Regional prevention councils are established to serve child abuse and child neglect prevention regions created and defined under section 3109.171 of the Revised Code.

(A)Duties and structure of a regional prevention council.

(1)Each council is composed of county prevention specialists appointed by boards of county commissioners and the Ohio children’s trust fund (OCTF) board.

(2)Every council is directed by a competitively selected regional prevention coordinator that selects a non-voting chairperson to lead the council and facilitate the completion of its tasks.

(3)Each council is charged with:

(a)Establishing standing workgroups,

(b)Developing and completing needs assessments,

(c)Developing, approving and implementing a regional child abuse and child neglect prevention plan based on OCTF criteria,

(d)Collecting data on the implementation of the plan and submitting a progress report and an annual report to the OCTF.

(4)Each council may request start-up funding from the OCTF for children’s advocacy centers.

(B)(A) Meetings and notices.

(1)All business transactions of each council shall be conducted in public meetings. Each council shall meet in compliance with division (H) of section 3109.172 of the Revised Code at the call of the chairperson; and

(a)Held in accordance with a schedule adopted by each council at its first meeting; or

(b)Scheduled at a previous meeting of the council; or

(c)Special meeting called by the chairperson of the council.

(2)Public notice of meetings will specify the time and place of the meeting.

(a)Each council will maintain a list of persons who have requested notice of all meetings.

(b)Any person may obtain electronic mail notification of the time and place of any regularly scheduled meeting by requesting such notification from the council before the close of the business day prior to the meeting.

(c)In the event of a special meeting, the council will notify all listed persons by electronic mail notification as soon as possible after the special meeting is scheduled.

(3)Quorum.

A majority of the actual number of county prevention specialists that have been appointed to and are serving on the council at the time of a meeting where official action is to be taken constitutes a quorum to conduct a meeting. A majority of those members present and voting yes on a proposal shall constitute a favorable vote. All votes shall be conducted by roll call.

(4)Procedure.

When a question of parliamentary procedure arises, the most current edition of "Robert's Rules of Order" (2011) shall be followed as a guide for the proceedings of the council.

(5)Minutes.

The minutes shall be the record of the proceedings of the council.

(a)The minutes, at a minimum, shall provide a record of the council members present and any votes taken.

(b)Draft copies of the written minutes shall be circulated to the council in advance of each meeting.

(c)After approval, the approved version shall be retained for a period of seven years by the regional prevention coordinator of each council.

(d)Each council will make available a copy of the approved minutes to any person who requests them.

(6)Agenda.

The agenda shall be sent to each council member prior to the meeting. Each council will make available a copy of the meeting agenda to any person who requests it.

(C)(B) Officers and their duties.

(1)The chairperson: serves as a nonvoting member of the council. The chairperson is to preside at all council meetings or may call upon the vice chairperson to preside during a meeting.

(a)Is selected by the council's regional prevention coordinator from among the county prevention specialists that have been appointed to and are serving on the regional prevention council.

(b)Serves as a nonvoting member of the council. The chairperson shall be the voice of the council and shall preside at all council meetings.

(c)May call upon the vice chairperson to preside during a meeting.

(2)A vice chairperson shall be selected by the council from among the members of the council.

(a)The vice chairperson shall preside in the event of the absence of the chairperson or upon the request of the chairperson.

(b)When presiding over a council meeting, the vice chairperson becomes a nonvoting member and functions in the same capacity as the chairperson.

(3)Under the direction of the chairperson, a staff member designated by the regional prevention coordinator shall keep the minutes of council proceedings.

(4)Other officers of the council shall include the chairpersons of workgroups who are designated by the council.

(D)Workgroups.

