9-NBB41 27-28 Narrative Template.pdf

Fiscal Year 2027-28 Needs- Based Plan & Budget

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Office of Children, Youth and Families

NEEDS-BASED PLAN AND BUDGET

NARRATIVE TEMPLATE

OCYF NBPB Narrative Template

FY 2027-28

Budget Narrative Template

The following pages provide a template for counties to use to complete the narrative portion of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027-28 Needs-Based Plan and Budget (NBPB). All narrative pieces should be included in this template; no additional narrative is necessary. Detailed instructions for completing each section are in the NBPB Bulletin, Instructions & Appendices. As a reminder, this is a public document; using the names of children, families, office staff, and Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) staff within the narrative is inappropriate.

Avoid duplication within the narrative by referencing other responses as needed.

All text must be in either 11-point Arial or 12-point Times New Roman font, and all margins (bottom, top, left, and right) must be 1 inch.

Note: On the following page, once the county inserts its name in the gray shaded text, headers throughout the document will automatically populate with the county name. Enter the county name by clicking on the gray shaded area and typing in the name.

LYCOMING COUNTY

NBPB

FYs 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28

Version Control

Original Submission Date:

Version 2 Submission Date:

Version 3 Submission Date:

Version 4 Submission Date:

Section 2: NBPB Development

1-1: Executive Summary

Respond to the following questions.

❑ Identify the top three successes and challenges realized by the CCYA since its most recent NBPB submission.

Lycoming County Children and Youth continues to achieve successes that improve positive outcomes for the children, youth, and families it works with.

Some of the Agency’s successes include:

Housing

Over the past year, the Agency has successfully implemented an Agency-staffed housing program in conjunction with Lycoming and Clinton County MH/ID. The Agency has staffed the housing unit with a caseworker who specializes in budgeting. This worker focuses on meeting with families to find housing that families will be able to maintain long-term. The Agency has also moved an In-Home Outreach Worker to the Housing Unit to work with families on parenting, budgeting, and the other aspects of maintaining a home. The team meets with families weekly to ensure they are addressing needs and setting families up for housing success.

In addition to the staff of the new housing unit, the Agency has recently opened Ashler House, a

2-unit home that can be used for short-term stays for homeless families in need. The home is comprised of 2 separate units, each with a kitchen, laundry, full bathroom, and bedrooms.

Families are provided with clean bedding that they can take with them when they find independent housing. They receive weekly case management services from the Housing Unit.

The addition of Ashler House has prevented families from staying in small, expensive hotel rooms that lack adequate space to meet their needs. Families staying at Ashler House stay in the home rent-free; they are responsible for their own food and transportation.

CAPS

In April 2024, the Agency transitioned to CAPS for case management. The switch was smooth but did not initially meet all the needs of the Agency’s ancillary services. The Agency has now finalized adding Visitation and Family Group Decision Making to CAPS. A Day Treatment section is currently being built with plans for implementation in the Fall of 2026. The Agency plans to continue adding the remaining ancillary services to CAPS over the next 2 years. In-

Home Outreach and School Outreach will both have a dedicated program built within CAPS.

Courthouse Service Dog

For many years, the Agency has helped financially support the Lycoming County Courthouse

Service Dog, Ludo. When changes were made impacting courthouse staff in January 2026, Ludo and his handler were left without employment. The Agency has hired Ludo’s handler, allowing

Ludo to join the team as an in-house staff member. Ludo is available to attend court hearings, visitation, and appointments within the Agency. He has a standing weekly appointment with the youth at Day Treatment. He helps reduce stress and anxiety within the office as well as the courtroom. Ludo is an asset to Agency staff and the clients served.

Although the Agency has seen many successes over the past year, there have been some challenges.

Foster Care Recruitment

The Agency is fortunate to continue to license and maintain its own resource families. There are many benefits to having a pool of Agency resource families available when a child is in need of a traditional resource home. While licensing its own families is a strength, the recruitment of new families has become a challenge. Over the past several years, the Agency has seen a change in the number of families interested in becoming resource parents. The demands of the fostering process can be difficult for families to maintain. There has also been a decrease in free community events since the pandemic. These events were crucial for meeting new families and engaging them in the fostering process. The Agency has a clear need for an expansion of the current foster care system, not only for families to foster children with high needs but for families to foster children of all ages. The Agency continues to explore new and creative ways to reach families within our community who may be interested in fostering children in need of temporary care.

Knowledge of Mental Health Services

Working with families in Child Welfare has always come with hurdles, and families’ needs have varied over the years. Recently, the Agency has seen that families’ mental health needs have grown more complex. Lycoming County Children and Youth Services is fortunate to be a

Joinder Agency and share office space with Lycoming and Clinton County Mental Health; this has become an asset in setting families up with services within our community. Even with this asset, the Agency has many young staff who are unfamiliar with the different types of mental health services available to families. The Agency continues to work through training newer staff on types of mental health services available to parents and children within Lycoming County.

