The opioid crisis continues to plaque communities across Ohio, and according to the state Department of Job and Family Services, more than 3,000 Ohio children were removed from their homes because of parental substance use in 2022. A silver lining is a program called START, which provides wraparound services to families and is seeing high success rates.

Brown County Job and Family Services is the first local jurisdiction in the nation to be certified for quality implementation of a national model for families struggling with substance use and child maltreatment.

Thanks to the Ohio START program, those families have access to a team of professionals who support their recovery, help them navigate the court system, and work to keep the children in the home.

September is National Recovery Month, and a program in Ohio is showing success in healing families who have struggled with addiction.

For almost two years, staff members of Medina County Jobs and Family Services have worked to help families in the county with substance abuse issues or concerns.

Ohio START announced today that 4 new counties have been selected to join the program, bringing to 54 the number of counties participating.

While many parents and caregivers involved in the child welfare system suffered trauma as children, new research suggests that those with substance misuse issues as adults may have had particularly difficult childhoods.

Ohio START released its 2020 Impact Report including which provides data about the program this year as well as quotes and a success story.

Ohio START announced today that 6 new counties have been selected to join the program, bringing the number of counties participating in START to 52.

The national START program has been approved for inclusion in the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse as a promising practice.

The pandemic is compounding the regular stresses of the holiday season, and it's an especially challenging time for Ohioans living with substance use disorder.

An interview with Ashley, an Ohio START Caseworker.

In 2019, Ohio START served over 1,000 people, bringing important care and needed comfort to 445 adults and 583 children.

An interview with Sarah, an Ohio START Family Peer Mentor.

Ohio START received a 2019 Innovation Now Award from the Addiction Policy Forum.

A government study out this past week says the nation's opioid epidemic cost the economy $696 billion from 2015 through last year. Then there's the human toll, not captured by dollars and cents: Lives lost to overdose and families torn apart by addiction. Dean Reynolds reports.

The Public Children Services Association of Ohio oversees the Ohio START program; START stands for "Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma."

It was launched in 2017 to tackle the rising number of kids in need of foster care. According to Program Director Fawn Gadel, the program focuses on both the parents' and child's trauma.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Director Mark Hurst, MD, today announced that funding from their offices will help the Ohio Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma (START) Program expand to 17 new counties.

Children are the silent victims of America’s opioid abuse epidemic, often suffering neglect, abuse or trauma as one or both of their parents sink into the pit of addiction.

With a severe shortage of foster care options, Ohio authorities developed a pilot program called START to help families impacted by the opioid crisis. The program pairs families with a caseworker and gets them involved in counseling, but the key is a peer mentor who offers support along the way.

Children Services aids families affected by substance use.

The Ohio START program in Erie County helps stabilize families affected by substance use.

To keep her newborn from going into foster care, Manista had to get sober. She was able to get help through child welfare services, which paired her with an innovative program known as START.