OHIO FAMILY CARE ASSOCIATION
Family Advisory Councils
The purpose of this group is to provide regular input to the OFCA Board on feelings, needs & concerns of foster families along with recommendations of actions that can be taken to meet these needs and concerns.
Members are to consider participation as a minimum by:
1. One Year’s time commitment
2. Monthly phone/zoom conference calls (2 hours).
3. Follow up time when you volunteer to research items.
The group decides the topics of the monthly discussions as they go along based on current needs that are seen. With each topic reviewed, ideas of how these concerns can be addressed are developed and shared.
Interested in Participating: send request to office@ofcaonline.com with how this council fits with your personal interest in adoption.
2019 Priority Issues Include
1. Build justification for needs of post-adoption services. Get stats on Disruptions and Dissolutions in adoptions as well as adoptees coming back into care (in RTCs or Foster Care). Look at long term issues related to prenatal substance exposure.
2. Begin to separate Foster to Adopt; Foster to Reunification with adoption; Career Foster Care. Encourage the development of different paths in foster care to meet the need of children and families. Focus on how to effectively achieve adoption from foster care.
3. Adoption Subsidies. Gather more information on the different ways that counties are negotiating subsidies.
4. Post-Adoption Services Identify what services are available and how their information is given to families
5. Legislation as it arrives
6. Family First Prevention Services Act Support representatives on leadership council. OFCA to conduct regional forums on the issues in May
7. PCSAO: Continuum of Care Reform Check with PCSAO on issues relate to adoption
8. OFCA Website update. Give input on new material to put on the OFCA website
9. Monitor children coming into care Check if move to kinship care is bring more kids into care at a later age.
10. Cross racial parenting. Look at issues: training available, decision making at the front end of the system.
11. Provide Family Input to the Ohio Adoption Planning Group. Quarterly reports regarding the issues being faced by adoptive families to the OAPG.
