The following statement can be attributed to Angela Sausser, executive director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio:
“We are gratified that in his State of the State address today, Gov. Mike DeWine featured an Ohio START Family Peer Mentor in the audience. Laurel Ridenour with Hope Recovery Community serves as the Ohio START Family Peer Mentor for Medina County Job & Family Services. She was invited to this year’s event to serve as an example of how certified peer supports can offer a pathway to employment for people affected by substance use disorder and incarceration.
“In Laurel’s role as a family peer mentor, she works side by side with families struggling with substance use disorder and child maltreatment. Ohio START was launched by then-Attorney General DeWine in 2017 and is now an evidence-based child welfare-led practice in 56 counties. We believe very strongly in what peers bring to children services, and funding certified peer supports in the proposed budget will help more agencies and sectors benefit from their lived experiences.
“Gov. DeWine also highlighted the one-time investment of $30 million over the biennium to develop regional child wellness campuses, where children with acute trauma can be stabilized and assessed so that an appropriate placement can be found. This is a much-needed solution so that children with complex, multi-system needs do not have to sleep in a county children services office. We are grateful for the Governor’s proposed one-time funding to develop innovative regional campuses.
“PCSAO and its membership of county children services agencies appreciate the Governor’s and the General Assembly’s support for continued investment in children services and in other efforts, like the Child Tax Credit, that research shows can prevent child abuse/neglect and involvement with our system.”
Pictured is Laurel Ridenour (center) with Gov. and First Lady DeWine (left) and Lt. Gov. and Second Lady Tressel (right).