OHIO YAB Representation on Legislative Study Committtee

On Monday, August 24, 2206, the first meeting of the Study Committee to Evaluate the Placement of Delinquent Children in Residential Facilities was held. The OHIO YAB is a member of this committee, and our joint representatives are Addison Torrence and Caidyn Bearfield.  The next meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. 

The charge of the committee is as follows:

The Committee shall do all of the following regarding children who are alleged to be or have been adjudicated delinquent and are in the custody of a public children services agency or private child placing agency:

1. Evaluate the placement of such children in residential facilities;
2. Evaluate the existing system, resources, and services used to support such children;
3. Identify gaps in the availability of appropriate residential facilities, resources, and services to serve such children; and
4. Make recommendations for changes to meet the needs of such children.

 During the meeting, Director Kara Wente of DCY shared this overview: 

And this chart:

Along with these definitions:

• Group Home for children: A certified, staffed facility that provides round-the-clock care for a small group of children (up to 10) who aren't related to the caregivers. A more home-scale setting.
• Children’s Residential Center (CRC): The same kind of certified, staffed, round-the-clock facility, but larger, serving 11 or more children. A more institutional-scale setting.
• Detention Facility: Facility established under Section 2152.41 of the Revised Code for the care and temporary confinement of children under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court who are alleged to be delinquent or whose cases are pending.

And the current number of DCY certified facilities: (this does not include the DBH ones)

A recent survey was conducted in March 2025, and there were 1,031 respondents statewide. It focused on three areas: 

Facility Operations: How the facility runs day to day: staffing, condition, and effectiveness.  

Operational challenges centered on (a.) staff turnover, (b.) staffing levels/scheduling, (c.) communication between shifts 

 98% of supervisors said it was difficult to find high quality staff.  

 From a training standpoint, over 20% of survey participants listed "navigating disabilities" as their most difficult duty. 

The Children in Care: Whether children feel safe and the challenges they face in placement.

Staff and Oversight: Confidence, capacity, and the barriers to finding and keeping quality staff.

98% of supervisors said it was difficult to find high quality staff.  

Barriers to recruitment had to do with the emotional toll of the work, the level of pay, concerns about staff safety and the hours required.

When it comes to placing children in the least restrictive environment, federal law requires group or institutional placements to be time-limited, trauma-informed, and judicially reviewed, with the goal of returning the young person to their community as quickly as possible. 

When licensing agencies do health checks, they focus on these five areas:

Being a Qualified Residential Treatment Center comes with additional requirements:

It's important to note that some facilities are licensed through the Department of Children and Youth, and others through the Department of Behavioral Health. Between July 2024-2026, DCY took steps to improving policies, monitoring and staff training.