Parents and advocates have worked for five years to abolish forced custody relinquishment of multi-system youth in Ohio, and we are hopeful that, due to broad bipartisan support, this budget will bring an end to this heartbreaking practice.
No one can better explain the heartbreak of a forced custody relinquishment than a parent who has had to make that choice.
The term multi-system youth refers to children and teenagers with complex behavioral, physical and developmental needs that require the assistance of multiple agencies. Sometimes the needs of these young people are so profound that they require services, like out-of-home residential treatment, that are not funded by private insurance or Medicaid. This forces parents to make the heart-wrenching decision to relinquish custody of their children to gain access to critical care.
No one can better explain the heartbreak of a forced custody relinquishment than a parent who has had to make that choice.
One of those parents is Whitehall resident Mark Butler. His son Andrew has behavioral issues related to severe autism, mental illness and an intellectual disability. Butler was forced to surrender custody so Andrew could access residential treatment.
“For many years, families like mine suffered alone and in silence. It feels like someone has finally heard us,” Butler said. “I now have hope that the state cares about children like Andrew and has found the resolve to address this issue.”
Butler went on to cite the contributions of Governor Mike DeWine, Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford), Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-Akron), Rep. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario), Rep. Thomas West (D-Canton), Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina), Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights) and the Senate Finance Committee. He also thanked Rep. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) and Senator Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) for being “champions of multi-system youth in their respective chambers.”
For the first time, those of us who advocate against forced custody relinquishment feel like we have the support of the Governor, House and Senate and that we have specific funding to allow families to support their children.
We are grateful for the work that has been done, and we are optimistic about what we will see in the budget
Moving forward, the Senate’s version of the budget includes an amendment to create a multi-system youth custody relinquishment fund. Parents and advocates strongly support the creation of this $18 million fund specifically for families who face custody relinquishment.
Both the House and Senate versions of the budget call on the Ohio Family and Children First Council to develop and present a multi-system youth action plan to reduce forced custody relinquishment to the General Assembly by December 31. This is culmination of work the legislature started in 2016, when the Joint Legislative Committee on Multi-System Youth issued recommendations designed to stop forced custody relinquishment.
Throughout the budget process, the administration and the leadership in the Ohio General Assembly have demonstrated a level of concern for Ohio's most vulnerable children that we have not seen in years. We are grateful for the work that has been done, and since there is already so much agreement on this issue, we are optimistic about what we will see in the budget.
