The rescue of 16 children in Vinton County is shining a light on Ohio's child protective system, which experts say is under financial pressure and high employee turnover.
In 2025, child protection agencies investigated nearly 78,000 abuse and neglect reports and had 14,261 children in custody. Ohio spent $1.66 billion on child protective services last year, up 77% over a decade ago.
Children entering care in recent years have more complex and severe needs, experts say. On top of that, each year across Ohio, nearly one in four child protective services employees leaves the job − largely due to burnout.
Who reports suspected child abuse and neglect?
Doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers and other licensed professionals are required by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect. Ohio
recently added police officers as mandatory reporters, becoming one of the last states in the nation to require law enforcement to report suspected abuse to child welfare agencies.
But anyone can make a report with or without providing their name.
How tips are handled
State administrative law spells out how reports of suspected abuse and neglect must be handled. Here are the basics:
- Agencies must be able to accept reports 24/7, either by having employees on call or contracting with a county sheriff's department.
- Each tip must be logged and categorized based on info provided by the caller. If the tip is deemed credible, the case is "screened in" and goes to the next steps. (Tips that are screened out might be referred for other services, such as drug treatment or food assistance.)
- A safety assessment is supposed to be done within four days, which includes interviewing adults in the household and perhaps contacting neighbors, teachers or health care providers.
- If a child has been harmed or is in imminent danger, a welfare worker must attempt a face-to-face contact with the victim within one hour. Children can be removed from a home immediately, though the welfare agency would also seek court approval.
- If an allegation of abuse is substantiated, an ongoing plan is developed, which may involve the judicial system. Children may be placed in foster care or with a relative or family friend. Eventually, they may be reunited with their parents.
Funding for child welfare in Ohio
The costs of investigating child abuse and providing foster care − $1.66 billion a year in Ohio − is spread across federal, state and local governments.
The locals pick up about 45% of the cost; feds cover 35% and the state chips in 20%. In Ohio, 53 counties have local levies while other child protective services agencies rely on funding approved by the county commissioners.
Since 2019 when Mike DeWine became governor, the state share grew to 20%, up from 10%.
How high turnover hurts kids
Burnout and turnover among child welfare workers ebbs and flows. In 2019, it was 45% but last year it dropped to 24%, according to the Public Children Services Association of Ohio.
Studies show replacing a worker costs $54,000, the association said. But the hidden cost is shouldered by children in state custody. A study showed that children who had one consistent caseworker achieved permanent homes in 74.5% of the cases while those who had two caseworkers achieved permanency in only 17.5%.
State review of Siders family
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth conducts reviews whenever there is a child fatality or near-fatality. That's underway in the Siders case.
Four adults have been charged in connection to the case: Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders. Each face 16 counts of felony child endangerment.
The state sent experts to Vinton County to help placethe 16 children removed June 30 from squalid conditions inside the family's rental house in Hamden.
Typically, the state shares its report with the local child protective services agency, and it may be available to the public under Ohio's open records law, though portions may be redacted.
How much time the review takes depends on how many children and local agencies are involved, if any. When asked for a time frame for completing the Siders review, the Ohio Department of Children and Youth declined to answer. "Judge Fetherolf Rogers of the Vinton County Court of Common Pleas issued a gag order limiting the dissemination of information related to the ongoing situation in Vinton County, Ohio."
The Dispatch is suing to reverse the gag order.
Federal cuts to safety net
Scott Britton of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio said federal cuts to SNAP, Medicaid work requirements and other federal cuts to the safety net could affect the child welfare system. Research shows that economic supports help reduce calls to the welfare system, he said.
"That safety net is an important want of keeping families stable and it could end up pushing more kinds in to our system. We are watching that carefully," he said.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
Editor's Note: If you suspect child abuse or neglect in Ohio, report it by calling (855) OH-CHILD (855-642-4453) to be connected to your county’s children services or law enforcement office. Reports can be anonymous.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Vinton County case exposes strains on Ohio child welfare system
