Publications
Frequently-Asked Questions About the Allegheny Family Screening Tool
In August 2016, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) implemented the Allegheny Family Screening Tool (AFST), a predictive risk model designed to improve call screening decision-making in the county’s child welfare system. Click here to view FAQs about the screening tool. Click here to read more about the tool in the full report, ...
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Allegheny County YOUth Count 2016
The Allegheny County YOUth Count survey was initiated in 2015 to gain a more accurate count of youth experiencing housing instability. Data gathered was meant to enhance yearly HUD-required Point-in-Time (PIT) homelessness counts to determine how best to connect this population with the services they need. This data brief outlines key findings of the 2016 ...
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2016 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Improving Systems to Help People with Barriers Gain and Sustain Employment
The tenth annual Local Government Case Competition engaged graduate students in thinking about creative solutions to employment challenges for vulnerable Allegheny County residents. They were asked to develop strategies to address one of three employment-related questions: How can job centers or other employment resources better support vulnerable populations in finding and maintaining jobs? How can ...
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Developing Predictive Risk Models to Support Child Maltreatment Hotline Screening Decisions
In August 2016, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) implemented the Allegheny Family Screening Tool (AFST), a predictive risk model designed to improve call screening decision-making in the county’s child welfare system. The AFST is the result of a two-year process of exploration, research, ethical analysis and training. The AFST calculates a score ...
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Data Brief: Understanding the Foster Parent Training Experience
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 ...
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Conferencing and Teaming in Allegheny County: Participant Experience Update
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 ...
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Joint Position Statement on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders in Allegheny County
Allegheny County, like much of Western Pennsylvania, is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic and it is vitally important that County residents have access to the best and most effective treatment to support their recovery from opioid use disorders. Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, combines medication and counseling/behavioral therapy and, when clinically appropriate, is ...
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Homeless Services and Supports Coordination: A Qualitative Program Evaluation
Implemented at the end of 2013 and designed to provide service coordination and supports for families accessing Allegheny County’s four emergency homeless shelters, the Homeless Services and Supports Coordination program (HSSC) served about 300 families with children in its first year. This evaluation was designed to elicit information about participants’ experiences with HSSC services as ...
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The Director’s Action Line at Twenty Years: Trends, Client Satisfaction and Recommendations
Receiving more than 3,000 calls annually, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) Director’s Action Line (DAL) is an effective mechanism through which clients and other community members can resolve issues and get information about DHS services. It is also an important feedback tool for DHS, providing information about client experiences and perceptions of ...
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An Evaluation of the Family Support Center Network
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 ...
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Allegheny County Point-in-Time Homelessness Data
Once a year, during the last 10 days of January, a Point-in-Time (PIT) count is conducted to identify individuals and families who are unhoused or living in housing programs operated through Allegheny County’s Continuum of Care for people experiencing homelessness. The following data briefs and related visualization provide information about these individuals and families and ...
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Use of Force in the City of Pittsburgh, 2010 through 2015
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police tracks each incident in which an officer uses force with a subject; these Subject Resistance Reports were analyzed to identify trends and areas in which further evaluation or action is warranted. The analysis shows that use of force in the City of Pittsburgh is rare, occurring in less than one ...
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Violence in the City of Pittsburgh: Report Series
This series of reports presents data about homicides, shots fired, shootings and aggravated assaults with a firearm in the City of Pittsburgh. Demographic information about homicide victims and offenders, the location of homicides and calls for shots fired, and detail about when violence occurred are also provided. Explore the links below to view violence data for a ...
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Opiate-Related Overdose Deaths in Allegheny County: Report, Maps and Dataset
Allegheny County is in the midst of an opiate overdose epidemic. The ability of County government and engaged stakeholders to implement evidence-based strategies to address this problem is limited by the fact that much about the victims and potential risk factors is unknown. The publications, maps and dataset below are provided in an effort to inform ...
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Allegheny County Jail Collaborative: 2016 – 2019 Strategic Plan
The Jail Collaborative identified four primary recidivism reduction strategies as its focus for this three-year period: 1) ensure high quality, evidence-based programs for people at a higher risk of re-offending; 2) make transition to the community effective for each person leaving the jail; 3) reduce barriers for formerly incarcerated people and 4) develop a comprehensive ...
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Allegheny County Child Fatality and Near Fatality Reviews
This series of reports describes findings and outcomes from Child Fatality/Near-Fatality reviews. Information about the incidents, including demographics and perpetrators’ social and human service involvement, is available in these reports as well as case practice and system reforms enacted to reduce the likelihood of future child abuse-related incidents. 2009-2010 2011 2012 2013 2014-2015...
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Risk Classification in the Allegheny County Jail
A new and improved security risk classification system was recently implemented in the Allegheny County Jail. Each inmate is assessed through the use of a validated tool and assigned a score – ranging from minimum to maximum risk – that is used to make housing and programming decisions. The new system is a result of ...
