include: 1. Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (AWARE) to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services that promote the healthy social and emotional development of school-aged youth and prevent youth violence in school settings. 2. Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma (ReCAST), which helps assist high-risk youth and families by promoting resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest, community violence, and/or collective trauma through implementation of evidence-based, violence prevention, and community youth engagement programs, as well as linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services. The new grant funding opportunities build on previous actions announced by HHS earlier this year.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a request for information regarding the agency’s payment policies and quality programs. The agency is specifically interested in comments from stakeholders on the following topics: health care accessibility; provider experiences; advancing health equity; and the impact of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) waivers and flexibilities. According to CMS the agency is seeking to better understand burdens on the individual and communities, opportunities to reduce disparities, and ways to promote innovation and efficiency in its programs. CMS will accept responses until November 4. For more information, click here.

Senate Bill 239, signed by Governor DeWine in June, would allow for unlicensed individuals to become treatment staff within private agencies, and establishes training requirements for these individuals. Implementation of this bill began this month. What does it mean? Agencies who want to take advantage of this flexibility have to utilize a training plan for these individuals covering specific topics for the foreseeable future. ODJFS released Procedure Letter 395, which outlines the process for private agencies to submit training curricula. Below are highlights from the PL: Agencies cannot utilize non-licensed treatment staff prior to submitting a training plan. Once the training curriculum has been submitted, ODJFS will have 60 days to review and approve/disapprove. The training program submission should include the prescribed cover sheet. The training program must include learning objectives from ORC section 5135.122 (a), (b), (c), (g),(h), (j), and (l) Non-licensed professional treatment staff must complete an ODJFS approved training within one year from the date of utilization as a professional treatment staff. Are you utilizing the SB 239 flexibilities? Contact Kate.Rossman@ohiochildrensalliance.org and tell us about your experience!

September is National Kinship Care Month, an opportunity to recognize and celebrate all kinship caregivers. Across the country, approximately 2.7 million grandparents and 1.4 million other relatives are providing kinship care for children. Grandparents and relatives residing in households all over Ohio have stepped forward out of love and loyalty to care for children during times in which biological parents are unable to do so. Kinship caregivers provide safety, promote wellbeing, and establish stable households for vulnerable children while: Maintaining family relationships and cultural heritage Ensuring the child stays in their community To assist you in supporting kinship caregivers, FFTA has developed a resource page that includes a kinship care toolkit, resources, videos and much more. You can access it here.

As part of the next step in the rule filing process, the draft foster parent training rule changes that were posted to Clearance and submitted to the Common Sense Initiative Office (CSIO) have now been Original Filed with the Register of Ohio. This provides another opportunity for you to provide public comment on the rules. 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 would: 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. Beginning in 2023, 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 would: 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. *Please note that the private agency is solely responsible for foster caregiver stipend payments that exceed the amount reimbursable to the recommending agency, per OAC 5101:2-5-38.* In addition, OAC 5101:2-5-28: Agency Cause for Denial of Initial Certification, Denial or Recertification or Revocation of a Foster Home Certificate, which provides guides to agencies on the process for recommending denial or revocation of a foster home, was updated for clarity. You can find more information, including the public notice, draft rule language, completed Business Impact Analysis, and more, by searching each rule number here. A public hearing on the proposed rule will be held on September 29 at 10 am via teleconference. If you would like to submit oral testimony, please call in at the above date and time to 1-614-721-2972. Then enter the meeting I.D. which is 671 534 913#. Written testimony may also be submitted electronically to rules@jfs.ohio.gov. Written comments submitted no later than the date of the public hearing will be treated as testimony.

The child welfare workforce is an integral part of communities across Ohio. Child welfare professionals protect children and strengthen families, and improve the lives of people in their communities, often in challenging circumstances. Expressing gratitude for, honoring, and supporting the workforce is critical and aligns well with taking a strengths-based approach to the field. That is why it is so important to come together to celebrate Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week, September 12-16, 2022. As part of Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week, NCWWI and the Children's Bureau are hosting a one-hour virtual recognition event on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 3:00 pm EDT. This year's speakers include: Aysha E. Schomburg, Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Tamara Vest, Independent Living Coordinator at Murray State University and active advocate who uses her lived experience in foster care to contribute to the transformation of the child welfare system Audrey Cavenecia, Award-Winning Chief Content Officer and Podcast Host at Amplify Voices Jodi Hill-Lilly, Deputy Commissioner at Connecticut Department of Children and Families and NCWWI Advisory Board Member. You can register here.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has released Procedure Letter 394, which will temporarily allow flexibility in some rule and practice requirements to provide relief to the public and private child welfare workforce. PL 394 outlines increased flexibilities in certain rule and non-rule-impacted ODJFS procedures. These flexibilities, which include requiring foster care agencies to submit a training plan only if there is a change and decreasing training requirements for residential facility staff, will be effective from September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2023, unless otherwise determined by ODJFS. Many changes for all ODJFS-licensed facilities are contained in PL 394 which we are reviewing and will talk more about in our upcoming Foster Care and Adoption and Residential Center-Group Home Committees. In the meantime, please review it here and feel free to reach out with any questions and/or feedback to Kate.Rossman@ohiochildrensalliance.org.