Clarion judge, CYS director address care crisis in county

Every year in Clarion County, about 60 children are placed in the care of Children and Youth Services.

“Any time we have children in the community who are without proper parental control, who are essentially being neglected in some way, then they are referred to (CYS), said Clarion County Judge Sara Seidle Patton. “CYS will address the need whether it is clothing, food or shelter.

“If CYS is not able to remedy the situation then they will file a petition with the court that will allow CYS to take legal custody of the child. CYS will then seek a solution to the problem,” Seidle Patton said during Tuesday’s county commissioners meeting.

“Sometimes there is an emergency situation where the child cannot remain in the home. That is when the child will be placed in foster care.,” the judge added. “There is a licensing procedure for foster parents. We would like to have a lot more foster parents than we have.”

The CYS caseworkers are in the forefront of the remedial action.

“Anyone can file a report of suspected abuse through Childline,” CYS director Marcy Hall said. “When we get the report we send our caseworkers out to the home to evaluate the situation.”

Hall said not all cases are substantiated.

“We determine if the report is substantiated or not. Sometimes we close out the case but other times we will pursue it further,” she said.

The further action may be immediate.

“At times we need to take immediate action with the children. The child would then be placed either with a foster family or in a facility” said Hall.

The caseworkers will develop a plan and goals for the family.

“The goal is always reunification. The caseworkers will put in a plan to help with parenting. Sometimes the families are homeless,” said Hall.

“Sometimes the child is in foster care until an adoptive family is located,” Hall added. “Once the family is unified we will continue to monitor the situation for a period of time. At some point we will close out the case.”

The caseworkers face very difficult situations at times.

“There is an emotional toll on the caseworkers. In my opinion the caseworkers have a very tough job,” said Hall. “There is compassion fatigue.”

Each caseworker has about 20 cases.

“Ideally a caseworker would handle about a dozen cases,” Hall said.

CYS also has a caseworker on call 24/7.

The fatigue leads to a shortage of caseworkers, and there are currently caseworker positions open in Clarion County.

A bachelors’ degree in social science is required, and the salary depends on the applicant’s qualification.

Caseworker I starts at $18.00 an hour.

“It is not an easy job,” said Hall. “It requires dedication.”