This letter transmits Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) rule 5101:2-48-19 which was amended as a result of the five-year review, the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act and to keep alignment with foster care requirements.  This rule will be effective March 1, 2021.  The following is a brief explanation of the changes:

OAC 5101:2-48-19 entitled Sharing and Transferring an Adoptive Homestudy provides guidance to agencies on how to share homestudies and process the transfer of an adoptive homestudy approval. Paragraph (H)(1)(c) was amended regarding references for prospective adoptive applicants. Paragraph (H)(1)(f) was added to require a search of the national sex offender registry for the adoptive applicant and adult household members. Paragraph (K) was amended to have the information from (K)(1) to be included within the paragraph, then (1) and (2) were removed.  This was amended since private agencies have provider access to enter homestudies in SACWIS.  Form revision dates were removed throughout the rule.

INSTRUCTIONS:  The following chart indicates the material that should be removed from the Family, Children and Adult Services Manual (FCASM) and the materials that are to be inserted.