Lycoming County Children and Youth Services is also continuing to provide refresher training to tenured staff on new services available as well as updates on all mental health services available within the county.

Safety at the Youth Campus

Lycoming County Children and Youth are fortunate to have a satellite location that supports its

Day Treatment Program and Family Center. The satellite offices are located on the County

Farm, which is in a more rural area of the county. While being on the County Farm has provided an outdoor play area for visitation and outdoor access for the students at Day Treatment, it also raises some safety concerns.

The rural location of the Family Center and Day Treatment Program does not allow the same immediate access to the Lycoming County Sheriffs or local police that the Main Agency office has. There are also significantly fewer staff at both the Family Center and Day Treatment locations, which can cause concern when an issue arises, as there are fewer people to step in and help. The Agency is in the process of taking steps to improve the safety of the staff, families, and youth located at the satellite offices. Panic buttons will be installed at both Day Treatment and the Family Center. The Agency will be setting up a meeting with the County Sheriff to review both buildings’ safety plans. Additional outdoor cameras are being installed at Day

Treatment and the Family Center as an added safety measure.

❑ Summarize additional information, including findings, related to the CCYAs annual inspection and Quality Services Review (QSR)/Child Family Service Review (CFSR) findings that will impact the county’s planning and resource needs for FYs 2026-27 and

2027-28.

The Agency received seven citations during the annual inspection this past fiscal year. These citations were not indicative of systemic issues but rather of human oversight, which included two screen-out cases that were missing 10-day supervisory reviews and two GPS cases that were missing verbal notification to all parents about the need for a GPS investigation. Additionally, there were two GPS cases in which the parents were not notified within 7 days of the case being accepted or not accepted for Agency services. In one CPS case, a child was missing from a risk assessment. In one placement case, a child did not have an annual physical exam, and the final cite was a youth who was 14 years old not being referred to Independent Living Services within the 30-day time frame.

The plan for correction was approved by the State and included provisions to address the citations. These interventions included but were not limited to the Clinical Director reviewing the citations with all supervisors and the importance of complying with all applicable laws, a review of the Risk Assessment, the Independent Living Services procedure, the use of internal checklists and procedures, including triage meetings for emergency placements and supervisory ten-day reviews. The Agency will focus on ongoing training opportunities for new staff and continue using internal checklists to support caseworkers and supervisors in meeting the requirements of the child welfare system.

❑ Identify the top three successes and challenges realized by JPO since its most recent NBPB submission.

The Lycoming County Juvenile Probation Office identified the following successes:

Partnerships

One of the most successful collaborations has been with the Lycoming-Clinton Child Adolescent

Services System Program. (CASSP) The program is a comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative system of care for children and adolescents with or at risk of developing serious emotional disturbance and/or substance use disorders. CASSP is a philosophy of collaboration and partnership among persons involved with the child/adolescent. This partnership has resulted in juveniles who had multiple diagnoses and very complex cases remaining in the most appropriate placements. At times, that results in a mental health Residential Treatment Facility

(RTF) instead of a less appropriate delinquency placement. This success is in large part due to the efforts of the CASSP program to find the most appropriate setting that is in the best interests of the juvenile, family, and community.

Use of Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategies.

Lycoming County Juvenile Probation Office (JPO) has continued to prioritize the use of evidence-based practices and the Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategies. Due to employee turnover, an emphasis on training new staff has been a priority. Youth Level of

Service risk assessment tool, Motivational Interviewing, building professional alliances with delinquents and families, skill building in deficit areas, case planning, and graduated responses have been trained and continue to be observed for quality control. These practices have led to better casework and relationships with juveniles and delinquents. They contribute to decreased residential placement and reduced recidivism rates. The Juvenile Probation Office has steadily increased direct casework with families to reduce the likelihood of removal from the community.

Probation Officers must employ most, if not all, community-based options before recommending residential options to the court.

Alternatives to Detention (GPS).

The Lycoming County Juvenile Probation Department continues to implement programs and utilize alternatives to secure detention. Utilizing options like GPS allows the youth to continue to live at home, work, or attend school. Not only does this benefit the juvenile for the reasons listed above, but it also provides tremendous cost savings compared to secure detention. This level of monitoring also provides valuable evidence to local law enforcement for crime investigation and victim services. Probation has increased its community-based resources to increase the monitoring and treatment of youth in the community; specifically, the GEO program for Trauma Counseling, Forward Thinking Journaling, Moral Recognition Therapy, and the Abraxas PATH program for supervision, mentoring, and family treatment.

The primary challenges identified by Lycoming Juvenile Probation include the following:

Increase in violent offenses.

