CHILDREN and YOUTH SERVICES (CYS)
Department of Human Services
Dolores Blosnich, Children and Youth Director Fort Jackson Building, Room 201 19 South Washington Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone: 724-852-5217 / Toll free: 800-932-0313 or 888-317-7106 Fax: 724-627-6630 / On-Call beeper 911
Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
Overview of Services:
Children and Youth Services provides general protective services; caseworker assistance; homemaker services; counseling referrals; general investigation and research; and coordination with Mental Health/Mental Retardation, CARE, CASSP, SAP, Catholic Charities and GARC.
Child Protective Services--Childline: Abuse & neglect referrals, interviews, prevention to legal intervention. Placement Services--Foster Care as least destructive option to institutional settings. Runaway Services. Unwed parent assistance. Adoption. Primary school sexual abuse prevention program. Speakers available on related topics. All families with children under 18 years of age are eligible.
The mission of CYS is to support families through education and preventive services and to protect children from abuse, neglect and dependency when families cannot or do not provide adequate parental care. Program responsibilities focus on the following areas: assessment and determination of risk; monitoring; placement; foster care services; and family visitation.
Goals:
Child Safety: Children are, first and foremost, protected from abuse and neglect. Children are safely maintained in their own homes whenever possible and appropriate.
Permanency: Children have permanency in their living situations. The continuity of family relationships and connections is preserved for children.
Child & Family Well-Being: Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children's needs. Children receive appropriate services to meet their physical and mental health needs as well as their educational needs.
Foster Home Recruitment & Retention: Provide children with an out-of home family environment that is conducive to their educational, physical and mental health needs. Assure all foster parents/homes maintain compliance with all governing rules and regulations for full licensure. Strive to maintain foster homes in each of the county's five school districts by recruiting three new foster parents each year.
Adoption: Provide children with a living family and permanency in their lives. Attempt to place six children in adoptive homes by the end of the year.
Staff: Maintain state certified staff of caseworkers. Provide ongoing training and education for all staff. Encourage additional CWEL (Child Welfare Education for Leadership Program) applicants.
Agency: Assure all case records are maintained in compliance with applicable rules and regulations to remain a fully licensed agency. Explore case management software programs to become more efficient with case work and enhance time-management skills. Continue with the on-going preparations for the CFSR, a federal review of the agency's operations.
Most children and youth become at risk of abuse and neglect due to dysfunction in their family system. Greene County Children and Youth Services provide a variety of services to help troubled families and protect children from abuse and neglect.
Children and Youth Advisory Board:(Updated 1/19/2011)
Patricia Lemley, Chairman
John R. Lohr, Vice Chairman
Linda Jones, Secretary
Laura Walters, Treasurer
Jason Baily, Board Member
Margaret Beglin, Board Member
Janice Brunell, Board Member
Donna Franks, Board Member
Lori Gilbert, Board Member
Reverend Harold Kelley, Board Member
Robert Morgan, Board Member
Trooper Mark Schmelzlen, Board Member
Virginia Wainwright, Board Member
Non-Board Attendees:
Karen Bennett, Human Services Administrator
Pam Snyder, Commissioner Representative
Gregory Hook, Esq., CYS Solicitor
Meetings are held at 9:00 a.m. every 2nd Tuesday of the month on the 3rd floor of the Fort Jackson Building, in the large conference room.
For general information, please contact the Information Services at 724-852-5399 / Toll Free: 1-888-852-5399. County Office Building, 93 E. High Street, Waynesburg, PA 15370
