Two Big Table Events in One Day

On Wednesday, September 25, 2024:

• OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Alivia participated in a Big Table event hosted by the Mirth Foundation. Link to more photos.
• OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors Aaron, Miatta, and Haley participated in a Big Table event hosted by the Junior League of Columbus. Link to more photos. 

Both Big Table events were focused on improving outcomes for young people in and from foster care. Here is a link to a document that illustrates how statistics are influenced by systemic factors. 

The Big Table is a community-wide day of conversation hosted by The Columbus Foundation that aims to inspire civic engagement and authentic human connection. The goal is to build momentum for a just and kind future for all. Volunteer hosts are equipped with a guidebook and materials to help facilitate discussions, in order to create open and natural conversations where all voices are heard.

Youth Entrusted to Congregate Care

Over the past five years, the number of young people in foster care in Ohio has been reduced by 2K -- but the number of youth in congregate care has barely changed at all.   

Just last Friday, OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Yalonda shared her experience of being placed in a series of unsafe congregate care placements, running away, being placed in juvenile detention, and then being placed in another residential placement.

She shared her insights on Monday with a legislative aide, who responded that:

• “It’s easy for us to just sit in cubicles and make policies, but we need to listen to the voices of youth.”

• “Too often for teens, there is no plan and no strategy; it’s just shuffling kids around.”

• “The system is overloaded and playing whack-a-mole."

• “A runaway child is not a criminal.”

• “Keep sharing your voice, Yalonda - if you stop, we all lose."

OHIO YAB's Ongoing Partnership With the Youth Ombudsman

Brina Collins, Yvette Onyango and Victoria Rundhaug

Youth Ombudsman Jenny Stotts continues to respond to youth insights in a helpful, caring and timely manner.

a.) During a recent virtual meeting, two OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors expressed interest in working or volunteering for the Youth Ombudsman Office. The Youth Ombudsman Office invited 2-3 young adults with foster care experience to serve as Technical Advisors on a special project: Link to flyer.

b.) Also, on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, a virtual focus group was hosted by three OSU students (pictured above) to invite youth input on the Rapid Innovation for Public Impact project (RIPI). The focus was on how to increase youth awareness throughout the state about their rights, and about the services and supports provided by the Youth Ombudsman. 

The ultimate goal of the RIPI project is to make sure all youth in foster care, kinship care, group homes and residential centers know about their rights and how to get help when they have concerns or questions.

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Dear OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors,

This letter is to acknowledge your written response and evaluation of the 2023 Annual Report of the Youth and Family Ombudsmen Office. I remain deeply grateful for your insight and feedback.

I would also like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in a breakout discussion with youth leaders at a recent statewide quarterly meeting of the Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board (OHIO YAB) to discuss screening practices. I have since shared the notes of that breakout discussion with leaders at the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY). I agree that consistent and comprehensive screening practices across Ohio are essential to ensuring youth safety.

I have forwarded a copy of your response and evaluation of our 2023 annual report to DCY and have planned for follow up discussions with members of their leadership team to further explore opportunities for collaboration to strengthen Ohio’s children services system.

Regarding your recommendations and interest to support the training of law enforcement professionals on their responsibilities as mandated reporters, I have shared that information with representatives of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and the Buckeye Sheriff’s Association.

Additionally, I shared a copy of your response/evaluation with the Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO) and advised them of your interest in meeting or presenting to discuss agency communication.

Thank you for providing such a comprehensive and compassionate response to our 2023 Annual Report. I look forward to continued collaboration and discussion. Please know that I remain open to your feedback, and I am always interested in hearing from you.

With gratitude,
Jenny Stotts, Youth Ombudsman

2024 DCY KIDS Summit - Panel Presentation

 

Link to more photos.

On Thursday, September 5, 2024, the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) convened teams of youth-serving agencies from each of Ohio's 88 counties at the Hilton Downtown Columbus. There were 900 attendees present. 

Their purpose was to:

• Share about the Department of Children and Youth and its mission to serve all Ohio children.
• Develop a plan to better support children and families in the community with a person-centered approach.
• Provide an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with local and other leaders from across the state to increase collaboration to support families.

OHIO YAB Youth Ambassadors Jaylin Hart and Yonnae Hobbs presented as part of a morning panel. Their purpose was to inspire attendees to "Do What's Right for Kids." Their experiences underscore the importance of having a youth-centered approach to decision-making:

• For Jaylin, reunification was not in his best interest. Repeated attempts at reunifying him with his biological family each time he came back into foster care cost him years of his life, and delayed his pursuit of permanency. Throughout the process, his voice was not heard.
  
