Lawmakers look to address shortfalls after Vinton County child abuse discovery

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Following the removal of 16 children from an allegedly abusive home in Hamden, Ohio, lawmakers and advocates are asking how this tragedy could have happened and what the state should do moving forward.

Rep. Mark Johnson (R-Chillicothe) said Monday that for the most part, people in his district, which includes Hamden, are “in a state of shock.”

“Some of the best people that I’ve ever met in my life live here,” Johnson said, but Vinton has the lowest population of any county in Ohio, and is one of the poorest counties in the state.

Shortly after the removal of the Siders children and the arrests of Gary Siders, 73; Christina Siders, 66; Gary Siders II, 36; and Elizabeth Siders, 33, Johnson sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine seeking emergency financial assistance from the state, both in prosecuting the case and in caring for the rescued children, who may have significant and long-term physical and behavioral health needs.

“I respectfully request that the State provide financial assistance to support the immediate and ongoing needs of these sixteen children, including foster care placement, medical treatment, behavioral health services, counseling, and any other resources necessary to ensure their safety, well-being, and recovery,” Johnson wrote. “I also respectfully request that funding be made available to assist with any necessary services or expenses that may not be covered by Medicaid.”

Vinton County is served by a consolidated, three-county Job and Family Services agency, along with Hocking and Ross counties. According to Scott Britton, assistant director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, social services in the region are “very rural, very small, under-resourced.”

 “Our South Central Ohio Job and Family Services staff down there have been putting in a lot of long hours and hard work to try to meet the needs of these children,” Britton said. “When 16 siblings come into care all at once, I think that can challenge the resources of any county children’s services agency in the state.”

Britton said more foster parents are needed in “every county of Ohio.” Johnson worries that without state assistance, Vinton County could go bankrupt trying to place the Siders children in appropriate foster care.

The details of the Siders family case are so extraordinary that lawmakers aren’t sure what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it.

The Siders appear to have lived off the grid without interacting much or at all with the community, which, according to Rep. Karen Brownlee (D-Symmes Twp.), is a significant challenge when Ohio’s social services agencies operate on a county-by-county basis.

“If the family did not integrate with the communities in which they lived, it could have made it very difficult for others outside the household to suspect the levels of abuse happening to the children,” Brownlee said. “If a family knows they are under investigation and are not motivated to change, they can move to another county or state, where they may be able to repeat the cycle.”

“When you have no record of anybody, I mean, I don’t know if any government agency, or any law change could try to help in this matter,” Johnson said.

But Chris Graham, a child welfare advocate, disagrees. According to Graham, the state legislature could strengthen mandatory reporting laws and pass a prohibition on child marriage, noting that Elizabeth and Gary Siders Jr. were married in West Virginia when Elizabeth was only 15.

“I think the only thing that gets people and legislators talking about these reforms is an extreme scenario like this,” Graham said. “I hesitate to use the phrase silver lining. How can I, as a human being? But I look at this and I hope something good comes from it in that Ohio picks itself up by its bootstraps and starts to legislate in a way that protects kids.”

Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) is sponsoring House Bill 635, also called the Child Protection Reform Act, which aims to strengthen mandatory reporting and improve inter-agency cooperation to try and catch cases of abuse and neglect faster. He also believes the Vinton County case may help get legislation passed later this year.

“We will watch this situation closely and see if there’s any gaps we can fill,” Plummer said. “Our bill is still in the House, so I still have time to amend it and if there’s anything that we need to change in this bill to help with a situation like this.”

Some Democrats on the Child and Family Services Committee, however, worry about putting unfunded mandates on local social service agencies. From a legislative perspective, Brownlee said, “The best way for the Statehouse to protect children in Ohio is to fully invest in the Child Protective Services professionals who do this very difficult work.”

Plummer appeared to agree, saying, “If this is going to be a priority for us, and it should be for everybody to protect kids, then we need to throw resources at it and make sure they have the proper staffing and the proper technology.”

According to Britton, funding children services has been a clear priority for the DeWine administration.

“We have definitely seen significantly more investments in children services under Gov. Dewine and under the General Assembly for the last several sessions and we’re very grateful,” Britton said. “We could not have managed the workforce challenges and the placement crisis that we continue to face without these additional resources from the state.”

While Johnson said he thinks it’s too early to talk about legislative reforms, he did suggest that lawmakers should consider increasing penalties, saying he does not believe the maximum 12-year sentences now faced by the Siders adults are enough for such extreme cases.