Invitation to Participate in Testing Ohio’s Electronic Child Maltreatment Guidance Tool

The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) is developing a decision support tool to help mandated reporters and others who have concerns about the safety or well-being of a child or family. The goal is to support more consistent, informed, and supportive reporting practices. In the most recent state fiscal year, Ohio’s children services system received more than 200,000 reports of suspected abuse or neglect. That’s a report roughly every 2.6 minutes. This highlights the importance of providing clear and practical guidance to those making these critical decisions.

We are seeking mandated reporters from a variety of professional backgrounds to help test key guidance pathways. Beginning in early October, participants will use pathway diagrams to walk through real-world scenarios and provide feedback on the guidance flow, supporting content, and recommendations.

Participation is flexible, with an estimated time commitment of up to 8 hours spread across a multi-week testing period. Optional office hours will be available for questions and support, and feedback can be shared during live discussions or submitted online at your convenience.

Your input will help ensure the tool is practical, clear, and effective for professionals across Ohio.

If you are interested in participating, please complete this form. We will follow up with additional details about the testing process and timeline.

Thank you for helping DCY DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR KIDS.