News

November is National Adoption Month. More than 3,600 children are available for adoption from foster care across Ohio, waiting for a permanent, loving family. County children services agencies are working with courts to finalize adoptions this month and celebrate the forever families who will be legally created. Resources are available to assist agency staff, recruiters, […]

PCSAO announced today that former Program Coordinator Christine Morris has been promoted to the position of Ohio START Regional Manager. As the Ohio START Regional Manager, Morris will help lead technical assistance for counties implementing Ohio START, a children services-led intervention model administered by PCSAO that helps families struggling with co-occurring child maltreatment and substance

An August report from the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service finds that parents benefit in many significant ways from Ohio START, the model that serves families with co-occurring substance use disorder and child maltreatment. Ohio START Parent Interview Findings demonstrates the value of the model based on interviews with 60 parents

The 39th annual conference of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio celebrated the child protection workforce while recognizing outstanding families, youth leaders, advocates and partners. “This Is Us: The Child Protection Team” concluded today after kicking off Monday with a keynote address by Dr. Amy Acton, who shared wisdom from her time as Ohio’s

September is National Kinship Care Month. PCSAO is recognizing kinship caregivers at our annual conference Sept. 9-11. Here are some helpful resources: Gov. Mike DeWine issued a proclamation declaring September to be Grandparent/Kinship Month; The Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigator is a  free service for Ohio’s kinship and adoptive families, with OhioKAN Navigators available to

PCSAO announced today that former Ohio START Regional Manager Jen McClellan has been promoted to a new position, Evaluation and Performance Manager. McClellan completed her PhD in social work from Walden University this spring. As the Evaluation and Performance Manager, McClellan will focus primarily on Ohio START, a children services-led intervention model administered by PCSAO

Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature child welfare sobriety and resiliency program, Ohio START, announced today the expansion of its model to include Adams, Madison, Montgomery and Pike counties, marking the addition of a seventh cohort and bringing the total number of participating counties to 56. Ohio START (Sobriety, Treatment and Reducing Trauma) is an evidence-based intervention

PCSAO’s Executive Director Angela Sausser released this statement today in response to Gov. Mike DeWine’s State of the State address: “On this day when children’s advocates across the state are wearing blue to demonstrate their commitment to preventing child abuse and neglect, we applaud Gov. Mike DeWine for his ongoing, persistent focus on Ohio’s children,

Workers and families value similar things in their work with one another, including honesty, collaboration, hope, confidence, and dignity. That’s one finding from focus groups with children services caseworkers and families they serve included in PACT Behavioral Research Project: Early Insights from a Pilot Survey conducted by Kaye Implementation & Evaluation. The research supports the theory behind Ohio’s

PCSAO released its 2023 annual report today, documenting a successful year of advocacy for safe children, stable families, and supportive communities. The report outlines accomplishments related to the $15 million workforce grant, the placement crisis and continuum of care, the biennial state budget, and the highly successful annual conference. Detailed outcomes are provided for Ohio START, PACT, safety culture, and