Lycoming County has experienced a significant increase in violent offenses committed with a weapon. In 2021, there was 1 single weapon-related offense in Lycoming County. In 2022, there were 20 juveniles charged with weapon-related offenses. In 2023, 16 juveniles were charged with weapon-related offenses. In 2024, weapon-related offenses increased dramatically, with 40 juveniles charged in 186 weapon-related offenses. A juvenile who was on probation supervision was shot and killed in a very public event. This began multiple instances of retaliation shootings back and forth between different factions of juveniles. Juveniles were trying to obtain guns by stealing them out of cars or wherever they could. Including robbing gun stores. During fiscal year

2024-2025, there have been 4 successful robberies at gun stores and an additional 3 attempted robberies in Lycoming County. During the 2025-2026 fiscal year, there were an additional 4 robberies or attempted robberies. Additionally, there are several instances of juveniles stealing guns with guns. Another juvenile who was on probation supervision was shot and killed in October

2025; since then, there have been weekly reports of shots fired. The majority of the perpetrators have been juveniles. Many of these robberies and shootings are still under investigation. To keep the community safe, the juveniles who have been adjudicated delinquent of these crimes are often placed in a secure residential setting. These placements are often the most expensive. The probation department has developed a practice of recommending step-down placements after completion of secure treatment. Many of these juveniles are repeat offenders who do well in placement but reoffend shortly after returning to the community.

Increase in cases with complex mental health

Lycoming County is experiencing increased cases with combined dependency, mental health, and delinquency issues. Several of these are limited to the point that their defense attorney has filed a motion for competency. The county has contracted with a competency evaluator, and the probation department has coordinated for evaluations to determine competency. Many of these juveniles have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for school behavior and learning disabilities. Parents involved often have mental limitations as well, complicating the circumstances further. The charges are often sex offenses, terroristic threats, or simple assault. Many times, juveniles have no community-based psychological services involved when the initial intake is completed. If the circumstances rise to the level that the court determines residential placement is required, these placements are some of the most expensive.

❑ Summarize any additional areas, including efforts related to the Juvenile Justice System

Enhancement Strategy (JJSES) and the data and trends related to the Youth Level of Service (YLS) domains and risk levels impacting the county’s planning and resource needs for FYs 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Lycoming County has been one of the state leaders in Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) since 2010.

The Juvenile Probation Department has made the Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy

(JJSES) a priority. In a department of 11 Juvenile Probation Officers, there are currently 2 Certified

Youth Level of Service (YLS) Master Trainers, 3 Case Plan Coordinators, 2 Motivational

Interviewing coaches, 2 officers trained in MAYSI-2 and the Child Trauma Screen (CTS), 2 officers trained as Standard Program Evaluation Protocol (SPEP) evaluators, and 1 officer is certified as a trainer in Carey Guides and BITS. The department is trained in and implementing the Pennsylvania Detention Risk Assessment Instrument (PADRAI) and utilizing graduated responses. The department continues to train staff and conduct booster training in each of these initiatives. The department has completed all the stages of JJSES and is now working on

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and policy refinement. As the department moves forward, Lycoming County will require additional opportunities to train staff as trainers and master trainers in the JJSES initiatives.

The primary focus of Lycoming County Juvenile Probation’s 2026-2027 JJSES Strategic Plan is to train new staff in all EBP and JJSES initiatives. The other major initiative is to achieve 100% of written case plans for all juveniles that score in the moderate and high range of the YLS. The department plans to employ the MAYSI-2 and CTS in the near future. In addition, the department will emphasize building professional alliances and skill-building in deficit areas with juveniles in

Lycoming County.

A significant trend in YLS data is the increase in risk level among juveniles within Lycoming

County. Traditionally, Lycoming County has been even with the average number of juveniles assessed across the state. However, in 2023, 2024, and 2025, the data shows that Lycoming County has been above average in juveniles assessed as moderate, high, and very high risk to reoffend. An example of this comparison is the document attached of initial YLS assessments. These initial assessments are completed by a YLS Master Trainer who is required to complete training, become certified, and recertify biannually, assuring reliability and fidelity to the assessment tool. If this trend continues, Lycoming County will require additional resources for residential placements and community-based programs.

