New State Budget Makes Historic Investments in Children Services

With Ohio’s new State Budget set to make historic investments in children services – including nearly $23 million for Franklin County Children Services over the next two years through the State Child Protection Allocation – child welfare advocates across the state will be watching how these new dollars and new rules help address new challenges that agencies like ours are facing.

“Since Governor DeWine took office in January 2019, the dollars budgeted for the State Child Protection Allocation - which is used by county agencies to assist in supporting child welfare functions, supports, and services to their children and families - have drastically increased,” shared Dan Shook, our Chief Financial Officer.

“Prior to his 2020 budget, this allocation was equal to about $64 million statewide.” Mr. Shook calculates that the current budget has raised the annual State Child Protection Allocation to more than $185 million in 2027.

Of this total, FCCS receives approximately 6.5%. That means FCCS expects to receive approximately $11.3 million in 2026 and $11.6 million in 2027, which is up almost $3.5 million from the funding in the previous biennium budget according to Mr. Shook.

“The cost of foster care has far outpaced inflation and that’s why Governor DeWine’s proposal to increase the State Child Protection Allocation was so essential,” added Angela Sausser, Executive Director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO) “It will help offset policy changes in the budget and assist with skyrocketing placement costs until a new rate card process brings more predictability.”

PCSAO is also applauding funding for new regional child wellness campuses, where children with complex trauma have a place to stay while they can be stabilized, assessed, and safely supported until a suitable, longer-term placement can be secured. 

“With the child wellness campuses, Ohio could lead the nation in addressing what many states have found to be an intractable problem,” added Ms. Sausser. “County children services leaders also applaud budget priorities that will expand home-visiting services, community mental health supports such as Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, school-based health centers, and other upstream prevention efforts proven to reduce reliance on our system.”

Prior to signing the budget into law, the Governor vetoed a proposal from the General Assembly to eliminate replacement property tax levies – a critical tool that county governments need and which pay nearly half of all children services costs across the state, according to PCSAO.

Politics aside, both Mr. Shook and Ms. Sausser praise the push under Governor DeWine for more funding devoted to children and families needing our support. 

“Gov. DeWine’s two terms in office have witnessed strategic state investments in children services,” said Ms. Sausser, “new resources for foster care, kinship care and adoption, expansion of his signature Ohio START program for parents struggling with substance use disorder, increased access to in-home prevention services, and so much more.”

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