OACCA: Initiatives

Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment Standards

Recognizing the challenges posed by managing juvenile sex offenders, the members of the OACCA Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee worked as the policy-level team to assess Ohio’s current policy and practice for managing juvenile sex offenders – adjudicated and non-adjudicated – to identify the strengths and gaps in our management system, and to develop strategies to safely manage juvenile sex offenders in Ohio.

We face numerous challenges involving the assessment, treatment, re-entry, supervision, registration, and community notification of these juvenile sexual offenders. Specifically:

Our standards specify that individualized treatment plans be developed by a multi-disciplinary treatment team and that the plans be based on a comprehensive assessment with participation from the youth, his or her family and the victim, when appropriate.

The standards were developed to include all stages of management, including assessment, treatment, supervision, transition and re-entry into the community.

We helped to develop a system map to illustrate all decision points in Ohio’s juvenile justice process, to identify the decision makers at each point, and the flow of juveniles through the process

The standards are based on statewide Implementation of the J-SOAP II – the best risk assessment tool available today.

We have developed community education training outlines for community members, agencies and organizations that will promote that successful management of juvenile sex offenders in their communities in order to prevent future victimization, which is in the best interest of all. We will also coordinate statewide trainings to enable provider agencies to meet the new juvenile sex offender treatment program certification standards.

- View Map of Certified JSO Treatment Programs
- View OACCA Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment Standards
- View FAQ on Treatment Standards certification trainings
- Adam Walsh Act State by State Central Registry Information

Outcomes Data Project

OACCA takes an active role to ensure that Ohio’s evolving public policy results in a system that is fully integrated, efficient, cost effective and beneficial to those that matter most - Ohio’s at-risk children and families. Every year in Ohio more than 33,000 children are placed in out-of-home care to meet their needs for a safe and healthy living environment. For more than half of these children, more intensive treatment is needed to heal the damage inflicted by horrific abuse and significant neglect. This treatment is provided in substitute care settings such as treatment foster homes or residential treatment facilities.

As financial resources shrink, both purchasers of services and providers are obligated by their missions and ethical standards to be accountable – to children and their families, agency Board members, donors, taxpayers, and policy-makers. Accountability means they must achieve positive outcomes. They must be able to demonstrate that they use their resources effectively, efficiently and produce lasting results. The OACCA Outcomes Data Project (ODP) is a valuable tool for agencies to use to measure their program performance and provide an objective basis for clinical and financial decision making. Service providers will have information never before available to them that will allow them to maximize the benefits their resources can produce and to invest them effectively so that the children they serve have the best possible chance to become productive citizens and good parents to their own healthy children.

For more information, click here.

Ohio Adoption Advocacy Day - Filling Family Portraits

During 2009, adoption advocates witnessed the State of Ohio’s decision to significantly reduce funding for adoptive parent subsidies and to eliminate the successful AdoptOHIO Kids program. These state funding cuts could not have come at a worse time for adoptive parents, adoption agencies, and Ohio’s waiting children. Advocates realized that convening an annual statewide adoption rally and informational event is necessary so that our state’s elected officials can learn about the value of government’s investment in adoption. Without much advance planning, advocates collaborated to hold the first such rally on November 6, 2009 at the Ohio Statehouse, during the final months of the state budget negotiations.

The inaugural 2009 rally was an enormous success – youth, families, adoption professionals, policy makers, and lobbyists turned out to advocate for Ohio’s investment in adoption. Participating organizations included: the Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies, the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors Association, the Ohio Adoption Planning Group, Adoption Network Cleveland, the Ohio Family Care Association, Ohio CASA, the Children's Defense Fund, the National Center for Adoption Law and Policy, and Voices for Ohio's Children.

Following the event, participants delivered hundreds of framed photos of Ohio’s waiting children to their state legislators.

The event will be held annually.

- 2010 event flyer
- 2010 volunteer instructions
- 2009 Media Coverage: Columbus Dispatch, “Vanishing Family Faces”, November 7, 2009; Youtube Video

Learning Community - Children's Residential Facilities

OACCA leads the Children's Residential Facilities Learning Community for Seclusion and Restraint Reduction which consists of 14 private, primarily non-profit, children’s residential treatment agencies. The agencies represent both urban and rural locations and serve a coed population who are 7 to 18 years of age. These children/youth have significant behavioral health issues and other co-occurring conditions (abuse, neglect, poverty and witnessing violence).