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2015 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition
Fifty-three students representing 14 programs from five universities participated in the ninth annual Local Government Case Competition, focusing on transportation challenges for Allegheny County residents. Supported through the Human Services Integration Fund, the annual competition engages students to find creative solutions to real-life social problems The first-place team proposed a mobile app to help coordinate ...
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Suicide in Allegheny County, 2002 through 2014
With more than 2100 suicides occurring from 2002 through 2014, and with an average annual rate of 13 suicides per 100,000 residents, Allegheny County’s suicide rate is higher than the national average. Suicide disproportionately affects white men, and 35- through 54-year-olds have the highest suicide rate in the County. Firearms and asphyxiation are the most ...
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Of and For the Community: How Community Engagement and Communication Helped to Shape the Allegheny County Department of Human Services
Creating an integrated Department of Human Services in 1997 was a herculean task. It involved combining four formerly-separate departments, geographically dispersed and structured in very different ways. Administratively, technologically, fiscally and culturally, each had functioned autonomously for decades. A strategic set of engagement and communication efforts were key to the community buy-in and support that ...
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Allegheny County YOUth Count 2015
This data brief summarizes the results of the YOUth Count survey, Allegheny County’s first point-in-time count focused specifically on the number and needs of homeless and/or unstably-housed youth ages 18 through 24 years. Click here to read the full report. Data analysis/writers: Hilary Scherer and Abigail Horn...
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Conferencing and Teaming – Participants’ Perspectives and Satisfaction
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 ...
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Child Welfare Leadership Fellows: Using Data to Improve the Lives of Children and Families
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 ...
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Community Need Index: Reports and Datasets
Suburban Poverty: Assessing Community Need Outside the Central City – 2014 Update The Community Need Index, a matrix for analyzing and illustrating relative need in Allegheny County communities outside the City of Pittsburgh, was developed by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and introduced in 2014 in Suburban Poverty: Assessing Community Need Outside the ...
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Families For Teens: Foster Care Recruitment and Support in Allegheny County
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 ...
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Involuntary Commitment Petitions in Allegheny County
An involuntary commitment is an application for emergency evaluation and treatment for a person who is considered to be a danger to self or others due to symptoms of a mental illness. In Allegheny County, petitions for involuntary commitment are managed and authorized by the Department of Human Services (DHS), through its Mental Health Information, ...
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The Impact of Child Welfare System Involvement on School Stability – An Evaluation of Pittsburgh Public School Students
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 ...
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Aggravated Assault in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through July 2015: Aggravated assault rates generally declined in the City of Pittsburgh, but at a slower pace than in comparable cities. Aggravated assault was most prevalent in areas historically beset by violent crime, including the East End, the North Side and the South Side Hilltop neighborhoods. Victims of aggravated assault were ...
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Theft in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through July 2015: Pittsburgh’s theft rate declined and remained among the lowest in the Pittsburgh Today comparison group. Theft was most prevalent in Pittsburgh’s East End and South Side Hilltop neighborhoods. The clearance rate of theft varied depending on the category of theft or item taken. Click here to view the full ...
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Robbery in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through July 2015: Robbery rates declined, remaining among the lowest in the Pittsburgh Today comparison group. Robbery was most prevalent in neighborhoods historically beset by violent crime, including Homewood, Garfield and the North Side. Victims of robbery were disproportionately young and male, with high rates of victimization among African Americans. Robbery clearance ...
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Rape in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through 2015: Rape rates fluctuated, but were generally lower by 2015 than they were in 2005. Rape was most prevalent in neighborhoods historically beset by violent crime, including the North Side, Homewood and the Hill District. Victims of rape were disproportionately young, African American and female. Rape clearance rates were higher than ...
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Motor Vehicle Theft in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through July 2015: Pittsburgh’s motor vehicle theft rate declined sharply and remained the lowest among comparable mid-sized cities. Motor vehicle theft was most prevalent in Pittsburgh’s East End, North Shore and South Side. Victims of motor vehicle theft were older than average crime victims and disproportionately African American and male. Motor vehicle ...
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Drug Violations in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through July 2015: Drug violation rates decreased in the City of Pittsburgh, accompanied by reductions in adult and juvenile arrests. As drug violations declined, marijuana made up a larger share of all drug offenses as compared to drugs in the opioid/cocaine category. The highest drug violation rates were reported near Downtown Pittsburgh, ...
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Burglary in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through July 2015: Burglary rates in Pittsburgh were lower than in most comparable cities. Burglary was most prevalent in Pittsburgh’s East End, North Side and South Side Hilltop neighborhoods. Victims of burglary were disproportionately African American and tended to be older than victims of other Part 1 crimes. Burglary clearance rates were ...
