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 director of health during the COVID lockdowns. “Dr. Acton described qualities of vulnerability, brutal honesty and empowerment that helped her inspire and protect Ohioans during daily news conferences with Gov. DeWine, and earned her the Profile in COVID Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in 2021 and the Woman of the Year for Ohio from USA Today in 2022,” said PCSAO Executive Director Angela Sausser. “These qualities translate well to the work that children services caseworkers do with families every day.”
Generously supported by Aetna OhioRISE, the Center for Innovative Practices Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence and 51 other sponsors, the conference drew 600 attendees and featured more than 35 workshops. Appropriately, the conference took place during Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week.
Ohio Department of Children and Youth Director Kara B. Wente received the PCSAO Partner of the Year award and helped present the Leaders of Tomorrow awards to young people who had contact with the foster care system and, despite their circumstances, demonstrated growth, resiliency and leadership.
Dayton poet and kinship caregiver Onita Morgan-Edwards read her poem about unexpectedly becoming a parenting grandmother as part of her Tuesday keynote, and Rep. Gail Pavliga received the PCSAO Legislator of the Year award for her work on the placement and treatment crisis. Rep. Pavliga then assisted with presenting the Families of the Year awards to birth, kin, foster and adoptive families.
On Wednesday, the Northwest Treatment Foster Care Collaborative received the PCSAO Child and Family Advocate of the Year award. A caseworker, supervisor, advocate and support staff were recognized for outstanding professionalism. The ceremony wrapped up with a live recording of the 3,000 Good Things podcast, a weekly uplifting story about the work of child protection launched as part of Ohio’s shared practice model, Practice in Action Together (PACT).