The goal of the Learning Community is to create violence-free and coercion-free treatment environments by reducing the need for seclusion and physical restraint.

The Initial training was provided to Ohio agencies by The National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) funded by SAMHSA. The curriculum incorporates the concepts of trauma informed care, structured plans, culture change, commitment, shared data and data analysis. The Learning Community also shares information, education, and implementation ideas. Members participate in work groups; share training opportunities and technical assistance; help each other promote performance improvement; and promote learning opportunities.

In planning for reducing restraint and seclusion, NTAC identifies six best practices: Workforce Development/Safety, Trauma Informed Care, Debriefing, Consumer Involvement, Witnessing, and Use of Data.

Ready to Launch

Several active members of the Independent Living Legislative Workgroup have banded together to create a youth focused public policy coalition called “Ready to Launch: Statewide Coalition of Advocates for Transition-Age Youth”. The purpose of the group is to support funding and public policies for transition-age youth and the agencies that serve them. For more information about the Ready to Launch initiative, visit: www.oacca.org/readytolaunch.html.

Independent Living Legislative Workgroup

OACCA led an initiative of several private and public agencies to craft policy recommendations for the improvement of services and opportunities to youth aging out of the public child welfare system. These reform efforts were initiated in 2007 by youth and advocates from county and state youth advisory boards, particularly the Montgomery County VISION Youth Advisory Board. OACCA held legislative forums during 2008 to gather input and share information about independent living policy concerns. Topics included: access to college and post-secondary education, driver’s education and driver’s licenses, affordable and safe housing, workforce training, expansion of Medicaid health coverage, and mentoring services. During 2008 and 2009, the Workgroup and its committees held several meetings to finalize the policy recommendations, which are available below. During 2009, the Workgroup founded the Ohio Reach initiative, which aims to link the Ohio child welfare and higher education systems.

Policy Recommendations (2/09)
Higher Education Policy Brief (2/09)
Medicaid Expansion to Foster Youth Recommendations (7/09)
Overview of Independent Living Reform (summer 2008)
Meeting Minutes of Workgroup and Committees
Ohio Reach Website



