Children's Rights: The Rights of Children and Their Families Who Need or are Receiving Community Services

Resources

Getting Help with Rights in Behavioral Health Settings

There are people who can advise you about your rights at the places where your child is getting behavioral health services. Agencies, hospitals and other facilities must be licensed or certified by the state to give behavioral health services. In order to have a license, these places must have a person on staff to protect your child's rights. This staff member is an advocate for your child. This staff member's job is to speak up for your child and for your child's rights. The advocate is also the person who helps your child and family understand your rights and make a complaint if you feel your child's rights are being limited or violated.

• Question to Ask - Who can help me with my rights?

This advocate is called a Client Rights Officer (CRO) in community mental health agencies and in mental health residential treatment facilities, and a Patient Representative in private psychiatric hospitals. Each agency, hospital and facility must put information about the CRO or the Patient Representative in a place where children and their families can see it. The information must have the name of the advocate, office hours, telephone number and office location.

• Question to Ask - Who is the CRO here?

Other Advocates

Your child and family can also get help from other advocacy agencies, consumer groups and private lawyers. On admission and whenever you ask, agencies, hospitals and facilities must give you and your child information about other advocates. These may include your local behavioral health authority, the Office of Consumer Advocacy and Protection of ODMH, and Ohio Legal Rights Service. Contact information for these and other advocates follows.

Rights Advocacy Contacts

For agencies with no TTY/TDD number listed call the Ohio Relay Service, TTY (800) 750-0750.

CSD Ohio
Telephone and TTY 877-781-6670
WEB www.c-s-d.org

Legal Aid Programs
Telephone (866) 529-6446
WEB www.ohiolegalservices.org

Legal Rights Service
Telephone (614) 466-7264 or (800) 282-9181
TTY (614) 728-2553 or (800) 858-3542
WEB http://olrs.ohio.gov

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Ohio)
Telephone (800) 686-2646
WEB www.namiohio.org

Ohio Civil Rights Commission
Telephone (888) 278-7101
WEB http://crc.ohio.gov/

Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities
Telephone (800) 374-2806
WEB www.ocecd.org

Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services
Telephone (614) 466-3445
WEB www.odadas.state.oh.us

Ohio Department of Education
Telephone (877) 644-6338
WEB www.ode.state.oh.us

Ohio Department of Health
Division of Family and Community Health Services
Telephone (614) 466-3263
WEB www.odh.ohio.gov

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Office for Children and Family
Telephone (614) 466-1213
WEB http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocf/

Ohio Department of Mental Health
Telephone (614) 466-7228 or (877) 275-6364 (ASK-ODMH)
TTY (888) 636-4889 (ODMH-TTY)
WEB www.mh.state.oh.us

Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Telephone (614) 466-0129
WEB http://odmrdd.state.oh.us

Ohio Department of Youth Services
Telephone (614) 466-4314
WEB www.dys.ohio.gov

Ohio Family and Children First Council
Telephone 614-752-4044
WEB www.ohiofcf.org

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