By NATASHA BRENNEMAN
Staff writer
The future of Children and Youth Services amid Pennsylvania’s budget problems led the discussion at Tuesday’s Clarion County Commissioners meeting.
The first renewed contract is valued at $227.43 to $236.28 per day for Adelphoi Village in Latrobe to provide community residential services. The second contract will cost between $27.55 and $106.43 per day to provide foster care services.
The contract renewals were in the spotlight because of the $3 billion deficit in the state budget. Proposed cuts in state funding would affect the agency more than most, said Kay Rupert, director of human services in Clarion County.
One reason the impact would be felt greatest by CYS, she said, is because of the manner in which the agency serves children. While other departments of human services are allowed by law to have a waiting list, CYS is not permitted to have such a list.
“Waiting lists are not really an option, legally or morally and ethically,” Rupert said. “Our response times are either immediate, within 24 hours or within three days depending on the situation.”
Rupert said even without budget cuts, workload will continue to increase.
Todd Kline, director of CYS, said there were several reasons the number of children in the foster care system are increasing.
“It’s a combination of things, (methampetamine) is really bad in Clarion County and enforcement has been stepped up,” he said. “There is an ebb and flow to foster care placement.
And Rupert said that Clarion County is thorough during the placement process.
“We try to do preventative measures so you know a lot of work is done before we place a child,” she said.
Commissioner Ted Tharan said the county would “take immediate action if the budget passes for the rest of this year. If we know cuts are coming we’ll take action.”
Tharan was adamant that action would be taken in some form to help protect CYS.
“Children are our future,” he said in support of protecting the agency.
In addition, the commissioners declared May as Foster Family Month in recognition of work and care provided by foster families in Clarion County.
Rebecca Maguire, the county’s foster care coordinator, said that she was in the process of granting a license to a family. Once complete, she said there will be 40 foster families in the county, as well as 40 children in current placement.
Maguire commended the three foster parents in attendance, but said there is still a need for foster families in the Redbank Valley and Union school districts.
Another bill that sparked discussion at Tuesday’s meeting would cut funding of the Small Business Development Center of Clarion County, and others like, it by 50 percent. The bill prompted the commissioners to send a letter to state Rep. Donna Oberlander and state Sen. Scott Hutchinson.
The letter, which was sent at the request of the SBDC, asked the representatives to consider not cutting funding to the SBDC.
“It’s not our first letter like this folks,” Tharan said.
He added the commissioners would send similar letters if a budget cut became imminent.