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Ohio child welfare witnesses tell Senate budget cuts could worsen placement crisis; ask for rate and funding changes
Summary
County officials, public children services directors and providers told the Senate Health Committee that placement costs have exploded while placements declined; they urged restoring governor's funding, creating child wellness campuses and updating placement rate-setting in HB 96.
County commissioners, public children services agency directors, foster-care providers and nonprofit partners told the Senate Health Committee they face a statewide placement and treatment shortfall for children with complex needs and urged the Senate to maintain or expand budget language and funding in House Bill 96.
Why it matters: Witnesses described skyrocketing placement costs and a shortage of beds for youth with severe behavioral health or multisystem needs. The combination has produced situations where children must spend nights at county PCSA offices while staff arrange placements.
What witnesses said: Jack Everson (Ross County and County Commissioners Association of Ohio) said placement costs increased 68% statewide over five years while placements declined 9%. Angela Sasse (Public Children Services Association of Ohio) described county agencies purchasing cots and arranging showers because children had nowhere else to go. Jeremy Ratcliffe (Highland County JFS) and local directors called for both short-term crisis stabilization centers (child wellness campuses) and policy changes to bring consistency and transparency to placement rates. Ratcliffe said a recent example showed the same supervision service charged $150 per day in one county and $343 in another.
Requested budget and policy changes: Witnesses asked the Senate to restore or keep the governor's proposed new funding for placement and the administrative increases included in the House version of HB 96, to fund regional child wellness campuses as short-term crisis stabilization centers, and to replace the proposed single rate card language with a legislatively guided study or a policy that ensures transparency and cost drivers are analyzed.
Quotes and context: "We are facing a statewide crisis in our child welfare system. Lack of appropriate and affordable placement options to meet the needs of the children we serve," Jack Everson testified. Jeremy Ratcliffe described children sleeping in agency offices when no placement is available and said reforms should "bring some consistency to rates across the state." Angela Sasse said the target population for the child wellness campuses would be children in PCSA custody and those at risk of custody relinquishment.
Decision vs. discussion: No final votes were taken in committee. Testimony was a request for funding and for policy language changes to be preserved or adjusted in the Senate budget negotiations.
Ending: Committee members heard repeated appeals from counties and providers for urgent budget and policy action to prevent further trauma to children and rising local costs.