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Arson in the City of Pittsburgh
From January 2005 through July 2015: Arson rates increased in the City of Pittsburgh, contrary to trends observed in comparable cities. Arson was most prevalent in the Homewood, North Side and South Side Hilltop neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. Arson clearance rates were highest during the first months of the year and for arsons involving an occupied ...
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Families Involved in the Allegheny County Homelessness System
In 2014, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) conducted a review of its homelessness services system as a first step in planning for and promoting effective strategies for reducing homelessness. This report provides information about the population of families experiencing a housing crisis in Allegheny County from 2009 through 2013, with a particular ...
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Report Series: Improving Educational and Well-Being Outcomes: School-DHS Data Sharing in Allegheny County
Integrating school data with the Department of Human Services Data Warehouse allows unprecedented collaboration between human services and school social workers. This group of reports and data briefs relate to data-sharing agreements between DHS and local school districts. They describe the ways in which shared information has informed strategies designed to improve school outcomes for ...
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Individuals Involved in the Allegheny County Homelessness System
This report describes individuals who experienced a housing crisis in Allegheny County from 2009 through 2013, with a particular focus on the 2009 entry cohort. Click here to read the full report. Click here to read a related report about families involved in Allegheny County’s homelessness system. Analysis and content: Ryan Burger, Abigail Horn, Brian Bell ...
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Allegheny County Child Welfare Home Removal Costs, 2012 Cohort
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 ...
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Parents Raising Safe Kids: An Assessment of the Impact of the ACT Against Violence Program Curriculum
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 ...
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From Postponements to Efficiency: Expedited Case Disposition in Allegheny County Criminal Court
Unwieldy case backlogs and delays inspired a number of changes in how the Allegheny County Criminal Court processes cases. By expediting plea offers, completing discovery and providing evidence at formal arraignments, and prioritizing clearing of old cases, the Court has realized a significant decrease in the number of active criminal cases. Other benefits of these ...
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Sharing Data to Support Homeless Students in Allegheny County
Schools districts and human service systems define homelessness differently (as mandated by their respective regulatory and funding entities), resulting in many youth who are known to only one system. While being homeless is a disruptive experience that often hurts educational achievement, homeless youth are afforded additional supports to counteract these impacts. This report examines the ...
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2014 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition
The 2014 Local Government Case Competition engaged graduate students from local universities in identifying solutions to housing instability for individuals/families involved in the human services system. This report provides information about the competition, its history, and the key ideas generated by the participants. Click here to read the full report. Prepared by: Marina Duane and ...
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Homeless in Allegheny County: The Client Experience
DHS conducted a review of Allegheny County’s services for homeless individuals and families, as part of a strategic plan to improve the quality, accessibility and comprehensiveness of the system; this report focuses on the client perspective of the system and includes a description of current system change activities as well as recommendations for further action. ...
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Evaluation of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative Reentry Programs
Prepared by: Urban Institute Click to read the full report....
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School-Based Probation in Allegheny County: Examining the Costs and Benefits
Intensive supervision programs like school-based probation are increasingly viewed as a way to generate savings to society, by preventing or reducing the likelihood of crime, as well as to improve outcomes for the juvenile offenders through an emphasis on education and employment opportunities. Allegheny County examined a number of outcomes for Pittsburgh Public School students ...
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Introducing Performance-Based Contracting: A Comparison of Implementation Models
Linking provider payments to performance measures is gaining popularity as a way to improve outcomes, efficiency and innovations. Three performance-based contracting models have been implemented in Allegheny County, targeting: 1) the Senior Center network; 2) child welfare providers; and 3) DHS-funded providers of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative. Each focuses on service-related outcomes and offers ...
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The Costs and Benefits of Day Reporting Centers: A New Model of Adult Probation in Allegheny County
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) worked with Adult Probation to conduct a cost–benefit analysis of Day Reporting Centers (DRC) for offenders who have re-entered the community. The analysis examined three groups of offenders (low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk) participating in employment search and community services at the DRCs from March 2011 through January ...
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Calculating Unit Costs in Allegheny County: A Resource for Justice System Decision-Making and Policy Analysis
Programs within the criminal justice system can be valued using the costs they save to the system, to the victims and to society; examining programs in this way – in conjunction with outcome information – can assist in resource allocation decisions. With technical assistance from the Vera Institute of Justice, a system-wide cost database was ...
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Addressing School Absenteeism
An increased focus on school attendance has led to the implementation of a number of strategies designed to reduce absenteeism and its related impact on academic outcomes. The implications of chronic absenteeism are particularly relevant for students involved in human services, who account for a disproportionate number of chronically absent students. This brief addresses the ...
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Changing Trends: An Analysis of the Allegheny County Jail Population
From 2000 to 2012, Allegheny County Jail bookings decreased by approximately one-third. Arrests are the principal contributor to the number of bookings over time, but the number of arrests that result in a booking decreased over time due to changes in judicial procedure regarding arrests for Driving under the Influence (DUI) and use of a ...
