The State of Child Welfare
Download the Report (PDF)

How well are Pennsylvania and county governments doing to assure safe, stable and permanent families for all children? This inaugural review of the performance of our child welfare systems provides a data overview to help examine the facts and gauge our efforts to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children.

Are counties keeping children safe in their homes so fewer children ever have to enter foster care? Are they placing children in the foster care settings that increase the likelihood of a permanent family for every child? Are they taking the necessary steps to assure children who won’t be reunified with their birth families are adopted as soon as possible? Are they preventing children from repeat abuse or reentry into foster care placement? “The State of Child Welfare” will help measure progress over time as well as shine a light on areas that need improvement so that Pennsylvania’s commitment to a “forever family for every child” will one day become reality.

This report was released in November 2009 and reflects the most recent data available. For more information, click here or contact KIDS COUNT Director Sandy Moore at smoore@papartnerships.org.

Press Release
Report Shows How Counties Fare in Serving Kids in Child Welfare System (PDF)

Promising Child Welfare Practices in Pennsylvania
Click here to download (PDF)

Citations/Sources
Click here for a list of Citations/Sources (PDF)

County Tables

ALL PA COUNTIES	Delaware County	Montgomery County
Adams County	Elk County	Montour County
Allegheny County	Erie County	Northampton County
Armstrong County	Fayette County	Northumberland County
Beaver County	Forest County	Perry County
Bedford County	Franklin County	Philadelphia County
Berks County	Fulton County	Pike County
Blair County	Greene County	Potter County
Bradford County	Huntingdon County	Schuylkill County
Bucks County	Indiana County	Snyder County
Butler County	Jefferson County	Somerset County
Cambria County	Juniata County	Sullivan County
Cameron County	Lackawanna County	Susquehanna County
Carbon County	Lancaster County	Tioga County
Centre County	Lawrence County	Union County
Chester County	Lebanon County	Venango County
Clarion County	Lehigh County	Warren County
Clearfield County	Luzerne County	Washington County
Clinton County	Lycoming County	Wayne County
Columbia County	McKean County	Westmoreland County
Crawford County	Mercer County	Wyoming County
Cumberland County	Mifflin County	York County
Dauphin County	Monroe County

Maps
Child Welfare Policy Academy: Safely Reducing the Number of Children in Foster Care (PDF)

Community Based Child Abuse Programs (PDF)

Court Improvement Projects (PDF)

Family Group Decision Making (PDF)

Independent Living Programs (PDF)

Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (PDF)

Systems of Care/Integrated Children’s Service Plan (PDF)

Media Coverage

Northampton, Lehigh counties' child welfare systems operating well, report says (PDF) Easton Express-Times - December 10, 2009

Child welfare study finds Lehigh and Northampton counties reducing the number of kids in foster care (PDF) Easton Express-Times - December 10, 2009

Report: County child abuse higher than state average (PDF) Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader - December 10, 2009

Report: McKean County child abuse rates more than twice state average (PDF) Bradford Era - December 9, 2009

Safety net for kids gets high marks (PDF) Centre Daily Times - December 9, 2009

Report says DHS doing better job with foster kids (PDF) Philadelphia Daily News- December 9, 2009

Nearly 25% of Phila. foster children live with kin (PDF) Philadelphia Inquirer - December 9, 2009

Allegheny excels at reuniting foster children, families (PDF) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - December 9, 2009

Counties excel at reuniting foster children, families (PDF) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - December 9, 2009

State report on foster care gives Berks system mixed grades (PDF) Reading Eagle - December 9, 2009

Local counties receive 'good' rating in child welfare report (PDF) Washington Observer-Reporter - December 9, 2009

Report: York County reunites more children with families (PDF) York Daily Record - December 8, 2009

State's child welfare system rated (PDF) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - December 8, 2009

Report: Local counties surpass state average in moving children through welfare system (PDF) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - December 8, 2009