Ohio HB50

“State lawmakers say legislation introduced this month will better protect two of Ohio’s most-vulnerable populations: people under the care of a court-appointed guardian and foster youths on the cusp of adulthood.

The bill would require all guardians to receive a copy of the Ohio Guardianship Guide, developed by Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office, and to sign a waiver stating that they had received it and a copy of a “bill of rights” for the person in their care.

The bill also would create a new program to serve those who age out of foster care, and for those adopted after age 16, through their 21st birthdays.

More than 1,000 Ohio foster youths leave the system each year after they turn 18, and many soon fall into turmoil.

Rep. Dorothy Pelanda, a Republican from Marysville and co-sponsor of House Bill 50, said during a news conference on Wednesday that, as a family lawyer for more than 30 years, she had served both as a guardian and as an appointed attorney for a foster child.

“I witnessed firsthand the heartbreaking circumstances of these situations and the confines and frailties of the law as it relates to these individuals,” Pelanda said.

Supporters of extending foster care to 21 said a report showed that 26 percent of Ohio youths who aged out of foster care experienced homelessness by age 19; more than 50 percent had not graduated from high school or received an equivalence certificate.

Incarceration, unplanned pregnancies and unemployment also were rampant.

“The fact is, aging out of foster care puts Ohio youth at risk,” said Mark Mecum, executive director of the Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies.

Mecum said 26 other states have extended or are in the process of extending foster-care programs to age 21.

The extended foster-care program is to operate regionally and would be voluntary. Supporters say the planned state appropriation is for $300,000 to cover planning and design costs in 2016 and $1.7 million in 2017.

They expect the state to break even within six years and to be saving money within a decade as a result of reduced homelessness, incarceration, joblessness and other problems often faced by former foster youths. Much of the cost of foster care is paid by the federal government.

Rep. Cheryl Grossman, a Republican from Grove City who co-sponsored the bill, said the need for new guidelines for guardians was clear following a series of stories in The Dispatch last year after a more-than-yearlong investigation.

The series, “Unguarded,” found widespread problems with the way some guardians were managing the care of the people the courts call wards, including instances of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation.

The series pointed out that “Ohio has no standards and no statewide system” of guardianship oversight, Grossman said.

“Instead, each of its 88 counties does things a little differently. This makes it difficult for Ohio to monitor guardians and to make sure people who need help are able to receive it.”

Pelanda introduced the guardianship provisions of the bill last year as separate, stand-alone legislation. That bill flew through the house until questions from a pro-life advocacy group about some of its language scuttled the legislation in the final hours of last year’s frenetic lame-duck session.

Asked on Wednesday what had changed, Pelanda said that some of the enumerated rights of wards, which had been outlined in a 19-point “bill of rights” for people under guardianship, were stripped out, including a right to privacy that had been criticized by some conservative lawmakers.

Other rights that were removed from the proposed bill are the right to procreate, or to consent or object to sterilization, and the right to vote. The purpose of the bill is to remind guardians that these are rights all Ohioans have, even if under guardianship; the law does not establish new rights for wards.

Michael Kirkman, executive director of Disability Rights Ohio, said Wednesday that he has concerns about the unintended consequences of changing any language from last year’s bill.

He said the group needs more time to analyze the bill in depth, and then hopes to address those concerns with its sponsors”

Proposed bill would help foster kids and people with guardians[The Columbus Dispatch 2/18/15 by Josh Jarman and Rita Price]

“An Ohio bill would increase the age that younger people could receive foster care services, while requiring that court-appointed guardians receive a state guidebook.

The legislation would extend foster care services to age 21 if the young person meets certain education and work requirements.

Advocates for those in foster care say more than 1,000 young people age out of the system each year when they turn 18, increasing their risk of homelessness, unemployment and dependence on public assistance.

The bill’s sponsors say their proposal also is aimed at raising awareness of issues associated with the care of more than 67,000 juvenile and elderly wards in Ohio.

The measure would create a “bill of rights” for those under guardianship care, including the right to safe, sanitary and humane living conditions.”

Ohio bill would extend foster care services to wards age 21[WTRF 3/4/15 by Associated Press]

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