September is National Recovery Month, and a program in Ohio is showing success in healing families who have struggled with addiction.
Ohio START (Sobriety Treatment and Reducing Trauma) focuses on families experiencing child maltreatment and substance use disorders. Children Services caseworkers, behavioral health providers, and Family Peer Mentors work in tandem to get them the support they need.
Donna, in Summit County, struggled with addiction and lost custody of her two older sons over drug charges. She explained that when she found out she was pregnant again, she knew she needed to make a change and sought help.
After spending time in a court-ordered treatment center, she joined the Ohio START program.
"They helped me a lot," said Donna. "They helped me get my place. They're really work well as a team. They're caring and want to see us do good. They just ain't in it for a paycheck."
She said she's been in recovery for 17 months, is working and has her son back.
Ohio START, now in its fifth year, started with 17 counties and has since expanded to 54. More than 1,000 families have been served, with 121 successful case-plan completions in 2021.
The Family Peer Mentors have lived experience with addiction and the child welfare system. Khala, who is also from Summit County, said hers provided hope and motivation as she worked on sobriety and parenting.
"I know my recovery coach has multiple years sober, but she had also lost her kids to Children Services years ago," said Khala. "And so, just having somebody to talk who's been through it and knows exactly where you're coming from."
Training and certification to become a peer recovery supporter is done through the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Khala said her experience with Ohio START showed her that the goal of Children Services is to keep families together.
"They don't believe that your kids would be better off with somebody else, as long as you're doing the right thing," said Khala. "That's the only thing - like, if you are doing the right thing, you will get your kids back. Don't give up hope, because there are people out there who absolutely believe in you."
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New research by social scientists showed children who suffer traumatic experiences growing up are more likely to use firearms defensively as adults.
Iowa mental health experts said early intervention is key to addressing the problem. The research, done by social scientists are Rutgers University, asked respondents about abuse and neglect they suffered as kids, depression, their levels of social distrust and sensitivity to perceived threats. Then they asked them about their use of guns when they feel threatened.
Lisa Cushatt, executive director of the nonprofit Iowa ACEs 360, an organization working with kids who have experienced childhood trauma, said recognizing a child's triggers early on is critical.
"You and I may not perceive threats that another person does because that's based off of our own perspective and experience," Cushatt explained. "A person who has experienced significant trauma may see threats in setting or ways that you and I don't anticipate or understand."
Cushatt emphasized once people recognize triggers among youth who have been traumatized, it is easier to de-escalate a potentially dangerous situation, reducing the chances the child will use weapons when they feel threatened as adults.
Cushatt added the early intervention not only shortcuts potentially dangerous situations for children and those around them but reduces the cumulative effect of traumatic experiences over time. She noted while the field of research is fairly new, social scientists are learning there are lots of factors bearing on what children carry with them into adulthood, and school settings are critical.
"In Iowa, I think schools are increasingly doing more to understand the science behind adverse childhood experiences and trauma, and understanding how things in the school setting may impact kids who've experienced trauma," Cushatt observed.
Cushatt stressed because school officials better understand triggers, they can develop response strategies and de-escalation techniques to handle potentially dangerous situations. The research was published by the National Library of Medicine.
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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.
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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.
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