	Initiatives Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment Standards Outcomes Data Project Ohio Adoption Advocacy Day - Filling Family Portraits Learning Community - Children's Residential Facilities Ready to Launch Independent Living Legislative Workgroup	Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment Standards Recognizing the challenges posed by managing juvenile sex offenders, the members of the OACCA Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee worked as the policy-level team to assess Ohio’s current policy and practice for managing juvenile sex offenders – adjudicated and non-adjudicated – to identify the strengths and gaps in our management system, and to develop strategies to safely manage juvenile sex offenders in Ohio. We face numerous challenges involving the assessment, treatment, re-entry, supervision, registration, and community notification of these juvenile sexual offenders. Specifically: Our standards specify that individualized treatment plans be developed by a multi-disciplinary treatment team and that the plans be based on a comprehensive assessment with participation from the youth, his or her family and the victim, when appropriate. The standards were developed to include all stages of management, including assessment, treatment, supervision, transition and re-entry into the community. We helped to develop a system map to illustrate all decision points in Ohio’s juvenile justice process, to identify the decision makers at each point, and the flow of juveniles through the process The standards are based on statewide Implementation of the J-SOAP II – the best risk assessment tool available today. We have developed community education training outlines for community members, agencies and organizations that will promote that successful management of juvenile sex offenders in their communities in order to prevent future victimization, which is in the best interest of all. We will also coordinate statewide trainings to enable provider agencies to meet the new juvenile sex offender treatment program certification standards. - View Map of Certified JSO Treatment Programs - View OACCA Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment Standards - View FAQ on Treatment Standards certification trainings - Adam Walsh Act State by State Central Registry Information Outcomes Data Project OACCA takes an active role to ensure that Ohio’s evolving public policy results in a system that is fully integrated, efficient, cost effective and beneficial to those that matter most - Ohio’s at-risk children and families. Every year in Ohio more than 33,000 children are placed in out-of-home care to meet their needs for a safe and healthy living environment. For more than half of these children, more intensive treatment is needed to heal the damage inflicted by horrific abuse and significant neglect. This treatment is provided in substitute care settings such as treatment foster homes or residential treatment facilities. As financial resources shrink, both purchasers of services and providers are obligated by their missions and ethical standards to be accountable – to children and their families, agency Board members, donors, taxpayers, and policy-makers. Accountability means they must achieve positive outcomes. They must be able to demonstrate that they use their resources effectively, efficiently and produce lasting results. The OACCA Outcomes Data Project (ODP) is a valuable tool for agencies to use to measure their program performance and provide an objective basis for clinical and financial decision making. Service providers will have information never before available to them that will allow them to maximize the benefits their resources can produce and to invest them effectively so that the children they serve have the best possible chance to become productive citizens and good parents to their own healthy children. For more information, click here. Ohio Adoption Advocacy Day - Filling Family Portraits During 2009, adoption advocates witnessed the State of Ohio’s decision to significantly reduce funding for adoptive parent subsidies and to eliminate the successful AdoptOHIO Kids program. These state funding cuts could not have come at a worse time for adoptive parents, adoption agencies, and Ohio’s waiting children. Advocates realized that convening an annual statewide adoption rally and informational event is necessary so that our state’s elected officials can learn about the value of government’s investment in adoption. Without much advance planning, advocates collaborated to hold the first such rally on November 6, 2009 at the Ohio Statehouse, during the final months of the state budget negotiations. The inaugural 2009 rally was an enormous success – youth, families, adoption professionals, policy makers, and lobbyists turned out to advocate for Ohio’s investment in adoption. Participating organizations included: the Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies, the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors Association, the Ohio Adoption Planning Group, Adoption Network Cleveland, the Ohio Family Care Association, Ohio CASA, the Children's Defense Fund, the National Center for Adoption Law and Policy, and Voices for Ohio's Children. Following the event, participants delivered hundreds of framed photos of Ohio’s waiting children to their state legislators. The event will be held annually. - 2010 event flyer - 2010 volunteer instructions - 2009 Media Coverage: Columbus Dispatch, “Vanishing Family Faces”, November 7, 2009; Youtube Video Learning Community - Children's Residential Facilities OACCA leads the Children's Residential Facilities Learning Community for Seclusion and Restraint Reduction which consists of 14 private, primarily non-profit, children’s residential treatment agencies. The agencies represent both urban and rural locations and serve a coed population who are 7 to 18 years of age. These children/youth have significant behavioral health issues and other co-occurring conditions (abuse, neglect, poverty and witnessing violence). The goal of the Learning Community is to create violence-free and coercion-free treatment environments by reducing the need for seclusion and physical restraint. The Initial training was provided to Ohio agencies by The National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) funded by SAMHSA. The curriculum incorporates the concepts of trauma informed care, structured plans, culture change, commitment, shared data and data analysis. The Learning Community also shares information, education, and implementation ideas. Members participate in work groups; share training opportunities and technical assistance; help each other promote performance improvement; and promote learning opportunities. In planning for reducing restraint and seclusion, NTAC identifies six best practices: Workforce Development/Safety, Trauma Informed Care, Debriefing, Consumer Involvement, Witnessing, and Use of Data. Ready to Launch Several active members of the Independent Living Legislative Workgroup have banded together to create a youth focused public policy coalition called “Ready to Launch: Statewide Coalition of Advocates for Transition-Age Youth”. The purpose of the group is to support funding and public policies for transition-age youth and the agencies that serve them. For more information about the Ready to Launch initiative, visit: www.oacca.org/readytolaunch.html. Independent Living Legislative Workgroup OACCA led an initiative of several private and public agencies to craft policy recommendations for the improvement of services and opportunities to youth aging out of the public child welfare system. These reform efforts were initiated in 2007 by youth and advocates from county and state youth advisory boards, particularly the Montgomery County VISION Youth Advisory Board. OACCA held legislative forums during 2008 to gather input and share information about independent living policy concerns. Topics included: access to college and post-secondary education, driver’s education and driver’s licenses, affordable and safe housing, workforce training, expansion of Medicaid health coverage, and mentoring services. During 2008 and 2009, the Workgroup and its committees held several meetings to finalize the policy recommendations, which are available below. During 2009, the Workgroup founded the Ohio Reach initiative, which aims to link the Ohio child welfare and higher education systems. Policy Recommendations (2/09) Higher Education Policy Brief (2/09) Medicaid Expansion to Foster Youth Recommendations (7/09) Overview of Independent Living Reform (summer 2008) Meeting Minutes of Workgroup and Committees Ohio Reach Website
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