Distribution of Initial YLS Assessments Completed, 2021-2025

Lycoming County Class 5 Counties North Central Region Counties Statewide

Low Moderate High / Very High

Low Moderate High / Very High

Low Moderate High / Very High

Low Moderate High / Very High

2025 34.00% 53.00% 13.00% 54.10% 40.20% 5.70% 47.20% 45.30% 7.50% 55.30% 38.60% 6.10%

2024 29.70% 51.50% 18.80% 53.30% 38.40% 8.20% 49.90% 42.10% 8.10% 56.70% 38.00% 5.30%

2023 30.50% 54.30% 15.20% 53.80% 39.80% 6.40% 48.30% 43.10% 8.60% 54.60% 39.40% 5.90%

2022 43.10% 39.20% 17.60% 53.60% 38.40% 8.00% 53.50% 38.60% 7.90% 56.80% 37.00% 6.20%

2021 53.40% 36.20% 10.30% 52.60% 40.30% 7.20% 54.90% 37.50% 7.60% 55.20% 37.60% 7.30%

Number of Initial YLS Assessments Completed, 2021-2025

Lycoming County Class 5 Counties North Central Region

Counties Statewide

Assessments Completed

Proportion of Eligible Youth

Assessments Completed

Proportion of Eligible Youth

Assessments Completed

Proportion of Eligible

Youth

Assessments Completed

Proportion of Eligible Youth

2025 100 93.50% 523 88.30% 413 80.50% 7,262 87.80%

2024 101 92.70% 583 88.90% 397 80.70% 7,873 88.30%

2023 105 88.20% 660 91.20% 476 83.70% 8,170 87.00%

2022 102 89.50% 601 89.70% 391 75.30% 6,996 85.30%

2021 58 87.90% 447 93.30% 277 71.20% 4,807 84.20%

REMINDER: This is intended to be a high-level description of county strengths, challenges, and forward direction. Specific details regarding practice and resource needs will be captured in other sections of the budget submission.

1-2: Determination of Need through Collaboration Efforts

Respond to the following questions.

❑ Summarize activities related to active engagement of staff, consumers, communities, and stakeholders in determining how best to provide services that meet the identified needs of children, youth, and families in the county. Describe the county’s use of data analysis with the stakeholders toward the identification of practice improvement areas. Counties must utilize a Data Analysis Team as described in the NBPB Bulletin Guidelines, Section 2-4:

Program Improvement Strategies. The Data Analysis Team membership should be reflective of the entities identified. Identify any challenges to collaboration and efforts toward improvement. Counties do NOT need to identify activities with EACH entity highlighted in the instruction guidelines but provide an overview of activities and process by which input has been gathered and utilized in the planning process. Address engagement of the courts, service providers, and County Juvenile Probation Offices separately (see next three questions).

Lycoming County CYS has seen the need to develop new programs within our community to meet the growing needs of our families. Housing for low-income families has become a growing problem in Lycoming County over the past few years. Lycoming County CYS has collaborated with Lycoming County Mental Health to develop a new Joinder program to address this housing crisis. The new housing unit is currently staffed with a supervisor and three caseworkers. The

Agency was able to transition a seasoned In-Home Outreach Caseworker to the Housing Unit.

This worker meets with families to work on parenting needs, budgeting, and assist them in identifying affordable housing. The housing unit also has two additional caseworkers who meet with families to develop a clear and sustainable budget. This worker has also developed relationships with local landlords to hopefully be able to find affordable housing quickly for families in need. In addition to a fully staffed housing unit, the Agency has recently opened

Ashler House, a 2-unit home that can be used for short-term stays for homeless families in need.

Ashler House has 2 independent units, each with a kitchen and laundry access. Families can stay at Ashler House free of charge. They will work with staff from the Housing Unit to identify housing that can meet their needs. The Housing Unit will refer to either a Crisis/Rapid Response

Meeting or a Family Group Decision Making Meeting for the family upon their admission to the home. The Housing Unit will also collaborate with other community Agencies to meet the needs of the families residing at the home.

In addition to housing, the Agency has recently collaborated with the lead dependency judge to purchase AppClose, an app commonly used in custody cases for communication between parents. This app will be used for dependency cases when the court deems appropriate. It will allow the court to see the communication between the Agency caseworker and the parents in the case. The hope is to prevent some of the he said/she said testimony that has recently been occurring in the courtroom. The app will allow the court to see direct communication between the Agency and the parent in real time, and neither party is able to delete or alter messages in any way.

❑ Summarize activities related to active engagement of contracted service providers in identifying service level trends, strengths and gaps in service arrays and corresponding resource needs. Identify any challenges to collaboration and efforts toward improvement in the engagement of service providers in the NBPB process.

The Agency continues to utilize various approaches to ensure communication with providers is positive and proactive, both from a financial perspective as well as clinically, to ensure services are moving in a positive direction for the families served within the county. The Agency utilizes contract monitoring and administrative oversight to evaluate services delivered to families. This ensures the services meet all clinical and financial expectations. Service delivery is crucial within the foster care system, and the Agency has a seasoned foster care supervisor who is diligent in making sure relationships with providers are positive and rates are reasonable. The

Agency Administration utilizes stakeholders and provider meetings when necessary to ensure there is full disclosure of Agency expectations and that the providers clearly understand these expectations. The Agency, Courts, and JPO also hold regular meetings throughout the year with providers and workgroup discussions. These partnerships and collaborations have ensured that needed resources are available. Lycoming County has created a system that works together with providers and community partners who are willing to articulate the community's needs so gaps in services can be addressed.