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Permanency Roundtables: Challenging Barriers to Permanency for Children in Out-of-Home Care
Permanency Roundtables are an important component of Allegheny County’s strategy to improve permanency outcomes for children in child welfare out-of-home placements. Roundtables engage practitioners, caseworkers, providers and permanency experts in an intense two-hour brainstorming session in which barriers to permanency are identified along with strategies to address those barriers. The creativity of the collaborative process ...
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Inua Ubuntu: An Assessment of Implementation, Program Process and Child Welfare Involvement
Inua Ubuntu, designed to provide culturally-based intervention with a goal of reducing the rate of out-of-home placement for African American males, was implemented by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services in 2010. The program is based on an African-centric concept of family and community, and is driven by the theory that services are most ...
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Common Assessment Tools: Implementation and Implications for Service Integration
An initial assessment is often a client’s first service experience, and, as such, it plays a major role in the perception, comfort and outcomes of the service. Simultaneously, the assessment can set the tone for the eventual outcomes of the This report describes the process of adapting and/or developing common assessments for use in Allegheny ...
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Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste: Building a Better Home-Delivered Meals System
When its largest provider of Home -Delivered Meals (HDM) suddenly decided to discontinue its service, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) had just weeks to ensure that 800 frail and disabled adults would continue to get the meals they depended upon. Partnering with six providers, AAA seized the opportunity to reshape the HDM program. By ...
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Pretrial Decision-Making: How a Model Pretrial Services Program Changed Allegheny County’s Criminal Justice System
The Allegheny County Pretrial Services Department works behind the scenes to provide information and make recommendations to judges who have to make rapid and critical decisions at Motions Court almost every day of the week. Created in 2007 by combining the bail agency and three other programs that work with defendants prior to trial, Pretrial ...
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Reducing Street Violence in Allegheny County: Research & Recommendations
This report was prepared in response to concerns about high levels of street violence, particularly in certain areas of the county, and to support the joint efforts of the Allegheny County Criminal Justice Advisory Board and the Allegheny County Executive’s Public Health Commission on Preventing Violence and Promoting Community Health. It is the result of ...
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I’ll Never Get Used to It: Young People Living on the Street
Designed to inform local leaders, this report places the issue of homeless youth within a national context and provides information about local need, services and strategies to prevent and address homelessness among Allegheny County’s young adults. Click here to read the full report....
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Behavioral Health Services in The Allegheny County Jail
The high percentage of inmates with mental health and/or substance use issues presents significant challenges to the correctional system. Untreated behavioral health issues contribute to higher rates of recidivism as well as a myriad of other barriers to successful community re-entry. To begin to address these challenges, the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative convened a workgroup ...
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Truancy Prevention Programs in Allegheny County
DHS analyzed data and conducted interviews about the services provided and outcomes achieved by two Allegheny County truancy prevention programs. This report details those activities and provides information about ways in which truancy prevention and intervention efforts could be improved. Click to read the data brief. ...
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ACHIEVE After-School Program
The ACHIEVE after-school program evolved from DHS’s data-sharing agreement with the Pittsburgh Public Schools and was designed as an intervention for under-performing middle school students who were also involved in human services. ACHIEVE ran for two years and had inconsistent results. Overall, it did not result in improved school performance for the participating students. This ...
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2013 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Building a Human Services Workforce for the 21st Century
The 7th annual Local Government Case Competition engaged graduate students in addressing the challenges of staffing a human services system that is increasingly data driven, integrated and community based. Click to read the full report. Local Government Case Competition: Allegheny County (PA) Department of Human Services 2013 from Allegheny County DHS on Vimeo....
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Day Reporting Centers: The New Face of Probation in Allegheny County
Community-based Day Reporting Centers have changed the way that offenders on probation are managed in Allegheny County. Centers focus on rehabilitation, offering a one-stop shop of services designed to support successful community re-entry. After being categorized according to their likelihood of re-offending, offenders are either assigned to an administrative caseload (low-risk offenders) or provided a ...
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Immigrants and Refugees in Allegheny County: Scan and Needs Assessment
This assessment provides information on local immigrant and refugee populations in order to identify current and emerging service needs, gaps and barriers. It includes a set of recommendations for improving their access to services. Click here to read the full report....
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Managing with Less: Implementation of the Allegheny County Human Services Block Grant
Fiscal Year 2012/2013 saw the implementation of the Human Services Block Grant in Allegheny County, which combined a 10 percent decrease in funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (now the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services) with greater flexibility in how those funds could be spent. The local planning process included community involvement and ...
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Data Brief: Batterer Intervention Programs in Allegheny County
Ensuring the safety of victims of domestic violence requires a change in the behavior of those who commit the crime (batterers). Unfortunately, existing batterer intervention programs are ineffective, at best, and not based upon empirical evidence. In partnership with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, the Allegheny County Jail and the District Attorney’s office, ...
