DeWine seeks review of Ohio foster care

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Ohio’s attorney general said Friday he wants a comprehensive review of the state’s foster-care system that takes a look at child safety and the high number of children remaining in the system until they reach the age limit.

Mike DeWine led a child safety summit Friday in Cincinnati, where a 2-year -old boy recently was beaten to death after being returned to his birth parents from foster care. His father has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

The case is one of several across the state in recent years. DeWine said he wants to be sure the child’s best interests always come first in family reunification cases. He said there are other issues for scrutiny about child safety and well-being.

“Too many children are languishing in foster care with no real hope of ever having a permanent, loving home,” DeWine said.

He said children in foster care in Ohio stay in the system until they reach the age limit of 18 at higher rates than in other states. Two years ago, 1,453 Ohio foster children, or 15 percent of the state’s foster-care population, left the system because they had reached 18. The national average is 11 percent.

Representatives of social agencies, law enforcement, advocacy groups and adoption agencies took part in Friday’s event.

DeWine plans more regional meetings around the state on child safety.

DeWine, involved in child-protection legislation while a U.S. senator, said there tends to be attention paid only when there’s a child tragedy.

“This is really about fact-finding and getting a public discussion going,” he said in an interview. “It’s not that I have all the solutions, but nothing but good can come out of this.”

The Republican hopes state legislators, members of Congress, foster parents, former foster children and other members of the public will take part in future forums. County and local agencies, some private, are involved in foster care, and the system falls under the state Department of Job and Family Services — DeWine’s office has authority over criminal and other legal issues.

“We look forward to learning more about the Attorney General’s plans,” said Ben Johnson, a spokesman for the department, adding that officials invite ideas about how the child welfare system can be improved.

A spokesman for Ohio Voice for Foster Parents welcomed DeWine’s effort.

“It’s long overdue,” said Bob Cunningham of Fredericktown. “I would be interested to see what recommendations would come out of it.”

He said some children remain in foster care until reaching adult age because it’s not safe to reunify them with their natural parents.

“There are some that just can’t be in the home because of the environment — the dad’s on drugs, the mom’s on drugs, alcohol. There’s abuse and neglect,” Cunningham said.

He said sometimes caseworkers take action without allowing enough input from foster parents who know the children best, and he said he also supports uniform, professional standards for foster parents to weed out problems among caregivers.

DeWine also wants a study of prescription medications given to foster children in Ohio. A recent federal report found that foster children in some states are getting psychotropic drugs at high rates and high dosages.

———

Contact the reporter at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell