Children, Youth and Families

Research and analysis about our region’s families and children, including trends in the child welfare system, equity in services, and data innovations to connect with families who need support most.
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Children of Incarcerated Parents

Allegheny County sought to update a 2008 analysis examining the demographics and needs of children who have had a parent incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail. There are other children […]

Child Fatalities and Near-Fatalities

What are Child Fatalities and Near-Fatalities? The County is required by state law to review each death or near-death of a child and use the information to improve practice and […]

Older Youth Pandemic Relief

What is this report about ? From June to October of 2021, Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) provided a cash assistance program for transition-aged youth called Older Youth […]

Child Welfare Out-of-Home Placements: Interactive Dashboard

Provides filterable data on out-of-home placements in Allegheny County from 2010 through 2021. Updates occur annually.

Understanding and Addressing Institutionalized Inequity: Disrupting Pathways to Juvenile Justice for Black Youth in Allegheny County

Developed by the Black Girls Equity Alliance, this independent report uses data from several local partners, including the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, to explore racial disproportionality in youth […]

Hello Baby Prevention Model and Program Supports Parents of New Babies

Hello Baby is a voluntary program for parents of new babies in Allegheny County designed to strengthen families and improve children’s outcomes. The program is supported by a predictive risk model that uses integrated data to identify the highest need families.

Using Data from Schools and Child Welfare Agencies to Predict Near-Term Academic Risks

The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance at the Institute of Education Sciences (US Department of Education) examined data from Allegheny County students to better understand predictors of […]

Youth Aging Out of the Child Welfare System: Analysis of Outcomes

National research shows that young adults transitioning out of foster care into adulthood face more challenges than their peers. This report examines outcomes for Allegheny County young adults who had been […]

Trends in Child Welfare Out-of-Home Placement

This report and related dashboard summarize child welfare placement dynamics in 2008-2017. Data describe children in placement, what types of placements were used, how long children stayed there, and where they went after placement.

Developing Predictive Risk Models to Support Child Maltreatment Hotline Screening Decisions

The Allegheny Family Screening Tool (AFST) is a predictive risk model designed to improve decision-making in Allegheny County’s child welfare system. The tool utilizes hundreds of data elements to predict […]

Progress Towards Building an Affirming and Supportive Child Welfare System: Findings from an Institutional Analysis

In July 2013, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) launched a partnership to better support child welfare-involved youth […]

Do Family Support Centers Reduce Maltreatment Investigations? Evidence from Allegheny County

The Center for State Child Welfare Data analyzed Allegheny County data to explore whether the presence of a Family Support Center in a neighborhood is associated with lower child welfare […]

Survey Finds That Most Teens in Foster Care Are Able to Participate in Typical Youth Activities, with Some Challenges for Teens in Group Care

Teens in foster care sometimes face challenges when it comes to getting permission to do things like spending the night at a friend’s house, using the internet, or joining a […]

Moving a Child Welfare System to Be More Affirming of the LGBTQ Community: Strategies, Challenges and Lessons Learned

In an effort to provide affirming services to LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer/questioning) communities involved with Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services (DHS), the first Department-wide LGBTQ work group […]