COLUMBUS, Ohio — New research on child custody policies in Ohio shows that families are receiving different treatment depending on their ZIP code.

According to the "Ohio Parenting Time Report," research shows children fare better when they have equal time with both parents in cases of divorce or separation. While a handful of Ohio counties have parenting time rules aligned with this data, report co-author Donald Hubin, director of the Center for Ethics and Human Values, said the vast majority do not.

"Sixty four of the 88 counties have parenting time schedules that are really of the 1950s or ‘Mad Men’ days’ model, where one parent will see the children for only 48 hours in a two-week period; so it's every other weekend,” Hubin said. “And most of those counties allow also 2-3 hours' mid-week parenting time."

The report showed just three counties - Ashtabula, Jefferson and Tuscarawas - provide default schedules that call for equal time. Kentucky recently became the first state to enact a law making joint custody the legal presumption if both parents are considered fit caregivers.

Van Wert is the only county that scored an "F" in the report. Hubin explained its parenting rule states that fathers have visitation every other weekend while mothers retain custody the majority of the time.

"That was shocking to me. I really thought the feminist law reform in the '70s had taken out such explicitly gendered language,” he said. “And it certainly has been removed from most places, but Van Wert county still assumes that the father is the parent that visits with the children and the mother is the parent that raises them."

Hubin said if child custody arrangements are handled properly, the negative effects of divorce or separation on children can be minimized. And the report noted that shared physical custody also is a best-case scenario when there is a lot of conflict between parents.

Hubin said that's surprising to a lot of people.

"They think, 'Well, if these parents can't even agree to use shared physical custody, how can they possibly raise their kids together?' And the fact is, they can,” Hubin said. “What they do is parallel parenting. They cooperate with one another when something pressing important has to be decided jointly."

While statewide shared-parenting guidelines are ideal, Hubin argued counties should update their default plans to ensure they are supported by research and consider the best interests of the child.

Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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The Public Children's Services Association of Ohio has launched a groundbreaking new initiative called Practice in Action Together, aimed at revolutionizing child welfare practices across the state.

The program is designed to strengthen relationships between caseworkers and families.

Lara LaRoche, practice adviser for the association, emphasized the approach is key to improving outcomes for children. She noted she has been in the field for 30 years and has not been more excited about a practice model or a new implementation.

"It's all about the family and elevating the family's voice," LaRoche explained. "It's about relationships and really understanding the importance of how we're connected to one another, how we in the community support one another."

The new model is the first in the country codeveloped by families, workers and child welfare leaders. It focuses on building relationships to keep children in their homes and reunify them with their families when needed. Although relationship-building alone may not fully address systemic issues in child welfare, the approach offers a piece of the puzzle.

In addition to the new approach, the association is debuting a new podcast titled "3000 Good Things, Porch Time with Mike and Ashley," which aims to highlight positive stories within the child welfare system.

Mike Kenny, director of strategic initiatives for the association and co-host of the podcast, said the podcast's mission is centered on the belief the stories told truly matter.

"This podcast is really focused on once a week, on Friday morning, specifically for those working in child welfare, to hear one good thing that's happening," Kenny outlined.

The podcast will not only share uplifting stories but also tie them back to the Practice in Action Together initiative by highlighting behaviors from the model in action. With its first episode airing today, the association hopes to shift the narrative around child welfare in Ohio, offering a weekly reminder positive change is happening within the system.

An interim North Dakota legislative committee this week got an update from state leaders on potential moves to reconnect kids in foster care with their biological parents if a court order is at play.

The North Dakota Department of Human Services presented findings to the interim Juvenile Justice Committee about this option, based on the views of legal minds around the state, including the North Dakota Supreme Court.

Cory Pederson, the department's director of children and family services, noted that about one in four kids in the foster-care system has no legal connection to his or her biological parents because a court determined it wasn't in the child's best interest to be in their custody.

"These are children that their parent rights are terminated, there's no adoption pending, there's no family that's come forward and said, 'We would like to adopt this child,'" he said. "They are basically the North Dakota orphans of the state."

Twenty-two other states have laws that create pathways to restore these rights, and Pederson said they reviewed some of them in gathering findings. Study leaders recommend North Dakota pursue a statute that would include waiting at least 12 months after a final termination order for a petition to proceed. Foster family shortages are cited as a driving factor for these laws.

One committee member questioned if the local state's attorney in the initial case would still be involved if there was reason to oppose the petition for reinstatement. Pederson assured the panel that would be the standard approach.

"A judge will make that determination at the hearing," he said, "but the state's attorney is going to be paramount in that process."

In the suggested framework for a North Dakota bill, another provision would block rights from being restored if sexual abuse had occurred or the parent in question has been convicted of conduct that resulted in the substantial bodily injury or death of a minor.


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With Father's Day behind us, an expert pointed out today's dads are more involved in their children's lives, leading to enhanced parent-child relationships as well as better overall mental wellness for entire families.

Brandon Eddy, assistant professor of couple and family therapy at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, said dads want to be more than just breadwinners or a disciplinarian. They want to be involved in all aspects of child-rearing, which provides both parent and child a more enriching experience.

"We've realized what it is like in society when people talk about having 'daddy issues,' or when they had an absent father," Eddy observed. "They talk about all the struggles of that, but the inverse is also true. 'What if I have a really involved father? Who is warm and affectionate and dependable and there for me?' All the benefits that come from that."

Eddy pointed out children who have involved and affectionate fathers are more likely to be engaged in school, be more social and less likely to have issues with drug abuse or engage in criminal activities. Simply put, fatherhood is changing. Dads are spending about eight hours a week on child care, about three times more than they provided in the 1960s, according to the Pew Research Center.

Eddy stressed in order for dads to take care of children to their best ability, they also have to take care of themselves. He argued it is paramount for parents to take the time to attend to their physical and mental-health needs. He added while new mothers can experience conditions such as postpartum depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, so can new dads.

"So many of the things about new parenthood we associate with mothers, and that is great because moms need help and they need our support," Eddy noted. "But I always say at the same time, moms are only half of parents, right? Dads are the other half."

Eddy emphasized dads need help too, and encouraged people to look at fathers as complete parents. He invited people to challenge their conventional understanding of what masculinity is. Assertive, direct and strong are some of the words some may subscribe to dads but Eddy added men should also be given the chance to be kind, warm and affectionate.


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