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The Bridge to Home: The Allegheny County Jail Collaborative’s Family Support Initiative
This report and accompanying video describe the Allegheny County Jail’s Family Support Program, implemented in 2009 as a key strategy of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative’s Reentry Program Click to read the full report. ...
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Retooling with Rigor: Upgrading the Area Agency on Aging’s Options Care Management Program
In 2011, the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging, part of the county’s Department of Human Services, embarked on an effort to improve the quality of its Options Care Management program. The Options Care Management program provides support to more than 5,000 non-Medicaid-eligible individuals, age 60 and older, so that they may continue living in ...
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Stories of Transition: Men and Women in the Jail Collaborative’s Reentry Program
These narratives describe the experiences of individuals who participated in the Allegheny County Jail Reentry Program. Stories of Transition – Part I Stories of Transition – Part II ...
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Data Brief: Fathers in Child Welfare Cases
An analysis was conducted on fathers’ involvement in child welfare cases from 2010 through 2012. Biological fathers were identified in 81 percent of cases (as compared to 94 percent of mothers). The data provided in this brief address the factors that may influence this involvement; it also includes a discussion of practice measures being implemented ...
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Psychotropic Medication Use by Allegheny County Youth in Out-of-Home-Placement
Focus groups with youth and caregivers identified a number of concerns about the way in which psychotropic medications were prescribed to youth in a child welfare out-of-home placement. A quantitative analysis by Community Care Behavioral Health indicated that youth in child welfare placement and on medical assistance were about two and a half times more ...
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Homicide in Allegheny County, 1997 through 2012
This brief and research report provide an analysis of homicides in Allegheny County, including involvement of victims in the human services and criminal justice systems, in order to understand the factors that contribute to community violence and how it disproportionately affects certain populations. Click to read the data brief. Click to read the full report. ...
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Human Services Involvement of Home-Schooled and Cyber Charter School-Enrolled Students in Pittsburgh Public Schools
At the end of the 2011-2012 school year, about three percent of Pittsburgh Public School students were enrolled in a cyber charter school and less than one percent of Pittsburgh Public School students were being home-schooled. An analysis showed that these students had very little human service involvement, as described in this data brief. Click ...
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Transition Age Youth with Complex Needs Entering Adulthood
United Way of Allegheny County This report analyzes the numbers and needs of young adults with significant medical, intellectual, communication and/or behavioral challenges Click to read the full report....
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Brief Wraparound Residential Model and In-Community Stabilization Process: Description, Implementation and Future Plans
The Brief Wraparound Residential model emphasizes working with youth on what they need to be successful following their stay in residential care; that is, at home, in school and in the community. It involves immediate engagement with the youth and family and is designed to support reunification and successful re-entry into the home and community. ...
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Improving Educational Outcomes for Child Welfare-Involved Youth: Allegheny County’s Implementation of the Child Welfare Education Screen
In response to federal, state and local priorities, DHS implemented the Pennsylvania General and Special Education/Disability Accommodation Screen (Education Screen) in partnership with provider agencies and local school districts. The Education Screen was designed to increase collaborative efforts between DHS and school districts, with a focus on improved educational outcomes for students. Implementation included appointment ...
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Assessing Allegheny County’s System of Care Initiative
Allegheny County’s System of Care Initiative consisted of three federal grants designed to improve the functioning of system-involved children and youth with serious emotional disturbances, and their families. The three initiatives, which also sought to improve system integration and family empowerment, ran from 1998 through 2011. The evaluation described in this report looked at placement ...
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2012 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Addressing Suburban Poverty and Those Affected by It
The sixth annual Local Government Case Competition focused on the issue of suburban poverty. This report summarizes the winning presentations as well as the key ideas generated during the competition. Click to read the full report. ...
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Human Services: Sustained and Coordinated Efforts Could Facilitate Data-Sharing While Protecting Privacy
U.S. Government Accountability Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office examined four innovative data sharing practices (including DHS’s) to determine (1) how selected states or localities have shared data across programs to improve the administration of human services, (2) challenges state and local human services agencies face in balancing privacy protections with greater data sharing, and ...
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Natural Supports: A Scan of Current Use and Future Opportunities
Natural supports are those family members, friends and community members who enhance our lives and support us in achieving our goals. The use of natural supports is becoming more common in association with human services, and DHS actively promotes the identification of natural supports and their involvement with individuals and families involved in a variety ...
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Youth Using Behavioral Health Services: Making the Transition from the Child to Adult System
Addressing the specific needs of youth across multiple life domains as they transition from the children’s behavioral health treatment system to the adult treatment system is critically important. To help quantify these issues and contribute to discussions related to system interventions locally, Allegheny Health Choices, Inc. (AHCI) identified a cohort of youth who turned 17 between ...
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Your Culture is Valued Here: Lessons from the DHS Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council
In 2007, DHS established an Immigrant and International Advisory Council, seeking to ensure that its services were culturally competent and accessible. Since that time, the Council is credited by many with making the region more immigrant-friendly. Beginning with two specific goals – cultural competence training and improving access to translation and interpretation services – the ...
