COLUMBUS, Ohio – An innovative program that helps heal Ohio families torn apart by addiction is expanding once again.

The Public Children Services Association of Ohio oversees the Ohio START program; START stands for "Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma."

It was launched in 2017 to tackle the rising number of kids in need of foster care. According to Program Director Fawn Gadel, the program focuses on both the parents' and child's trauma.

"We take a holistic approach to treating the family for the issues that have come to arise because of the parents substance use disorder, which really is a game-changer," Gadel said.

Family Peer Mentors make up a key aspect of the program, as people who have personal experience with addiction and children's services, and are now in long-term recovery.

As a Family Peer Mentor in Pickaway County, Sarah Rapp knows that she offers a unique perspective on how addiction drives behaviors and decisions.

"It doesn't mean that they don't love their kids, it doesn't mean that they don't want to change," Rapp said, "but how to do it, and how not to judge them so hard to where they just want to give up."

Ohio START is expanding to 14 more counties, bringing the number to 46. State leaders expect to expand the program to a total of 62 counties in the next two years.

As state attorney general, Gov. Mike Dewine helped bring the program to Ohio, and continues to support and fund its expansion.

Gadel said getting parents into treatment quickly is the first step on the road to recovery.

"We strike while the iron's hot, giving the parent the most amount of time that they can have to get those recovery services underway," she explained, "and continuing on until they are healthy, and a safe option for those kids, is really making a difference."

Rapp added that she's looking forward to mentoring more people as her first client graduates from the program.

"It just means a lot when you can help somebody make a total change in their lives," Rapp said. "She has her kid back, she has a job, she's getting housing. She's really doing good."

Ohio START has served nearly 900 adults and 390 children since 2017. The program receives a national award today (Wednesday) from the Addiction Policy Forum at a ceremony at the Statehouse.

January is National Mentoring Month, and organizations like MENTOR Indiana are making a difference in young lives.

MENTOR Indiana is part of the Indiana Youth Institute. For nearly 20 years, it has connected young Hoosiers with caring adults.

Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the institute, said mentoring changes lives and there is research to prove it.

"When a young person has a mentor, they're 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer in their home communities and they're twice as likely to hold a leadership position," Silverman outlined.

She pointed out their work ensures young people get the support they need to succeed. Despite the benefits, one in three young people lacks a mentor outside their family. Silverman stressed the gap leaves millions without the guidance they need to thrive.

To help close the gap, MENTOR Indiana follows proven practices to build strong and lasting mentor-mentee relationships. The organization partners with schools, nonprofits and community groups to meet the diverse needs of Indiana youth.

"That can translate into helping them talk through difficult things in their own life," Silverman added. "Whether that's friends' interactions or school, or trying to find work or thinking about what they want to do when they grow up."

She emphasized their efforts also address broader challenges like education gaps, mental health struggles, and community violence.


get more stories like this via email

Changes to Indiana's child labor laws went into effect Jan. 1 which could affect teens who have or are looking for jobs.

Employers are now no longer required to schedule around a teen's school hours or adhere to daily and weekly hour limits. For example, 16- and 17-year-olds no longer need parental permission to work longer or later, and an adult no longer has to be present at public establishments when juveniles work past 10 p.m.

Germaine Willett, an employment law attorney at the firm Ice Miller in Indianapolis, sees the changes as less administrative burden for employers who hire teens.

"What could be small violations, just a few minutes over a shift, for example, to not have employers be so constrained as they were to get workers ages 16 and 17 out the door exactly at the prior hour's limits," Willett outlined.

Willett noted now, a student has to self-advocate if a time conflict arises between an employer's work schedule request and their school hours. Supporters of the changes said longer hours on the job mean more money, and work better prepares them for the real world. Critics argued tighter work restrictions allow teens to focus more on their education and activities with their peers.

The modifications were made to more closely align Indiana law with federal requirements. Willett emphasized some of the biggest revisions extend exemptions to certain 14- and 15-year-olds.

"Those who have been excused from, or perhaps prohibited from, attending school under certain circumstances -- perhaps quit school after finishing 8th grade, or quit school to support their child -- those individuals would not be subjected to the same limitations, and instead be treated as if they're 16 or older," Willett explained.

Willett added it did not make sense for teens with such obligations to have the same work limits others had to follow under the old law. The Indiana Department of Labor said 14- and 15-year-olds may work until 9 p.m. on any day of the week between June 1 and Labor Day, with some exceptions.


get more stories like this via email

California has more than 60,000 children in the foster care system and about 7,000 in extended care up to age 21 but many do not receive all the services for which they are eligible.

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Chafee Foster Care Program, passed by Congress to greatly expand services for foster youth.

Todd Lloyd, senior policy associate for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said across the U.S., around a half-million people are eligible for Chafee services to help them transition from foster care.

"Of all those eligible young people, less than a quarter are receiving a service in a given year," Lloyd pointed out. "When we looked at their experiences over time, less than half have ever experienced even a single Chafee service."

Some of the services available include tutoring, mentoring and a variety of counseling supports. Extended foster care grants low-income young adults to health insurance via Medi-Cal and food benefits through CalFresh. Young adults in extended foster care may also receive financial assistance for room and board and for college expenses.

Hope Cooper, campaign manager for the advocacy group Journey to Success, a national policy reform effort focused on youth and young adults who experience foster care. She said it's a group that has enormous potential to have happy, prosperous lives.

"We have to provide the supports that they need during these critical transition years," Cooper contended. "Because they face a steep climb in their pathway to young adulthood."

Data show young adults exiting foster care run a greater risk of experiencing housing instability and homelessness, unemployment, physical and mental health issues, and more.