Services Overview
Lycoming & Clinton Children & Youth Services offers mandated child welfare services, as well as a wide array of supportive services for all families in our community that do not require formal involvement with our agency.
Assessment Services – Assessment caseworkers evaluate reports of child abuse and neglect. This intervention involves a caseworker conducting a comprehensive assessment of individual and family needs. Short-term intervention may be provided, the family may be referred to other community and agency support services, or they may be recommended for longer term Agency services through the agency’s Ongoing Services Unit. When formal services are not needed, the caseworker may recommend other community services be put into place. If the family is in agreement, the caseworker may assist in coordinating appropriate service referrals.
When the recommendation for ongoing Children and Youth services is made, the family will be offered the option of receiving voluntary services. When this occurs, the family and caseworker will work together to develop a Family Service Plan. If the caseworker recommends formal LCYS services, but the family declines or refuses, the agency must then determine if court ordered services are necessary. If the court agrees that services are necessary, a petition must be filed and the child will be adjudicated dependent. In order to form these recommendations, the caseworker will evaluate the family’s circumstances, for a maximum of 60 days, through interviews, home visits, and information gathering from other involved service providers.
Ongoing Services – When child abuse has been substantiated or neglect is validated, a caseworker will often provide longer-term services to help the family resolve the concerns, reduce safety threats, and a decrease risk factors. Whenever safely possible, the caseworker will work with the children and caregivers in the home environment. The goal is to help the family provide appropriate care for their children and to assure the children are in a safe and permanent home.
If it is determined that it’s unsafe for a child to remain in their home, placement services may be implemented. This may include placement in a traditional resource (foster) home, congregate care, or in kinship care. When placement occurs, the caseworker’s focus is on reunification whenever safely possible and establishing permanency for the child. Very specific permanency goals are required by law and are established through court order.
Shared Case Responsibility - This is a service offered in conjunction with Lycoming Juvenile Probation for youth in placement. SCR services must be court ordered, with the youth first being adjudicated delinquent. The intent of SCR intervention is to strengthen the youth and family and prevent future concerns.
Emergency Assessment Services – This is coverage outside of regular office hours. Staff is available to respond to emergencies and provide appropriate intervention based on the presenting concern.
Foster Care – These services focus on all aspects of services necessary for youth in formal Lycoming County licensed resource homes, including recruitment, orientation, training, licensing, and retention. In addition to traditional resource care, LCYS utilizes kinship care as a means to keep children with a member of their pre-existing support system.
Visitation Services – This service is provided to meet the needs for families and children who are in out-of-home placement. Visitation staff works with the caseworker, families, and resource parents to provide meaningful visitation opportunities in the safest manner possible. Visitation may occur in the LCYS visitation center or in the community. Additionally, various levels of supervision is provided, based on the safety needs specific to each child.
Independent Living Services (IL) – this is a voluntary service available to youth ages 14-21, who were in foster care for at least 30 consecutive days after their 14th birthday. The program is designed to enhance self-sufficiency and encourage positive life decision making. IL services are designed to assist with community living skills, educational support, job placement, behavioral health needs, housing needs, service planning, financial management, and family/relationship issues.
*Big Brothers/Big Sisters – LCYS works in cooperation with a national mentoring program to provide support for youth ages 7-14. Youth are matched with adult mentors to help with individual needs, which might include social skill building, improving self-esteem and confidence, improving school attendance and performance, decreasing the likelihood of criminal behaviors, and so forth.
*Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) – This is an evidenced-based practice, designed to help the family address their unique problems using their own support system. FGDM brings families and their support systems together to develop and implement plans to address concerns. Often FGDM may help families rectify problems to avoid formal services. Families already involved with formal services are also offered FGDM prior to any court action being implemented in an effort to resolve concerns before such action is needed.
*Community Outreach Services – This is a hands-on supportive service, which works with the family in the home environment to address parenting, budgeting, behavior management, child development, housing, employment support, independent living, and any other identified issues specific to the family.
*School Based Outreach – This is a collaborative service in cooperation with all eight school districts in Lycoming County. Staff is based in each school district to provide short-term intervention to students and their families to address problems that are affecting academic success and overall potential. School based staff provide assessment, intervention, truancy prevention, referral, and crisis intervention. They also work with students individually, in small groups, and provide summer programming.
*Day Treatment – This service is a behavior modification program for youth ages 12-18. operated by LCYS, with the BLaST Intermediate Unit #17 providing the educational component. Referrals are made by LCYS and Juvenile Probation staff, typically due to truancy, academic problems, and behavior problems in the school, home, or community. Youth attend Day Treatment in place of traditional school. The program has multiple components in addition to education, including individual and group activities, behavioral support, life skills training, vocational experiences, aggression replacement therapy, recreation, and academic assistance.
Services denoted with an asterisk (*) do not require formal involvement and are available to the community.