❑ Summarize activities related to active engagement of the courts in the NBPB process, specifically identification of strengths and gaps in service arrays and corresponding resource needs. Identify any challenges to collaboration and efforts toward improved engagement with the courts.

Lycoming County Children and Youth Services meets monthly with the courts and the lead dependency Judge to discuss issues so enhancements and adjustments can be made to better serve the families involved in the dependency system. These meetings are crucial so Agency Directors can provide updates on services occurring within the community. The Judge, along with the

Children and Youth Administrator, also coordinate and facilitate the Local Judicial Roundtable and the Family Engagement Initiative Oversight team. These two groups bring stakeholders from community agencies to discuss needs within the dependency system to make improvements for families served by the court system. The Agency and the courts started a new initiative called

AppClose. This phone app will allow the Agency and parents involved in the dependency system to communicate when relationships are strained. The app will create a log of the conversations and cannot be erased to ensure the communication is accurate and to alleviate any misunderstandings between parties. The Agency and Juvenile Probation Chief also meet with the judge if any issues need to be addressed. During monthly meetings, discussions occur about new initiatives and practices that could be considered in the Needs-Based Budget process. The

Agency’s relationship with the courts, including domestic relations, adult, and juvenile probation, remains a strength in Lycoming County. Without monthly meetings and honest dialogue between the courts and the Agency, initiatives like AppClose would not occur.

❑ Summarize activities related to active engagement of the County’s Juvenile Probation Office in the NBPB process, specifically the identification of in-home, prevention or rehabilitative services needed to assist with discharge of delinquent youth from out-of-home care or decreasing recidivism. Identify any challenges to collaboration and efforts toward improved engagement in the NBPB process.

Lycoming County Juvenile Probation is evaluating the possibility of working with the Juvenile

Uplift Mentoring Program (JUMP), a new community provider. This agency has been in contact with Evidence-Based Prevention and Intervention Support (EPIS) to request assistance in incorporating evidence-based practices into their facility. They have begun developing a community-based diversion model centered on Botvin LifeSkills Training, an evidence-based curriculum, which will be combined with mentoring, workforce development, family engagement, community service opportunities, and other supportive services for youth. Their goal is not to duplicate existing services, but rather to work collaboratively with our community partners to identify service gaps and explore what steps would be necessary for J.U.M.P. to become a referral resource for nonviolent, court-involved youth.

The Lycoming County Juvenile Probation Office is fully engaged in identifying in-home, preventive, and rehabilitative services to assist all youth involved in the juvenile court system in

Lycoming County. The Office is always exploring additional community-based treatment options that utilize evidence-based practices. Currently, we provide drug and alcohol counseling through West Branch D&A and Crossroads Counseling. Psychological and family counseling services are provided by Gillum Psychological, Hempfield Behavioral Health, and Diakon

Counseling. Lycoming County Day Treatment provides Aggression Replacement Training

(ART). Lycoming County Juvenile Probation has added Moral Recognition Therapy, Forward

Thinking Journaling through GEO, and mentoring and family treatment through Abraxas

PATH. Sex offender community-based treatment is provided by Diversified Treatment

Alternatives.

The Lycoming County Juvenile Probation Office will continue to work closely with the

Lycoming County Children and Youth Services Shared Case Program to ensure the county provides appropriate and necessary services to the youth and their families while in residential care and to better assist in aftercare services. The Office is also increasing the use of youth commissions and informal supervision for diversion programming. This will allow for the implementation of preventative services without formal court supervision. Also, this encourages the community to be stakeholders in the preventative and rehabilitative services offered to youth and families.

❑ Identify any strengths and challenges engaging and coordinating with law enforcement on Multi-Disciplinary Investigative Teams (MDIT) and in joint investigations of child abuse.

The core goals of an MDIT Protocol are to minimize the re-traumatization of child victims, to avoid duplication of fact-finding tasks amongst team members, and to preserve the integrity of evidence. Lycoming County adheres to these principles. The Lycoming County MDIT is comprised of professionals from any entity that has a role in child abuse investigations. Team participants include but are not limited to representatives of the PA State Police, Lycoming

County District Attorney’s Office, Geisinger’s Child Advocacy Center, UPMC, CYS, and

Williamsport City Police. Lycoming County’s team meets monthly to review complex cases and to discuss the investigative process in general. Any necessary changes to the 28-page MDIT

Protocol are addressed and made during these meetings.

To achieve the stated MDIT goals, investigative team members routinely collaborate to produce a unified investigative strategy as opposed to a disjointed effort. Limiting child victims to one interview avoids the need for them to repeat a difficult story multiple times to multiple agencies.

When CYS and Law Enforcement work jointly, it leads to more thorough evidence collection, increased substantiation rates, and increases the likelihood of successful criminal prosecution. A well-functioning MDIT creates a formal structure for sharing confidential information between

CYS and Law Enforcement, which aids in ensuring all investigators have the same facts.

Lycoming County’s investigative team is strong, knowledgeable, and well attended. However, given the complexity and nuance associated with child abuse investigations, there are inevitably challenges that do arise. Most common is that CYS agencies, by statute, must conclude child abuse investigations within a 60-day time limit. Law Enforcement is not bound by this time constraint, which can create an unshared sense of urgency between CYS and Law Enforcement to complete investigative tasks. This issue is longstanding and well known amongst members, so it’s a barrier that is easily overcome with consistent communication and collaboration. Other challenges may stem from the inherent cultural differences between agencies, as Law

Enforcement is naturally offender-focused, and CYS is more family- and child-focused. CYS also has different thresholds pertaining to burdens of proof. While CYS agencies need

“substantial evidence to suggest abuse has occurred”, criminal proceedings require the much higher “beyond reasonable doubt” burden. This can create instances where CYS reaches a different case disposition than the criminal prosecution. These issues are generally minor, rare, and are treated as learning opportunities at the MDIT monthly meetings.

1-3 Program and Resource Implications

Do not address the initiatives in Section 1-3 unless requested below; address any resource needs related to all initiatives by identifying and addressing within the ADJUSTMENT TO EXPENDITURE request.

1-3b. Workforce Please respond to the following questions regarding the county’s current workforce recruitment and retention efforts:

Identify successes the county has experienced implementing recruitment and retention strategies since its most recent NBPB submission.

Lycoming County is fortunate to have candidates to select from when there are openings. The

Agency began a partnership with the Health Center located in the same building as the Agency, where staff can get healthcare free of charge for non-life-threatening injuries and prescription medications as an addition to their health insurance coverage. This added service has been an extremely effective tool for recruitment. The Agency also increased the number of personal days for this year as a way of rewarding staff for being so flexible and accommodating during the budget crisis. The Agency focuses on staff appreciation and ensuring staff feel valued for the hard work they do every day. Recognizing staff and being understanding of the struggles they may have in completing their jobs, and being supportive, is crucial in retaining staff at all levels.

The Agency continues to use interns from local colleges as an area for recruitment. The concept of recognizing diversity and how everybody is different but working towards the same goal has created a positive work environment at the Agency.

Identify major challenges impacting the county’s workforce recruitment and retention experience since its most recent NBPB submission.

The Agency continues to focus on the compensation of staff while being aware of the competitive workforce in the provider community. The Agency was challenged this year because the state budget was not passed, and it had to make difficult decisions, including not giving staff raises or increasing the cost of living for the first six months of the calendar year. The Agency recognizes staff need compensation for the difficult job they do, and adjustments had to be made in the Fall of 2025 until the Agency stabilized from the lack of funds. The Agency continues to work with local colleges for potential future staff, but it appears less high school students are pursuing careers in social work or related fields. The Agency will be looking at participating in local high school job fairs or job education days to encourage high school students to consider a career in social work. The other concern is the stress and pressure of the job. The Agency has recognized the importance of managing caseloads so staff do not burn out, but the ever-increasing demands of the community and system can affect recruitment and retention. The

Agency continues to work with staff to promote an environment within the workplace to battle these outside influences. The Agency shares the importance of self-care with staff and encourages staff to use their benefit time to help prevent burnout.

Describe the county’s efforts and strategies to address employee recruitment and retention challenges and needs since its most recent NBPB submission. Identify whether the county has obtained any data or collected feedback on effort/strategies implemented to assess effectiveness.

All vacant positions are posted internally and externally on the PA Civil Service Job Careers website, LinkedIn, and Indeed. Additionally, external application links are added to the internal job announcement so internal staff can share them with external candidates who may be interested. This has widened our recruitment visibility and increased our application pool. Each position has job-specific behavioral interview questions designed to predict performance, uncover soft skills, and reduce bias. When interviewing prospective candidates, the hiring panel identifies those who would be a good fit for the consumers and the agency based on their knowledge, skills, abilities, and the personality they display. With the candidate’s permission, their contact information is retained to send future vacancy notifications if they are not initially selected for the position for which they were interviewed. This has created a short list of external candidates that our Human Resources team has direct access to send vacancy notifications with a link to all active vacancies.

As for retention, having Lycoming County Children and Youth as part of a Bi-County Human

Service Agency has allowed for increased collaborative case management and staff efficiency that allows for informal communication, integrated problem solving, streamlined referrals, reduced burnout, and shared burden. Additionally, the agency educates, promotes, and encourages self-care through training, check-ins, annual personal days in addition to sick/vacation leave, and access to Integrity Health. The Agency’s contract with Integrity Health allows staff and their dependents who are covered by the Agency’s insurance plan to access convenient health coverage at no additional cost to them. This coverage includes being seen by a

Physician, Physician Assistant, Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Mental Health Therapist, as well as laboratory access, X-rays, pharmacy, and care coordination all in one convenient location. The Agency carries out staff surveys for input on services and initiatives throughout the year.