  
• Yonnae never experienced abuse. Her parents struggled with poverty and unhealthy coping mechanisms. She feels that they could have received help, which would have allowed her to stay at home, rather than entering foster care. Yonnae has valuable insights to share about how systems could work better to support struggling families. 

2024 DCY Kids Summit ~ Two OHIO YAB Panelists

Jaylin Hart is an OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador and an active member of the VISION Youth Advisory Board in Montgomery County. His leadership is demonstrated through his involvement in both local and statewide activities, including presenting a workshop at the 2024 Leadership and Life Skills Summit. Jaylin also recently helped facilitate youth activities at the National Independent Living Conference in Orlando, Florida. He is a passionate voice advocating for current and former foster youth to forge permanent and positive changes in the system.

Yonnae Hobbs, also known as Yonnae Asé, is a former foster youth and an OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador. She is an active member of the Hamilton County Youth Advisory Board and works as a Youth Resource Navigator through the Transition Age Youth AmeriCorps program; her internship is through Cincinnati Works. Additionally, Yonnae serves as Recruitment and Retention Co-Chair for the Resilience Squad member of Hey, I’m Here Ohio. Her goals, and an expression of her character is to glow and grow and to be a voice rather than an echo. She seeks to improve the immediate experiences and long-term outcomes of young people in and from foster care. 

 

OHIO YAB Training for Bridges Liaisons

 

On Friday, August 30, OHIO YAB Ambassadors facilitated a GAP training for Bridges Liaisons. 

The title of the training was Strengthening the Bridge to Our Future, and it included this video.

The training was created with insights from:

• Erik Ezekiel 
• Mattie Harrod
• Miatta Joe
• Raven Grice
• Dinastea Pierre
• Kayla Daniels

And was presented by Raven Grice, Dinastea Pierre, Miatta Joe and Kayla Daniels. 

One participant, Jill Jones, wrote in the chat:  

• "I'm a Bridges Supervisor and have been involved with the program since it started. Our agency has been working with young adults who have aged out of care for many years. Everyone deserves support and a safety net. So many young adults just need support, encouragement and guidance to stay on track and achieve their goals. Thank you to the young adults on today's training. We appreciate your input and your honesty. Thank you to Miss Lisa for being an incredible advocate for those who have aged out of care."

Two other participants shared that their personal experience in foster care inspired them to become involved in the Bridges program. 

OHIO YAB Input on QRTP Monitoring Guide

On Friday, August 9, 2024, OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Caidyn Bearfield participated in a virtual meeting with Stevie Romano and Sharla O'Keefe of the Department of Children and Youth. The purpose of the call was to share youth feedback about the draft Qualified Residential Treatment Program Monitoring Guide. 

QRTP Requirement 5101:2-9-42 (B)(4) implements a trauma-informed approach in which all employees, volunteers, interns, independent contractors within the facility are trained in that trauma-informed approach. Trauma informed training is to occur within the first thirty days of hire and annually thereafter in accordance with 5101:2-9-03 of the Administrative Code. 

During the call:  

• Caidyn asked: "Where is the line drawn between DCY-certified agencies vs. those that are certified through the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services?"  DCY staff provided helpful clarification. 
  
  
• Caidyn expressed appreciation that DCY is seeking to meet the intention of the rule, not just what is on paper: "It's refreshing to see that this is on DCY's radar." She loves the trauma-first approach, especially for youth who have experience abuse or neglect. 
  
  
• Caidyn asked: "Will the one-hour trauma-informed training that is required of frontline staff each year be specific to their role?" 
  
  
• Caidyn pointed out that this training will be particularly important for floor staff -- those who are the youth are interacting with the most, and might have the least amount of training. It would be valuable if the training they receive is specifically targeted to their role. 

Additional questions asked during the call: 

• Will a visual be created to differentiate and share the intersection between: 
• Trauma informed care training 
• Trauma informed model 
• Trauma informed approach
  
  
• Will videos be created for front-line staff? 

Feedback was provided on the draft Resident Survey: 

• Youth didn’t see anything about being informed of a grievance procedure, being given info about their rights or contact info for the Youth Ombudsman, and asked that this be added to the survey. 

• Caidyn suggested replacing the question: "Are/were the staff nice to you?" (which OHIO YAB youth leaders felt was vague) with: "Did staff treat you fairly/with respect and dignity?"

The OHIO YAB values and appreciates having these ongoing conversations with DCY staff, and being able to provide their input. During the call, Caidyn felt listened to, and that her insights were taken seriously.