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I Hope I See You Somewhere Else: Allegheny County Jail’s Discharge Center Helps Ex-Offenders Leave on the Right Foot
This report provides an overview of the Allegheny County Jail’s Discharge Center. Click to read the full report. ...
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Allegheny County DUI Alternative to Jail Program: System Collaboration Leads to Innovative Reform
This report provides a description of the DUI Alternative to Jail Program and its impact on the systems and individuals involved. Click to read the full report....
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Family Group Decision Making: A Quantitative Analysis of the Impact on Out-of-Home Placement
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), an intervention designed in New Zealand to improve safety and permanency for maltreated children, was implemented in Allegheny County in 1999. From 2001 through 2010, 2,908 children received FGDM. An evaluation of its effectiveness was conducted by Chapin Hall. This report describes the evaluation and its findings. Click here to ...
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From Almshouses to Excellence: A History of Child Welfare in Allegheny County
To commemorate 50 years during which Allegheny County government has been responsible for providing public child welfare services, DHS commissioned this historical overview of child welfare in the county. Click here to view the full report. Related: The Next Page: Bold ideas behind Pittsburgh’s first child-welfare system – Meet the heroines Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 4, ...
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Allegheny County Department of Human Services Quality Improvement Activities: 2009-2011
Since 2008, when a report on Quality Improvement activities across DHS was published, an enhanced quality improvement process has been in place for the delivery of direct services at DHS. The primary focus on these efforts have been in child welfare; activities range from a Quality Service Review process to Child Fatality and Near-Fatality reviews. ...
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Practice Innovations in Child Welfare
American Public Human Services Association Click to read the full report....
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Aging Up, Not Out: Moving Youth from Foster Care to Employability
When youth in child welfare reach their 18th or 21st birthday, they are no longer eligible for child welfare services. Unfortunately, they are also too often unprepared emotionally, financially or academically for college, the workforce, and independent living. In recognition of this issue, and the needs of these youth, DHS created the Independent Living Unit ...
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Aging Out of the Child Welfare System in Allegheny County: Descriptive Analysis, Challenges and Implications
Eighty percent of youth in child welfare foster care leave the child welfare system within six months of turning 18. Unfortunately, many are not ready for the challenges of adulthood. Youth who age out of the child welfare system are likely to have lower levels of education and employment and higher levels of public assistance, ...
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2011 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Reducing Stigma among Individuals with Serious Mental Illness
Participants in the fifth annual Local Government Case Competition were asked to develop a plan to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Teams of graduate students approached the challenge from a variety of perspectives; the winning team targeted working-age adults with mental illness through a multifaceted plan of increased self-sufficiency and public awareness. In ...
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Allegheny County LINK: A Summary of Data and Consumer Feedback
The Link is a collaborative effort among local agencies, organizations and individual consumers, designed to help older adults and people living with a disability maintain their independence, dignity and quality of life. Funded in 2006 by the Pennsylvania State Office of Long Term Living, the mission of the Link is to simplify and streamline access ...
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Showing the Way Out: Youth Support Partners Use their Personal Experiences to Support Other Youth
In 2008, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services hired four Youth Support Partners (YSP), young adults with lived experiences in human services, to serve as positive role models and peer supports for young people involved in the system. From that beginning, the Youth Support Partners program has expanded to include a manager, four supervisors ...
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System of Care Initiative: Building Creative Partnerships – Involving Families in Program Evaluation
Between 1993 and 2011, Allegheny County Department of Human Services received three SAMHSA grants to implement systems of care designed to support youth with serious emotional disturbances who were involved in multiple child-serving systems. Evaluation was a critical piece of these grants, which prioritized family empowerment and inclusion. In keeping with this priority, and its ...
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Evaluation of Allegheny County’s Crisis Intervention Team Training Program
This report summarizes the development, implementation and evaluation of a crisis intervention training program designed to teach police officers how to identify and intervene appropriately and safely with individuals with mental illness. Click here to view the full report....
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Effect of Mental Health Court on Arrests and Jail Days – A Multi-site Study
Northwestern University Click to read the full report....
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Collaborative Approach to Juvenile Justice Reform: An Analysis of Juvenile Justice Related Services in Allegheny County
This report provides an overview of Allegheny County’s Juvenile Justice Related Services, created to ensure that adolescents in the juvenile justice system who are struggling with behavioral health issues receive coordinated services tailored to their individual needs. Click to read the full report. Executive Summary of Juvenile Justice Related Services in Allegheny County Key Characteristics ...
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Asking Why – Reasserting the Role of Community Mental Health
Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law Click to read the full report....
