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Below is a list of CYS services
available to eligible
CYS SERVICES
AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE
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Private Provider |
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Adoption |
X |
X |
|
Casemanagement |
X |
- |
|
Crisis Intervention |
X |
- |
|
Foster Care |
X |
X |
|
Homemaking Education and Support |
X |
- |
|
Independent Living Skills |
X |
X |
|
Information and Referral |
X |
- |
|
Parent Education & Training |
X |
- |
|
Abuse and Neglect Referrals |
X |
- |
|
Child Abuse Prevention |
- |
X |
|
Service Planning |
X |
- |
|
Protective Services |
X |
- |
|
Counseling for Unwed Mothers |
X |
X |
|
Community and Facility Based Placements |
- |
X |
|
Perinatal Program |
X |
- |
|
Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention |
X |
- |
|
Multi-Systemic Therapy |
- |
X |
|
Family Group Decision Making |
X |
X |
UNIT: GENERAL PROTECTIVE SERVICES
General Protective Services are provided to protect children
from being further neglected or abused.
Program objectives - Each county
agency is responsible for administering a program of general protective
services to children and youth that is consistent with the agency's objectives
to:
(1) keep children in their own homes,
whenever possible
(2) prevent abuse, neglect and
exploitation
(3) overcome problems that result in
dependency
(4) provide temporary, substitute
placement is in a foster family home or residential child-care facility for a
child in need of care
(5) reunite children and their
families whenever possible when children are in temporary, substitute placement
(6) provide a permanent, legally assured family for a child in
temporary, substitute care who cannot be returned to his own home
(7) provide services and care ordered by the court for children
who have been adjudicated dependent
Efforts to prevent need for removal from home - In its effort to
assist the child and the child's parents, pursuant to federal regulation, the
county agency will make reasonable efforts prior to the placement of a child in
foster care, to prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child from his
home, and to make it possible for the child to return to home.
Assistance in obtaining available benefits - The county agency
shall aid the child and the family in obtaining benefits and services for which
they may qualify under Federal, State and Local programs.
Intensive Casemanagement Services are short-term, intensive,
in-home, crisis intervention services that teach skills and provide supports
for families in which a child is at imminent risk of out-of-home
placement. These services are designed to support families in crisis in
which children are either at risk of placement or have been placed outside
their homes. Intensive services are effective as reunification services,
as well as for placement prevention. The goal is to keep children safe
and avoid both unnecessary removal and unnecessary long separations from family
in out-of-home care. Intensive services are used to reunify children
quickly with their families, when it is safe to do so, as essential to
preventing placement. Intensive service works to promote family as the
first priority permanency option for children.
Homemaker Services (homemaking education and support) are
available for families who need help in learning budgeting, meal preparation
and homemaking tasks. Home help, home care skills instruction and child
care and supervision are provided to a child and the child's family in the
child's home by
Admission criteria/eligibility and Intake process: Cases
are accepted from the
Fees, client costs, funding sources: Services are funded
with Federal, State and County funding sources.
UNIT: ADOPTION/FOSTER CARE
Foster care is designed to provide a temporary substitute family
experience for a child who has been removed from their biological home for a
variety of reasons. The primary goal of foster care is to reunite
families, if possible.
Formal kinship care is designed to provide the same experience
as a foster placement; however, the caregiver is usually one who has an
existing relationship with the child and/or child's family.
Respite care is designed to provide temporary care for children
in Children and Youth placement with the primary purpose of providing relief to
caregivers.
Adoption is designed to provide a safe and permanent home for
children whose natural parents are unable or unwilling to fulfill this
responsibility.
Adoption searches are also conducted through this unit assisting
adults 18 years or older who were adopted through
Admission criteria/eligibility and Intake process: To
become a licensed foster care or kinship home you must be at least 21 years of
age, possess a valid driver's license, demonstrate financial stability, have
passed a medical physical and have child abuse and criminal clearances.
Foster parents must also attend foster parenting classes, complete a home
study, a home safety evaluation, water test (if applicable), give 5 references
and sign an agency disclosure statement. To become an adoptive parent the
same requirements as foster parenting applies along with autobiographies,
questionnaires, most to least list and proof of licenses (marriage, driver's
homeowner's, auto, etc.).
Fees, client costs, funding sources: There are no fees
associated with any of the services in this unit.
UNIT: INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM
The Independent Living Program is a voluntary program designed
to aid youth learn skills and locate resources that will be useful to them in
their transition to adulthood. Skills needed for this transition are
taught. The Independent Living caseworker will also assist the youth with
education, employment and housing. This would include, but not limited
to, encouraging those attending high school to complete their education and
graduate. Those that have chosen to obtain their GED, the Independent
Living caseworker will aid in that process. Students desiring higher
education, the Independent Living caseworker will assist these students with
SATs, necessary college paperwork and completion of financial aid forms.
Assistance with employment, such as aiding in resume writing, interview skills,
and application completion are also offered.