Identify key areas where technical assistance may be needed in this area.

The Agency has a Human Resource Director who continues to be proactive and creates many activities that recognize staff for the excellent work they do, ensuring staff feel welcome and part of a team atmosphere. The Agency continues to work to create an environment that recognizes diversity and the importance of inclusion for all staff. The Agency will reach out to the state if needed.

1-3c. Service Array Please respond to the following questions regarding the county’s current service array and identification of gap areas that will be addressed through the plan:

Through the data analysis and stakeholder discussions in the development of the plan, identify any strengths in existent resources and service array available to address the needs of the children, youth and families served.

The Agency continues to foster relationships with the community, providers, school districts, and stakeholder groups to ensure services are delivered at a high level and that service gaps are addressed. The Agency uses its local Judicial Roundtable, MDIT, MDT, Clinical Team, Court meetings, FEI oversight team, Human Services Advisory Board, Schools, and Manager meetings to get feedback on services. These types of groups give honest feedback that creates changes for the benefit of the families involved in the child welfare system. The agency and the courts recently implemented two initiatives as a result of meetings and conversations that will support families involved in the court system. The playroom in the courthouse was renovated, and the

Agency is piloting AppClose to create positive communication in challenging cases. These relationships and workgroups are imperative for the success of the families the child welfare system comes in contact with and significantly impact the direction of services and the development of new initiatives for the child welfare system in Lycoming County.

Identify information on any specific populations determined to be underserved or disproportionately served through the analysis.

The Agency, courts, and community partners continue to see the need to work together to ensure youth and families on the autism spectrum are receiving the appropriate services that best address their needs. In the past, the Agency had an Autism expert come and provide a full-day training to educate staff and other community providers on working with individuals with

Autism. The Agency continues to see the need for additional training and is planning for another training for new staff with a booster training for tenured staff in the spring of 2027. In addition to the virtual tour of the courthouse that was previously developed by the Agency and the Courts, the Courthouse playroom has recently been redesigned. The playroom is designed to feel calm, welcoming, and flexible for children with different sensory and communication needs. Neutral wall colors are paired with gentle pops of color from toys, cushions, and wall art. Renovations to the Agency’s Family Center are also being planned to include sensory toys and accessibility.

The Agency also continues to address the need for staff awareness of Mental Health services.

Young and inexperienced staff can cause barriers to families getting the mental health services they need. The Agency is fortunate to be a Joinder Agency where casework staff have easy access to Lycoming and Clinton County Mental Health, but a lack of knowledge of services available in the community remains. Lycoming County Children and Youth Services is planning staff training on the services available in the county for both children and adults. This training will allow staff to have a better understanding of not only the services available but also the referral process necessary to get the services started. In addition to additional training, a

Forensic Specialist Position is being planned to serve children and the juvenile population of the county. This person will attend all court hearings for dependency matters and work with the

Juvenile Probation office to assess children’s needs for mental health services at the time of placement or in-home court-ordered services. The position will also be available to meet with families to assess their needs. The position will connect families to services and ensure that needs are being met at the onset of services. It will also meet the requirements of the Settlement

Agreement issued.

Identify service array challenges for the populations identified and describe the county’s efforts to collaboratively address any service gaps.

The Agency continues to evaluate services to best meet the needs of the autism population.

Planning is underway for training for staff in the spring of 2027 in addition to ongoing training on the mental health services available within our community. The Agency continues to work closely with the county mental health staff to ensure services are available within the community to serve both the autism population and children and families with mental health needs. The

Agency will reach out to additional system partners as needed to fill any service gaps that are identified. A new position is being created to help serve the children/juvenile population and will act as a liaison to bridge the gap between mental health and the dependency system.

Identify key areas in which technical assistance may be needed.

The Agency does not need technical assistance at this time.

1.3g Substance Affected Infants (SAI) and Plans of Safe Care (POSC) Respond to the following questions:

Describe how the CCYA collects data related to POSC in which the CCYA acts as the lead agency.

Data related to POSC is collected and maintained in the County Case Management System.

Describe how the CCYA collects data related to POSC in which the CCYA does NOT as the lead agency.

The Agency takes the lead in developing the POSC per the agreed-upon POSC Protocol.

Describe how the CCYA works with other county offices and community-based agencies to disseminate information related to SAIs and POSC to physical health care and drug and alcohol treatment providers.