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A Picture of Success: DHS-Funded Students Respond Enthusiastically to Arts Education Opportunity
With funding from Casey Family Programs, 30 students from grades seven through 12, involved with DHS’s child serving systems, attended studio classes at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh. Participating in classes in ceramics, design, digital arts or photography, the students not only learned skills, but also built confidence and self-discipline. Click here to view the ...
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How Case Reviews Transformed Allegheny County’s Criminal Justice System
This report describes Allegheny County’s criminal justice case review process, including factors that have contributed to its success and proposed solutions to ongoing issues. Click here to view the full report....
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Prevention Programs Across the Department of Human Services
DHS is committed to meeting the human services needs of county residents, particularly the county’s most vulnerable populations, through an extensive range of prevention, early intervention, crises management and after–care services. While system involvement is sometimes inevitable, necessary and highly beneficial to consumers, DHS believes that preventing the need for such system interventions can ultimately ...
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Framework For Collaboration: Integrating School and Human Services Data In Pittsburgh
OCD | Developments by the University of Pittsburgh Click to read the full report....
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Transforming Lives Through Systems Integration: The “Improving Outcomes for Children and Families” Initiative
DHS’s Improving Outcomes for Child and Families initiative utilized a service integration focus to serve families with multiple needs. It was based on the belief that making systems work together as a team would improve services and reduce the confusion that families face when they need to interact with staff from a variety of child-serving ...
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How Are the Children? Inspiring Hope. Renewing Vision. Influencing Action. Casey Family Programs 2010 Annual Report
Casey Family Programs Click to read the full report....
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Challenge and Change 1997-2010: Transforming an administrative infrastructure to support program integration
This report details the transformational administrative and operational changes within DHS from its creation in 1997 through 2010. Click to read the full report....
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2010 Local Government Case Competition: Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Pathways to the Promise
Fifty-five graduate students from local universities participated in the 4th Local Government Case Competition. The focus of this year’s competition was on narrowing the academic achievement gap for students involved in human services and raising the bar for all Pittsburgh Public School students. Specifically, participants were asked to consider how to make more students “Promise ...
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Child Welfare Placement Dynamics: Long-Term Trends in Allegheny County’s Child Welfare System
The number of youth in out-of-home placement on the first of the year declined from 3,088 in 1996 to 1,765 in 2010, a total decrease of 43 percent. This report offers a view of the child welfare system in Allegheny County over this period, including demographics of children served, their system trajectory, and their involvement ...
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Residential Enhancement Service Planning Opportunities for New Directions Program (RESPOND): A Program Evaluation
RESPOND is an intensive treatment program designed to serve youth whose multiple needs (intellectual disability and significant behavioral challenges) are not able to be met through DHS’s current array of services. RESPOND operates on a collaborative model that integrates effective clinical treatment with principles of psychiatric rehabilitation, applied behavior analysis and community support programs. This ...
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An Analysis of Allegheny County Mental Health Court
This analysis uses summary violations and criminal convictions to compare recidivism rates of graduates of the Allegheny County Mental Health Court, which was established in 2001 to address the needs of people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders in judicial proceedings. Click here to view the full report. ...
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The Allegheny HealthChoices Program 1999-2009: Improving Access and Quality of Services through Collaboration, Fiscal Management and Quality Oversight
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc. Click to read the full report....
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Quality Improvement Assessment
This report describes the more than 100 quality improvement activities and initiatives taking place throughout DHS, using the Council on Accreditation’s (COA) Performance and Quality Improvement standards to frame the discussion of how DHS currently manages quality improvement. It discusses best practice approaches and provides benchmarking information about what organizations similar to DHS are doing, ...
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Fighting Hunger While Positively Impacting the Food System – Integrating SNAP Benefits at Pittsburgh Citiparks Farmers’ Markets
Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University Click to read the full report....
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2009 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Building the Homewood Children’s Village
The 3rd annual Case Competition was designed to engage local graduate students in developing a five-year strategic plan for the Homewood Children’s Village. Student teams approached the challenge from a variety of perspectives, but the team that ultimately won the competition impressed the judges with their knowledge of Homewood’s existing assets and their ability to ...
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Strategies for Improving Homeless People’s Access to Mainstream Benefits and Services
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Click to read the full report....
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Advancing Data on Homelessness in Eleven Communities
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs in the Office of Community Planning Development Click to read the full report....
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An Examination of Training for Family Support Center Staff
Family Support Center staff are required to meet hourly training goals each year, in addition to maintaining certifications for specific positions. This training is primarily provided by the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development. Focus groups were held to collect feedback about the training and to identify ways in which training could better support ...
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Homewood: A Community Profile
This profile of the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Homewood (and subsequent Addendum) was compiled by DHS to assess demographic changes and examine quality of life issues-poverty, education, health care-in Homewood and in the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to accurately assess the community’s assets and needs. Click here to view the full report. Click here ...
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The Role of Race in Child Welfare System Involvement in Allegheny County
This study documents the service paths of African American and white children following referral to Allegheny County child welfare services, to identify and examine the factors related to service disparities. Click here to view the full report....
