DCY-C-2627-0009R High-Quality Legal Representation for Parents

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals for a project to identify, develop, implement, and expand innovative strategies to enhance access to and improve the quality of legal representation for parents, children, and kinship caregivers involved in, or at risk of involvement with, Ohio’s child welfare system.

On December 21, 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau revised the Child Welfare Policy Manual, allowing state Title IV-E agencies to receive federal reimbursement for administrative costs associated with providing independent legal representation. This policy applies to legal representation for children who are candidates for Title IV-E foster care or are currently in foster care, as well as their parents. Additionally, the policy covers representation for tribal members, kinship caregivers, and related administrative costs, including those for paralegals, investigators, and support staff.

Under this policy, federal reimbursement is provided based on a state’s proportion of foster children eligible for Title IV-E, rather than covering all associated costs.