Ohio Grandparent/Kinship Coalition Recognizes Grandparent/Kinship Month with Advocacy Day and Personal Stories
To celebrate the relatives and non-relatives who provide stability, love, and support as kinship families, the Ohio Grandparent/Kinship Coalition (OGKC) is advocating for and telling the stories of kinship caregivers.
Governor Mike DeWine issued a proclamation marking September as Grandparent/Kinship Month and recognizing that nearly 300,000 Ohio children under the age of 18 live in homes with caregivers who are not their parents.
Beginning September 9, 2024 OGKC is providing an opportunity for individuals to campaign for changes for kinship families. Click here to view the flyer.
OCKC also has a YouTube page showcasing the real stories of kinship caregivers. You can watch them here.
 Where are we now? Normalcy and the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard – 10 years later
In September 2014, Ohio passed legislation encouraging normal childhood and teen activities for youth involved with protective services in Ohio. That same month, nearly identical legislation was passed by the federal government in the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014. The motivation behind both bills was a recognition that all kids want to feel normal and do normal kid things. When adults in their lives have to endure background checks and home assessments to have the child have a sleepover with their best friend, or play football on the local youth team, that is anything but normal. If teens aren’t able to spend time with their friends, or learn how to drive a car, that is anything but normal.
When these laws went into effect, the state encouraged each PCSA to create applicable policies to guide all parties about normalcy and the reasonable and prudent parent standard (RPPS) and the types of decisions they are able to make without custodial agency intervention. We at DCY would like to take the opportunity, on this 10th anniversary, to urge county administrators and attorneys to review their policies and practices on the topic and talk with resource caregivers and youth in their custody to determine where other allowances can be provided.
While we understand the hesitation and concern these activities bring, Ohio law states that caregivers are immune from liability if they acted in good faith, within their scope as a caregiver, and used the RPPS in making their decision. Furthermore, the same law declares the custodial agency immune from liability if the caregiver uses the RPPS. DCY acknowledges that regardless of the previously mentioned immunity, agency staff and resource caregivers must still follow their own policies. While the concern for liability is valid, so is the impact on our youth when they are not able to do normal childhood activities. Kevin, a young man who grew up in our system, describes it best:
Normalcy to me is having a life that is unobstructed by foster care and the limits that are very blatantly placed on you as a foster youth. Normalcy is also being able to experience everything that you would've experienced if you were not in foster care.
Many county agencies are being very open-minded and creative when it comes to the topic of normalcy. Some are using Independent Living sources to help match funds for cars, pay for prom dresses, class rings, varsity jackets, pay to play fees, and other activities. Learn more about these opportunities and the importance of normalcy in a virtual training session “Normalcy and the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard- 10 Years Later” on Monday, September 30th, from 1:00pm-3:00pm. Registration is available through CAPS LMS, and all public and private agency staff are encouraged to participate. If you have any questions about registering for the training, please reach out to OFCTraning@childrenandyouth.ohio.gov. If you’d like more information on how to use IL funding more creatively to support normalcy, please reach out to transitional-youth-programs@childrenandyouth.ohio.gov.
From Ohio Department of Medicaid: Doula Trainings are Coming!
From the OJFSDA Daily Update 8/28/24
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), along with our partners at the Ohio Board of Nursing (BON) and Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCO), will be hosting a training series for doulas. We hope that anyone interested in becoming a certified doula in the State of Ohio with the intent to serve Ohio Medicaid members, will register for this training series. Each virtual training session date and time, along with a quick snapshot of the agenda, can be found below. Registration for the training series can be found on the ODM doula webpage.
Training session 1: Tuesday, September 10 from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Medicaid 101, National Provider Identifier (NPI) basics, BON certification process, ODM provider enrollment process
Training session 2: Thursday, September 26 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. MCO 101 and contracting process
Training session 3: Tuesday, October 29 from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. MCO claims billing and prior authorization process
Training session 4: Thursday, November 7 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Fee-for-service billing and prior authorization process
Training session 5: Thursday, November 21 from 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m. Related maternal health topics overview
Register Today
|