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Serving Consumers with Limited English Proficiency
DHS surveyed providers and DHS staff on behalf of the Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council to identify the need for limited English proficiency services in the community and assess DHS’s ability to meet those needs. Results of the survey are included in this report. Click here to read the full report....
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Understanding the Allegheny County Homeless Population
DHS examined a cohort of homeless individuals to describe the demographic composition and service utilization of the county’s homeless population, as well as to quantify the costs associated with their care. Homeless individuals in Allegheny County frequently consume public resources and contribute to a measurable and sizable public expense; the consumption of mental health services ...
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Educating Homeless Children in Allegheny County: An Evaluation of Families, Agencies, and Services
DHS, Duquesne University School of Education and the Homeless Children’s Education Fund Click to read the full report....
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Home Foreclosures in Allegheny County
In this analysis, DHS examined the issue of home foreclosures in Allegheny County. Click to read the full report....
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Building an Interoperable Human Services System – How Allegheny County Transformed Systems, Services and Outcomes for Vulnerable Children and Families
Stewards of Change Click to read the full report....
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The State of Technology in Aging Services in Pennsylvania
Center for Aging Services Technology, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Click to read the full report....
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A Worthy Diversion
The Politics of Mental Illness, The American Prospect Special Report Click to read the full report....
One Vision One Life Trauma Center Intervention Program
This research brief examines the 41 trauma center interventions conducted by One Vision One Life from 2005 to the spring/early summer of 2007. Click to read the full report....
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Violence in Allegheny County and Pittsburgh
This report provides a profile of community violence in Allegheny County in order to better understand the relationship with violence held by DHS consumers and clients. Click to read the full report. ...
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2008 DHS Local Government Case Competition: Greening DHS
The second annual Local Government Case Competition sought ideas from students on how to embed environmental sustainability in DHS policies and operations. Forty-six graduate students from local universities were divided into 12 teams and each team presented its ideas to a panel of judges. These presentations, as well as an overview of the Competition and ...
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Data Warehousing, Flow Models and Public Policy
This paper, presented at the 28th Annual APPAM Research Conference in November 2006, describes the context and need for integrated data in human services, data warehousing technology and its unique challenges in the public sector, innovative data warehouse applications that have arisen in part from joint projects with universities, and future opportunities for data warehousing. ...
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Children of Incarcerated Parents
This report examines the human service experiences and potential needs of children of incarcerated parents. Click to read the full report. ...
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Overview Report of Allegheny County Jail Collaborative Evaluation Findings
University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Center on Race and Social Problem Click to read the full report....
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Mental Health Courts – How special courts can serve justice and help mentally ill offenders
U.S. News and World Report Click to read the full report....
Time for Reform: Investing in Prevention, Keeping Children Safe At Home
Kids Are Waiting (KAW), the Pew Charitable Trusts Explores how the child welfare system in Allegheny County focuses on prevention services to successfully reduce the number of children in out-of-home placement. Click to read the full report....
Allegheny County Jail Collaborative Evaluation
University of Pittsburgh Click to read the full report....
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Immigration and Public Benefit Eligibility: An Overview
This document, created in response to needs identified by the diverse groups participating in the DHS Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council, serves as a resource guide for those seeking information about immigrants’ eligibility for public benefits. Click here to read the full resource guide....
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Behavioral Health Justice-Related Services and Beyond in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
American Jails Magazine, November/December 2007 Click to read the full report....
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2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book
Annie E. Casey Foundation Discusses Allegheny County’s investment in intensive, community-and home-based prevention services for families at risk of child abuse and/neglect Click to read the full report....
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On the Move: Helping Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Needs Transition to Adulthood – Partnerships for Youth Transitions (PYT)
National Network on Youth Transition for Behavioral Health Examines the results of the Partnerships for Youth Transitions initiatives funded by SAMHSA in five communities across the country, including Allegheny County Click to read the full report. ...
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2007 DHS Local Government Case Competition: The Future of DHS
This report describes DHS’s inaugural Local Government Case Competition, in which local graduate students were asked to consider how DHS will look in the next 10 years. Click to read the full report....
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Justice, Treatment, and Cost: An Evaluation of the Fiscal Impact of Allegheny County Mental Health Court
RAND Corporation Click to read the full report....
An Effective Child Welfare System and Evidence-based Practice for the Child Welfare System
National Family Preservation Network Discusses DHS’s use of innovative, evidence-based practices in the child welfare system to improve outcomes for children and families Click to read the full report....
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Redesigning Human Service Delivery in Allegheny County
With the creation of the Department of Human Services in 2007, Director Marc Cherna began the process of integrating the existing Departments of Aging, Federal Programs, Children and Youth Services and Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Drug & Alcohol/Homeless & Hunger Programs. The restructuring, which was the result of a lengthy internal planning process and public discussion, is ...