First of many Ohio Attorney General Roundtables on Child Safety

Ohio AG Wants Foster Care System Reviewed
DeWine Expresses Concern Over Deaths Of Children Returned To Parents
WLWT, December 9, 2011

COLUMBUS -- Ohio's attorney general wants a comprehensive review of the state's foster care system, taking a hard look at child safety and high numbers remaining in foster care until they "age out."

Mike DeWine led a child safety summit Friday in Cincinnati, where 2-year-old Demarcus Jackson was beaten to death last month after being returned to his birth parents from foster care.

DeWine said he wants to be sure the child's best interests always come first in family reunification cases.

"There are children in the Ohio child welfare system who are dying, but there are also children dying who have been abused and neglected who have never been in foster care," DeWine said.

He also expressed concern about the number of children "languishing" in the system. He said children in foster care in Ohio stay in the system until they reach the age limit of 18 at higher rates than in other states.

Two years ago, 1,453 Ohio foster children, or 15 percent of the state's foster care population, left the system because they had reached 18. The national average is 11 percent.

Representatives of social agencies, law enforcement, advocacy groups and adoption agencies took part in Friday's event, DeWine's office said. DeWine plans more regional meetings around the state on child safety.

A spokesman for a group that advocates for foster parents welcomed DeWine's effort to seek reforms.

"It's long overdue," said Bob Cunningham, of Ohio Voice for Foster Parents. "I would be interested to see what recommendations would come out of it."

He said some children remain in foster care until reaching adult age because it's not safe to reunify them with their natural parents.

"There are some that just can't be in the home because of the environment - the dad's on drugs, the mom's on drugs, alcohol; there's abuse and neglect," Cunningham said.

The Fredericktown resident said sometimes caseworkers take action without allowing enough input from foster parents who know the children best, and he said he also supports uniform, professional standards for foster parents to weed out problems among caregivers.

DeWine also wants a study of prescription medications given to foster children in Ohio. A recent federal report found that foster children in some states are getting psychotropic drugs at high rates and high dosages