FAPL 85 (Children Services Best Practices (CSBP) Funding)
Fiscal Administrative Procedure Letter No. 85
January 6, 2020
TO: Fiscal Administrative Procedure Manual Holders
FROM: Kimberly Hall, Director
SUBJECT: Children Services Best Practices (CSBP) Funding

In accordance with Am. Sub H.B. No. 166 of the 133rd General Assembly, effective July 18, 2019, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is issuing Children Services Best Practices (CSBP) funding to strengthen best practices of a Public Children Services Agency (PCSA).

ODJFS will issue funds for state fiscal year (SFY) 20 that ends June 30, 2020.  The PCSA can incur services through the funding period and disburse and report expenditures no later than the end of the liquidation period, September 2020.

This allocation consists of state funds. The PCSA will deposit this allocation in the county's Children Services Fund. 

Methodology

ODJFS will allocate funding to the PCSA in accordance with section 5101.14 of the Revised Code as follows:

 

  • ODJFS will allocate twelve per cent of the statewide amount divided equally among all counties;
  • ODJFS will allocate forty-eight per cent of the statewide amount in the ratio that the number of residents of the county under the age of eighteen bears to the total number of such persons residing in this state; and
  • ODJFS will allocate forty per cent of the statewide amount in the ratio that the number of residents of the county with incomes under the federal poverty guideline bears to the total number of such persons in this state.

Allowable Activities

Allowable activities include the costs associated with CSBP activities and contracts for purchased goods and services include but are not limited to:

 

  • Family first prevention service act (FFPSA) preparation including the development and/or evaluation of prevention services and qualified residential treatment programs;
  • Kinship supports including the establishment or expansion of kinship support programs;
  • Foster care recruitment/retention activities that - in addition to the Foster Parent Recruitment Allocation – include efforts to build more caregiver capacity to meet the needs of children with complex needs in family-based settings;
  • Workforce support including recruitment and retention strategies for the PCSA workforce;
  • Training incentives for completion of training or coaching in topic and competency areas that are determined, through a structured process of needs assessment, to be relevant to the work and a high priority need for the system and individuals working within it.
  • Data and reporting including administrative support to review and analyze data and reporting to inform local strengths, needs, and priorities; and
  • Equipment and technology support, including but not limited to, the purchase of training, services and equipment such as surface pros, phones, scanners, and mobile broadband.

For questions regarding eligibility, allowable activities and reporting requirements, please direct them to the Office of Families and Children. For fiscal questions please contact your ODJFS Fiscal Supervisor or the BCFTA Helpdesk at CFIS_Help_Desk@jfs.ohio.gov.