Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: Children’s Protective Services

  • Per diem rates increase for some Clermont County foster care children

    Per diem rates increase for some Clermont County foster care children

    Batavia, Ohio – Clermont County Commissioners recently approved an increase to the per diem rate for therapeutic foster care children.

    The rate increased from $40 per day to $60 or $70 per day, depending on the number of children in the foster care home.

    There are children who are considered to have “therapeutic demonstrate behavior” that is considered from moderate to high risk, and may require psychiatric treatment. The child may be depressed, or have bouts of physical aggression, or frequent emotional outbursts.

    Commissioners also approved an increase in mileage rates.

    “The needs of these children place more demands on their foster parents,” said Sara Faison, Foster Care and Visitation Supervisor. “They may need to see a therapist on a regular basis, or require additional medical attention. The previous rate was $40 per day, and we did not think that was adequate to meet the particular needs of these children.” The rate was last increased in 2013, Faison said.

    One of the reasons Children’s Protective Services, which oversees the county’s foster care program, wanted to increase the therapeutic rate was to keep these children closer to their homes. “These children have often been placed in homes or centers outside the county,” Faison said. “We hope that by increasing the per diem rate, we can keep these children closer to their biological families, and keep them in the same school. This offers more stability to the child, which is so important.”

    The $60 per day rate is for families with one or two children in foster care, and applies only to the therapeutic child. The $70 per day rate is for families with three or more foster children, and again applies only to therapeutic children.

    Commissioners also approved an increase in mileage rates, from $.40 per mile to a standardized reimbursement rate listed by the U.S. General Services Administration, currently the rate is $.545 per mile. Foster parents are reimbursed for transporting children to approved medical and counseling appointments, and visitations with parents.

    For a complete list of current per diem rates for foster care children, which depend on the age of the child, whether the placement is considered an emergency, and other factors, click here:https://clermontforkids.org/clermont-county-foster-care-per-diem-rates/.

    “We would love to attract more foster care parents from Clermont County,” Faison said. “We are very supportive of our foster care parents, and they also support each other. It is far better for every child in foster care to stay as close as possible to their home so that the disruption they are experiencing isn’t worsened by a distant placement.”

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  • November is National Adoption Month; 19 youth in Clermont await adoption

    November is National Adoption Month; 19 youth in Clermont await adoption

    Teens Need Families, No Matter What.

    Dan and Viola Rice with their six children, five of whom have been adopted. (Photo taken in November 2016)

    Clermont County, Ohio – That’s the theme of 2017’s National Adoption Awareness Month, which is recognized nationally and in Clermont County in November every year. And finding homes for older children, particularly teens, can be difficult, said Julie Jordan, Adoption Supervisor at Children’s Protective Services.

    “Most of the children we have waiting for adoption are 12 and older,” Jordan said. “Parents often think that older children are more challenging, but that is not necessarily the case. Their need for a home is just as great as it is for a younger child.”

    Commissioners and staff of Clermont Children’s Protective Services on Oct. 25, 2017, as Commissioners proclaimed November Adoption Awareness Month.

    “This is a critical time for these kids,” Jordan said. “They need support and guidance, just like any other teen.”

    According to the most recent report from the Children’s Bureau, which advocates for the welfare of children and families, more than 110,000 children and youth in foster care are waiting to be adopted across the United States, and close to 12,500 of them are between the ages of 15 and 17 years old.

    Currently, Clermont County has 19 children awaiting adoption. These are children who were removed from their parents’ home due to abuse and/or neglect. Most of these children then entered foster care. After parental rights were terminated – typically after two years, when parents fail to take the steps necessary for reunification – the children can be adopted.

    One pathway to adopting older children is to become a foster parent first.

    In Clermont County, these teens include Clarissa, who is 16, and Kennedy, 17; Caleb who is 14, and  Jayden, who is 13. Brief biographies can be found on each child at http://www.clermontforkids.org/waiting-children/.

    The opioid crisis in Clermont County has contributed to the cases of abuse and neglect that compel CPS to remove children from their parents’ home, Jordan said. And that’s also a reason why there are more tweens and teens waiting for a family.

    One pathway to adopting older children is to become a foster parent first. The adoption team at Children’s Protective Services promotes foster-to-adopt certification as the best way to offer children a stable and nurturing home. Dan and Viola Rice of Mount Orab, who have adopted five children through CPS’s foster-to-adopt, and have fostered more than 40 children, are strong advocates of this method.

    “We love being foster care parents,” Dan says. “We ask our friends, or those we are just meeting – have you ever thought about foster-to-adopt?”

    In 2017, 38 children have been adopted by 23 families to date.

    To find out more about foster care or adoption through Clermont County Children’s Protective Services, please call 513.732.7765. The website www.clermontforkids.org has information on the foster-to- adopt process, and also has a list of children currently waiting for a forever family.

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