Children, Youth and Families
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Practice Innovations in Child Welfare
American Public Human Services Association Click to read the full report.
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 […]
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. […]
HOPE: Helping Others Through the Power of Education: A Report on a Series of Events Held in the Spring of 2011
Three events were held throughout May and June of 2011, designed to bring together youth and families from a number of DHS children and youth-serving systems. A description and evaluation […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]