Caregiver Guidelines May Change

Gov., DeWine tells reporters he’s close to releasing a proposal to approve relatives caring for children taken from their parents, even when the relatives aren’t licensed caregivers. Ohio has been under pressure from child advocates to follow a 2017 federal court ruling, ordering equality in payments to non-licensed relatives and to relatives who become licensed. The issue has taken on new significance because the opioid crisis has seen a huge increase in the number of children taken from homes because of parents’ or guardians’ addictions. About 16,000 children are in custody in Ohio today, a more than 20% increase from five years ago.