(1)In conducting its business and fulfilling its duties pursuant to sections 3109.172, 3109.174 and 3109.178 of the Revised Code, each child abuse and child neglect regional prevention council, as defined in section 3109.171 of the Revised Code, shall create the following workgroups at its initial meeting or within two months thereafter:

(a)A child abuse and child neglect prevention month planning workgroup:

(i)Shall examine existing child abuse and child neglect prevention month activities, programs and/or events,

(ii)Shall then recommend to the full council specific child abuse and child neglect prevention month activities, programs and/or events to be considered for inclusion in the regional prevention plan that each child abuse and child neglect regional prevention council submits to the OCTF board pursuant to section 3109.174 of the Revised Code.

(iii)This workgroup will also make recommendations for coordinating and disseminating the OCTF board's child abuse and child neglect prevention month campaign messaging and materials.

(b)A needs assessment workgroup that will coordinate the council's needs assessment activities.

(c)A prevention plan workgroup that will coordinate the development of the council's regional prevention plan for funding child abuse and child neglect prevention programs and activities.

(2)Each child abuse and child neglect regional prevention council may create additional workgroups and assign any tasks it deems necessary to facilitate the implementation of its assigned duties.

(3)Council members shall self-select into workgroups. Workgroup members may include non-council members such as experts in a particular field whose knowledge may assist the workgroup in the completion of its assigned duties.

(4)The council designates a workgroup chairperson from among the workgroup members who are also members of the council.

(5)Council members shall self-select into and councils shall designate chairpersons for the workgroups created under paragraphs (D)(1)(a), (D)(1)(b) and (D)(1)(c) of this rule at the council's initial meeting or within two months thereafter.

(6)The council chairperson shall ensure that a sufficient number of council members self-select into each workgroup so as to facilitate each workgroup's completion of its assigned tasks.

(7)All meetings of a workgroup created under paragraph (D) of this rule will be public.

(a)Each workgroup will relay the date, location and time of each meeting to the child abuse and child neglect regional prevention coordinator no less than three working days prior to the meeting.

(b)The coordinator, on behalf of the council, will:

(i)Send electronic notification of the date, location and time of each meeting to the OCTF.

(ii)Send electronic notification of the date, location and time of each meeting to a list of persons who have requested notice of the workgroup meetings.

(c)This electronic notification will be sent no less than two working days prior to the workgroup meeting.

(d)The coordinator shall also keep minutes of all workgroup meetings.

(8)Each workgroup created under paragraph (D) of this rule will meet as needed and will report on its work and make any recommendations necessary in the completion of its assigned tasks to the full council.

(9)Workgroups created under paragraph (D) of this rule do not take official actions and a child abuse and child neglect regional prevention council is not required to adopt or implement any recommendations put forth by a workgroup. The council will review each workgroup's report and recommendations and may take official action on them to the extent council deems necessary.

(E)(C) Each child abuse and child neglect regional prevention council and its regional prevention coordinator shall collaborate on assembling the council's regional child abuse and child neglect prevention plan within the OCTF online system. The council shall then submit its regional prevention plan to the OCTF board by submitting the form JFS 01475, "Ohio children's trust fund regional child abuse and child neglect prevention plan submission" (Rev. 1/2016).

(F)(D) Pursuant to division (I)(5) of section 3109.172 of the Revised Code, each regional prevention council member shall:

(1)Serve on a minimum of one workgroup.

(2)Assist the regional prevention coordinator in conducting comprehensive needs assessments in addition to the initial assessment as outlined in division (I)(2) of section 3109.172 of the Revised Code.

(G)Pursuant to division (I)(2) of section 3109.172 of the Revised Code and paragraph (F) of this rule, assisting the regional prevention coordinator in conducting needs assessments shall include, but not be limited to, the acquisition of county level data.

(H)Service on regional prevention councils is voluntary and council members shall not receive compensation for their service to the council.

(I)A regional prevention council member who fails to attend at least three-fifths of the regular and special meetings held by the council during any two-year period forfeits the member's position on the council.

Effective: 7/1/2021

Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 4/1/2021 and 07/01/2026

Certification: CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY

Date: 06/14/2021

Promulgated Under: 119.03

Statutory Authority: 3109.16, 3109.179

Rule Amplifies: 3109.172, 3109.174

Prior Effective Dates: 01/01/2016