Registered users can access the Needs Portal here.
The Needs Portal is a web-based information system that supports community-based substance abuse and child welfare interventions. It also functions as a resource referral system, helping to connect families in need with social and behavioral health services.
Used primarily by child welfare caseworkers and supervisors, family peer mentors, and behavioral health service providers, the Needs Portal is a secure system that facilitates:
- Collecting information about families involved in the child welfare system, including substance use and trauma exposure
- Creating mentor and service referrals, and tracking services provided
- Evaluating the effectiveness of community-based interventions
The Needs Portal currently supports three grant-funded community-based interventions: Ohio Sobriety Treatment And Reducing Trauma (Ohio START), Enhancing Permanency In Children and Families (EPIC), and Empowering Communities to Reduce Fatal Opioid Overdoses in Rural Ohio (ECI).
The Needs Portal was previously used in California, where, in partnership with two regional offices of the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the tool was pilot-tested for a period of four years. Click here for more on the research associated with the Needs Portal.
New Needs Portal Resources
Quick Guide to the redesigned Needs Portal
Detailed How to Guide for the redesigned Needs Portal
Training videos posted on the Needs Portal’s YouTube channel
PowerPoint from online training events (October 2020)