Ohio Alternative Response Pilot Project
Project Overview
The Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, with support from the AIM team (American Humane Association, Institute of Applied Research and Minnesota leaders), implemented the Ohio Alternative Response Pilot Project in 10 counties: Clark, Fairfield, Franklin, Greene, Guernsey, Licking, Lucas, Ross, Trumbull and Tuscarawas.
Project Phases
In fall 2007, the pilot counties began the design phase of an alternative response system to accepted reports of alleged child maltreatment. American Humane Association led the AIM team in assisting pilot counties in the creation and establishment of their alternative response systems.
With the completion of the design phase, the AIM team helped prepare the counties for implementation through trainings with community stakeholders and agency workers and supervisors. On July 1, 2008, counties entered the second phase of the project, to implement alternative response. As part of the pilot project, data were collected for 18 months (July 2008 to December 2009) on a variety of issues, including child safety, services, family involvement and participation, and workers’ reaction to the approach. With the conclusion of the pilot project, the AIM team provided the state with a final evaluation report (PDF) and recommendations (PDF) to expand the practice statewide. A chronicle of the pilot project was also created to highlight the diverse range of perspectives and experiences with implementation.
Project’s Current Status
With the help of American Humane Association, the state continues with expansion plans. The second round of 10 counties began implementing alternative response in fall 2010, along with five additional counties supported by the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response. A third round of counties will implement in late summer 2011.
Honoring a Key Supporter of the Ohio Project
Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer
Supreme Court of Ohio
We mourn the loss of Thomas J. Moyer, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, who passed away unexpectedly on April 2, 2010. Chief Justice Moyer was a visionary whose life and work made a lasting impact on children and families in Ohio, in large part because of his unflagging support of family courts and alternative dispute resolution.
Chief Justice Moyer's leadership in these areas was ultimately responsible for our Alternative Response Pilot Project in Ohio. The results achieved will remain a lasting legacy and tribute to his work on behalf of children and families.
Learn more about Chief Justice Moyer’s life and career.
In October 2008, American Humane Association, in partnership with Walter R. McDonald & Associates and the Institute of Applied Research, was selected to receive a federal cooperative agreement totaling nearly $10 million over five years to develop the National Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response in Child Protective Services. The grant was awarded by the Children’s Bureau of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
