Crawford County will become part of an expanded pilot program to help more Ohio foster children find a loving home.
More than $2 million in funding has been allocated by the state to expand the Treatment Foster Home Pilot Program to connect foster children facing significant behavioral health challenges with foster families equipped to support children with complex needs.
The pilot will replicate and expand upon the Northwest Treatment Foster Care Partnership − a collaboration between Sandusky, Seneca, Ottawa and Wyandot counties’ Public Children Services Agencies (PCSAs), according to Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) Director Kara B. Wente.
The pilot program will provide support for families, including 24/7 on-call casework and crisis counseling, along with specialized training so children with complex behavioral needs can stay in a home environment, according to a news release.
Like the Northwest Treatment Foster Care Partnership, the new pilot program will use a regional approach, combining resources from PCSAs in a number of counties to maximize program effectiveness. The pilot will result in nine new regional partnerships, bringing the model to 30 new PCSAs.
Crawford County will be paired with Erie and Huron counties. The program will further support the Northwest Treatment Foster Care Partnership, bringing the total number of counties involved in the program to 34.
“The initial plan was to accept 15 PCSAs into the pilot program. However, interest in the program was so strong across the state, we are happy to announce that we will be doubling our footprint of new counties,” Wente added. “By providing this enhanced support for our foster families in these counties, we will be able to better help our most vulnerable children.”
Ohio has more than 1,800 foster children who live in group settings because there are no foster families willing or comfortable to take on the significant behavioral challenges and complex needs these foster children present. The Treatment Foster Home Pilot Program aims to significantly reduce that number.
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