State grants Luzerne County Children, Youth and Families licensing, flags staffing shortage

The state granted Luzerne County Children, Youth and Families full licensing for another year but flagged caseworker staffing shortages as an issue that must be addressed.

Vacancies have plagued the agency for years, largely attributed to the stressful nature of the work handling alleged cases of child abuse and neglect. County officials have emphasized recruitment and retention are challenges in many counties across the state, not only here.

County Human Services Division Head Megan Stone said the county is making progress filling positions, in part through its July 1 withdrawal from the Pennsylvania State Civil Service system.

Established in 1939, the state system develops and administers job-specific tests and creates listings of qualified candidates for agencies to use in hiring.

County officials had discussed switching to in-house handling of the recruitment and selection of CYF caseworkers and other human service positions for more than a decade, arguing it would speed up the filling of positions and allow more flexibility.

Stone said positions can now be advertised and filled in three weeks to a month, compared to six to eight weeks under civil service. The county often lost applicants before because they could not wait that long and accepted other employment, she said.

The county agency’s renewed state licensing through Sept. 1, 2027, was approved by the state Department of Human Services’ Office of Children, Youth and Families.

A July 22 licensing renewal inspection letter, which has some information redacted, found intake workers had caseloads above the levels specified in state requirements.

“The caseworker-to-client ratio may be no greater than 1 to 30,” the state inspection said, redacting the numbers it found here.

The state approved the county’s corrective plan.

In addition to the civil service withdrawal, this plan included the following measures to fill county vacancies and reduce caseloads, it said:

• Hiring several part-time workers to help reduce the caseloads of full-time staff. Stone said three part-timers have been hired.

• Creation of a second shift from 4 p.m. to midnight, which will help alleviate stress on caseworkers by eliminating the need to be on call at night in addition to working day shifts. Stone said the second shift has been activated.

• Participating in a state-authorized system that records interviews with clients so workers can use the time spent taking notes to instead engage with families. Stone said the agency recently obtained this program.

• Increased compensation through a union agreement that County Council approved in May.

Caseworkers and other unionized agency workers received $3,000 or the new starting salary for their job category — whichever is higher — in 2026.

The annual starting salary increased from $40,781 to $44,000 for caseworker 1s and from $45,487 to $51,750 for caseworker 2s.

For the remaining three years of the contract — 2027 through 2029 — workers will receive 3% increases annually.

Those with at least five years of employment will also receive longevity increases equating to 1% of their base compensation on their anniversary date in the final three years of the contract.

At the time the contract was approved, the agency had approximately 33 caseworkers employed and another 20 caseworker positions vacant, Stone had said.

The agency currently has 38 caseworkers on staff, Stone said.

“The goal is caseloads of 30. We’re starting to come down,” Stone said.

As in many past inspections, the state performed sample reviews of a variety of case records and required plans to ensure protocols are enforced.

Praise for agency

County Manager Romilda Crocamo issued a statement commending Agency Director Katrina Gownley and the entire CYF staff on the “well-earned milestone” of obtaining a licensing renewal.

Crocamo said the state approval “reflects months of rigorous work, unwavering commitment, and an unshakable focus on the safety of our county’s children.”

“There were times when the road ahead looked uncertain. But like the phoenix, this agency has risen from the fire: stronger, more focused, and more capable than ever of serving Luzerne County’s most vulnerable residents,” Crocamo said.

Addressing staff, she said, “Your work often goes unseen, but it is never unnoticed. Luzerne County is safer because of your commitment to doing this job right.”

The agency’s licensing status is particularly important here due to past struggles.

County officials had announced in September 2023 that the license was fully restored. Prior to that, the state had kept the agency on a downgraded provisional license since August 2021, a month after past administrator Joanne Van Saun’s termination due to criminal charges against her for failing to investigate child abuse and neglect allegations.

Officials have primarily attributed the agency’s turnaround to Gownley, who came to the county with 20 years of child welfare experience.

While child placement with strangers is sometimes unavoidable due to abuse and neglect, the agency has been working to keep children with family and provide more support to parents and other caretakers to prevent problems from spiraling, officials said.

The agency was approved for participation in the state’s “Family Engagement Initiative” through the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, which started in September 2023 and collaboratively focuses on the well-being of both the child and the entire family.

“It’s a completely different agency,” Stone said, crediting Gownley’s leadership. “The staff has worked so hard to strengthen the policies and improve services and build strong relationships with community partners.”

CYF caseworker positions are posted in the human resources career opportunities section at luzernecounty.org.

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