Admission criteria/eligibility and Intake process: Youth
that are 16 years old or older and have been in out of home placement on or
after their 16th birthday are eligible for enrollment into the Independent
Living Program. The current Children and Youth caseworker for the child
will make the referral to the Independent Living caseworker and/or the
Independent Living supervisor. Eligible students can remain in the
Independent Living Program until the age of 21 years.
Fees, client costs, funding sources: There is no charge
for these services. Independent Living is in part grant funded.
UNIT: PERINATAL PROGRAM
The overall goal of the Perinatal Program is to promote bonding and
to raise children in nurturing and safe environments. The Perinatal
Program provides services to families from their first trimester of pregnancy
until the child is 3 years old. The Perinatal Program caseworker provides
information, education, and emotional support to the family. The
Perinatal Program caseworker will come directly to the home to provide
services. Assistance with transportation to appointments that are
necessary for the health and well-being of the mother and child is also
provided.
Admission criteria/eligibility and Intake process:
Referrals can be made by calling the Intake Department at 726-2100.
Fees, client costs, funding sources: Services are provided
for free.
UNIT: PARENT EDUCATION
The Parenting Program offers a variety of classes free of charge
to the public. A new curriculum from Active Parenting has recently been
implemented for some of the Core courses. 1, 2, 3, 4 Parents covers
parenting of children up to 4 years of age. Active Parenting Now deals
with parenting of children ranging from 5-12 years and Active Parenting of
Teens helps parents learn how to effectively relate to their teenage
child(ren). Other classes offered include: Helping Your Child(ren)
Cope with Divorce (a class that is usually court-mandated for parents engaged
in custody disputes), Parenting the ADHD/ODD child (for parents of children
with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Oppositional Defiant
Disorder), Truancy, and Managing Anger in the Family. A complete list of
other special-topic classes can be accessed by calling the Parent Education
Department at 726-2100 (x8211 or x8249). All classes are held at the
In addition to these classes, parent educators are available to
provide in-home parenting services to persons who cannot attend regular classes
due to disability, problems with baby-sitting, lack of transportation, or other
personal issues. Referrals for in-home parent education are received from
caseworkers, the CASSP program, and other referral sources. Individuals
may also request services directly through the Intake Department by calling
726-2100.
Admission criteria/eligibility and Intake process: To sign
up for classes, please contact a Parent Educator at 726-2100 (x8211 or
x8249). For in-home parenting, please call the Intake Department at
726-2100.
Fees, client costs, funding sources: Services are provided for free.
UNIT: MULTI-SYSTEMIC THERAPY
Multi-systemic Therapy (MST) is an intensive, family and
community-based program for youth displaying incorrigibility, youth at-risk of
out-of-home placement, or youth with identified substance abuse issues, and
their families. MST was designed to provide communities with affordable,
family-based treatment that result in positive outcomes for youth.
In order to help troubled youth, it is necessary to strengthen
the support systems that surround them so that they may continue to benefit
long after immediate intervention has ended. MST strives to promote
behavior change within the youth's natural environment, using the strengths of
their family, peers, school and community, to facilitate change.
MST utilizes a treatment team of trained therapists to provide services
to youth and families. MST services are flexible, with evening, weekend
and on-call services available to meet the needs of the family.
Admission criteria/eligibility and Intake process: Program is administered by Adelphoi Village,
Inc. Child must be referred by Children
and Youth Services or Warren County Juvenile Probation Department. Child must have been petitioned to juvenile
court by one of the departments.
Fees, client costs, funding sources: Program is funded by a Pennsylvania Commission
on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Grant and public
medical assistance funding. There is no
fee for the service from the family served.
UNIT: FAMILY GROUP DECISION MAKING
Family Group Decision Making is a
strengths-based empowerment model designed to join the wider family group,
including relatives, friends, community members, and others, to collectively
make decisions to resolve an identified concern. FGDM is primarily based
on aspects of the Family Unity Model and the Family Group Conferencing process
established in
Admission criteria/eligibility and
Intake process: Program is administered
by Beacon Light Behavioral Health Systems.
Child must be referred by the
Fees, client costs, funding sources: There is no fee for the service from the
family served and the program is funded with Children and Youth Services
program funds.
The Office of Children, Youth and Families complies with the
following state laws/regulations requiring that child abuse and neglect be
investigated and safe permanent homes be secured for dependent children:
- Juvenile Act (Act 333) and
amendments
- Child Protective Services Law
(Act 124) and amendments
- Regulations governing County children and youth agencies (Title 55 PA Code, Chapters 3130, 3140, 3170, and 3680)
- Child protective services
regulations
Also complies with all applicable Federal
legislation including the:
- Adoption and Safe Families
Act of 1997
- Adoption Assistance and Child
Welfare Act of 1980
- Missing, Exploited and
Runaway Children Protection Act
- Child Abuse Prevention and
Enforcement Act
- Title - IV B, D, E
- Promoting Safe and Stable
Families Amendments of 2001
- Chafee Foster Care
- Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978
- Multi-ethnic Placement Act of 1994
