DeWine releases report on Ohio Child Welfare System; announces new Foster Care Advisory Group
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has released a report outlining several issues surrounding Ohio's child welfare system, specifically the state's foster care system.
The Child Safety Summit Report outlines multiple concerns identified after the Attorney General held eight child safety summits in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, Akron, Dayton, and St. Clairsville.
"We held the child safety summits to hear from the people who know the child welfare system the most: foster parents, foster youth, juvenile judges, and those who work in the child welfare community," said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. "They told us about their achievements and their struggles, and now we have a good foundation to build on to suggest changes needed to help protect Ohio's foster children."
The new report contains several of the major issues revealed during the summits, including:
• Restrictions in Foster Parent Participation;
• Guardian ad Litem Noncompliance with Rule 48;
• Few Mentors for Foster Youth;
• Stigmas Surrounding Youth in Foster Care; and,
• Decreasing Accountability and Funding Barriers to Permanency.
To address these issues, the Attorney General has assembled a group of child welfare experts to form a Foster Care Advisory Group.
The Foster Care Advisory Group is comprised of a diverse number of child welfare experts, members of the juvenile justice system, foster parents, and former foster youth. Members are tasked with issuing specific recommendations to address the concerns identified in the Child Safety Summit Report.
"Now is the time for innovative changes to ensure that every child has a safe, loving, and permanent home," said DeWine.
The group's final recommendations are due in 90 days.