Lycoming CYS has a POSC Protocol that was developed by the interagency POSC Team. Step 7 of that protocol states that the County CYS worker will be responsible for documentation and dissemination of the POSC form to all team members

Describe how the CCYA engages other county offices and community-based agencies to support the on-going implementation of POSC.

Lycoming CYS collaborates with the local medical centers and treatment providers to ensure ongoing implementation of Plans of Safe Care. Staff from the above-mentioned agencies are active participants in the agency POSC Team, the weekly CYS clinical team, as well as MDIT and MDT meetings.

Describe how the CCYA works with other county offices and community-based agencies to disseminate information related to the effect of prenatal exposure to substances and POSC to pregnant and parenting people and other caregivers.

The Agency adheres to the established POSC policy to disseminate pertinent information to key stakeholders. Step 7 of that protocol specifies that CYS is responsible for documentation and dissemination of the POSC to all team members.

Describe any other anticipated practice and/or fiscal impact of this provision.

The Agency does not foresee any immediate financial impact related to POSC. Any changes to practice would be discussed and determined during a POSC Team meeting, but no sudden or substantial change to practice is expected in the near future.

Identify areas of technical assistance needed by the CCYA related to POSC.

None at this time.

1-3j. Family First Prevention Services Act

Title IV-E Prevention Services Program

Describe the CCYAs engagement with community-based service providers regarding the selection and implementation of EBPs, regardless of their allowability under the Title IV-E Prevention Program.

The Agency recognizes how imperative it is to have a robust continuum of care with a focus on prevention. The Agency currently uses MST as an evidence-based service and last year got a new provider who is currently meeting the needs of the community. The Agency has worked with

Justice Works to train staff to be facilitators for Triple P, but with turnover at Justice Works, the staff that the Agency paid to be trained continue to leave that organization, putting this service back at square one. The Agency administration has recognized there may not be a need for this service as the utilization has been minimal. The Agency will not be pursuing Triple P moving forward but will continue to look at other prevention services over the next year if a need is recognized by the Agency and other stakeholders in the community. The Agency has discussed with HealthChoices, Mental Health, Juvenile Probation, School Districts, and providers to determine gaps in services and possible programs that can address gaps within the system.

Describe any barriers/challenges experienced by the CCYA in claiming Title IV-E reimbursement for prevention services. How is the CCYA working to address those barriers/challenges?

When Family First became legislation, the Agency began to pursue evidence-based services but there were challenges surrounding utilization and staffing because of the county being so rural.

Lycoming County has several evidenced-based services like Nurse Family Partnership that is fully funded by UPMC. The second was MST, which is primarily utilized by Juvenile Probation youth, who are not eligible for Family First Title IV-E funds.

The Agency contracted with Justice Works to implement Triple P locally but has faced several setbacks in the implementation. The agency utilized Family First Transition Funds to support two rounds of training for Justice Works staff for the Triple P service. Early on, Justice Works struggled to retain trained staff and, therefore, was unsuccessful in launching the program. In FY

24/25, Justice Works has secured trained staff; however, minimal utilization has occurred. The

Agency continued to support Triple P in FY 25/26, but the utilization continued to be minimal.

The Agency decided for FY 26/27 funding would be discontinued and other options would be pursued.

Community Pathways support the delivery and planning for evidence-based prevention services for a child who does not have an open case with the child welfare agency and does not require immediate child welfare intervention but meets Pennsylvania’s definition of Candidate for Foster Care. County Children and Youth Agencies (CCYAs) must determine candidacy and eligibility for the selected prevention service. The CCYA may contract with approved community-based providers to develop or approve a child-specific prevention plan, provide prevention plan case management, conduct ongoing safety and risk monitoring and assessments, and/or deliver approved evidence-based prevention services as agreed upon in their contract. Processes set up by CCYAs must be reviewed and approved by OCYF. Share whether this in an option the CCYA is considering.

The Agency is forward-thinking and understands that to create a positive community and impact families, it is imperative to provide prevention services prior to families becoming involved in the formal child welfare system. To be successful, it is crucial to provide diversionary services and be proactive rather than reactive. The challenge for the Agency is finding a provider to deliver evidence-based services, as sustainability can be challenging in a rural county. The

Agency will continue to pursue evidence-based programs to improve the continuum of care in

Lycoming County for families that are not formally involved in the child welfare system.

❑ Identify any areas of technical assistance that the county may need in this area.

The Agency will continue to seek technical support from the state.

1-3l. Teaming Models for Children with a Diagnosed Mental Health Diagnosis and/or Complex Needs

What is the Teaming Model(s) used?

The Agency recognizes the impact mental health has on children within the child welfare system.

This is an area that needs to continue to improve to ensure children have the support to address their mental health needs for them to be healthy and successful. The Agency currently utilizes

CAASP as well as Family Group Decision Making as teaming models to address the mental health needs of children by utilizing stakeholders and professionals to assist the family and children with complex mental health needs.