In Allegheny County in 2016, 73 children in child welfare out-of-home placements ran away. This represents three percent of all children and nine percent of children ages 12 through 18 who were in placement that year. In this data brief, we analyze the factors that may contribute to runaway episodes in Allegheny County’s child welfare system such as demographics of the children and their placement types prior to running away.
Approximately 40 percent of the families headed by single mothers in Allegheny County are living below the poverty line, while only four percent of two-parent families are living in poverty. This data brief takes a closer look at families in the region led by single mothers, describes how they fare in comparison to other types of families, and maps where they live in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
From 2012 through 2015, 1,255 youth ages 14 through 17 entered into out-of-home placements in Allegheny County. Out-of-home placement settings include foster care, group homes, residential facilities, living with a relative or friend, and supervised independent living. We surveyed 200 of these youth to gain a better understanding of their experiences in the child welfare system. This report includes our key findings and an exploration of respondents’ ideas about how their experiences with the child welfare system could be improved. We will use the results to guide future planning and program development.
This data brief includes information on involuntary termination of parental rights cases and adoptions handled through CYF. TPR petitions and completed adoption data from 2014-2021 were examined in two separate briefs (linked below).
Click here to read the Adoption and Termination of Parental Rights Brief – 2018-2021
Click here to read the Adoptions and Involuntary Termination Brief – 2014-2017.
A total of 20,190 children were referred to the child welfare system in Allegheny County due to abuse or neglect in 2015. The data in this brief analyzes the number and rate of children of different races at four critical stages within the child welfare system: referral, investigation, accept for service and home removal. While this analysis does not identify the reason for the disproportionality that exists, it is clear there is unequal representation of black and bi/multiracial children within the child welfare system as compared to the representation of these groups in Allegheny County.
Eleven Allegheny County foster care provider agencies formed a training cooperative in order to improve the number and quality of training opportunities for foster parents. After increasing the number and variety of trainings, the cooperative requested feedback to inform quality and access improvements. DHS staff conducted telephone surveys with foster parents and identified a number of recommendations for improvement. This brief provides an overview of the survey process and findings.
Conferencing and Teaming is the Allegheny County Department of Human Services’ practice model designed to engage child welfare participants, and their natural supports, in a process of family strengthening through client-driven goal setting and achievement. An analysis of participant experiences with Conferencing and Teaming was conducted in order to assess their satisfaction with the process and ways in which participation might be improved. The analysis was based on telephone surveys with more than 200 participants. Findings from the analysis and resulting recommendations are described in this brief.
An evaluation of 25 Allegheny County Family Support Centers looked at the operation and impact of individual Centers as well as the network as a whole, in five specific areas: family empowerment; connection to social services, early child development and school readiness; maternal and child health; and child abuse and neglect. This report describes the network, summarizes the network-wide findings, and offers a number of recommendations for strengthening the network and improving its outcomes.
More than 200 families were interviewed about their experience with Conferencing and Teaming meetings. Although most responded positively to the meeting process, only about two-thirds reported that the meeting resulted in meaningful outcomes for their family. Increasing family involvement in identifying realistic outcomes may improve the experience and relevance of Conferencing and Teaming meetings.
Click here to view the full report.
Click here to view the accompanying infographic.
Survey design, administration and analysis: Lynn Bottoms, Michael Mitchell, Phyllis Nettles, Katherine Stoehr and Sarah Thurston
Twenty-seven child welfare professionals participated in the first year of the Leadership Fellows program, learning how to use data to 1) identify issues that negatively impact children and families in the child welfare system and 2) make recommendations to address those issues. The fellows focused on teenage girls in out-of-home placement and recommended strategies to reduce home removal and – in situations where placement was necessary – to improve the placement experience. In addition to addressing system issues, the program served as a professional development experience for the fellows and resulted in improved career opportunities for many.
Click here to view the full report.
Content and analysis: Brian Bell and the 2014 Child Welfare Leadership Fellows
Writer: Susan Gove
When removing a child from home is necessary, a stable foster home is the preferred placement option; unfortunately, adolescents and teenagers are much less likely to find such a home and often end up in group homes or other congregate settings. The Families for Teens initiative, funded by the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is designed to increase the number and quality of foster homes for these older youth through a variety of collaborative, training, support and marketing strategies.
Click here to view the full report.
Content and analysis: Sanjeev Baidyaroy, Emily Kulick and Katherine Stoehr
Child welfare out-of-home placements are stressful events, compounded by the fact they may result in a youth changing schools. Research shows mid-year school changes to be disruptive both academically and socially. This report examines child welfare imposed mobility, identifying system challenges as well as the positive factors that have led to an overall decrease in these system-imposed school moves.
Click to read the full data brief.
Content and analysis: Emily Kulick and Samantha Murphy
Writer: Jeffery Fraser
By the spring of 2015, 16 school districts, Propel Schools and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit had signed legal agreements with the Department of Human Services (DHS), allowing data to be shared on a level never before possible.
This publication describes the way in which DHS’s partnerships with local school districts continued to expand and enabled us to focus on specific issues, such as homelessness, greater collaboration between human services and school social workers, and faster and more through identification of students in need.
Click here to read the report.
Click here to read Improving Outcomes and Well Being: August 2013 Update.
The cost of out-of-home placements vary greatly, depending upon length, type of placement and level of care required. Type of placement was a significant factor in cost variation; group home placements, at approximately four times the cost of kinship care, were the most expensive. Cost increased with the child’s age at entry, although this may be attributed, in part, to the fact that older children were more likely to be placed in more expensive placement types. Placement in more expensive group settings may also be the reason why subsequent home removals were more costly than initial placements.
Click here to view the full report.
Analysis and content: Kyle Jennison and Sarah Thurston
The Parents Raising Safe Kids curriculum was developed by the American Psychological Association and implemented nationally in an effort to teach positive parenting skills to parents and caregivers. Offered locally at 17 program sites throughout the County, the curriculum was found to improve parenting skills; media literacy; knowledge of child development; and parental attitude and behavior toward children.
Click here to view the full report.
Prepared by: Farhod Yuldashev, Brian Bell and Evelyn Whitehill