OhioSTART (Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma)
OhioSTART is an intervention program that will provide specialized victim services, such as intensive trauma counseling, to children who have suffered victimization with substance abuse by a parent being the primary risk factor. The program will also assist parents of children referred to the program with their path to recovery from addiction.
Ohio’s child protection system has been significantly impacted by the opioid epidemic. The office of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine created the program to serve families with co-occurring substance abuse and child maltreatment. OhioSTART includes the partnering of county Public Children Services Agencies (PCSAs), behavioral health providers, juvenile/family courts, parent mentors, and other key stakeholders.
Researchers from the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University are conducting a process and outcome evaluation of the OhioSTART program.
For more information about OhioSTART, please click here. For more information specifically about our evaluation of the START program, click here.