Val Arkoosh: Legislative support is needed to make Pa.’s child welfare overhaul happen

As secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) — but more importantly, as a mother of three — I care deeply about our fundamental obligation to ensure every child grows up in a safe, healthy environment.

Gov. Josh Shapiro — who has a long track record of standing up for kids as a state representative, county commissioner, and attorney general — cares deeply about this work, too. That’s why he’s tasked me with leading a comprehensive effort to improve our child welfare system and work with families, advocates, legislators, and our partners in county child welfare to keep kids safe and on a path to a bright future.

We know improvements to the child welfare system are needed — and that’s why we’ve pushed for legislative solutions and taken executive action where necessary.

When we took office in January 2023, we quickly realized that the Office of Child Advocate — a potentially powerful voice for children in need — had limited statutory authority, insufficient resources, and faced challenges coordinating across state and local systems, hindering its ability to address systemic issues effectively.

That’s why, for the last two years, we have supported legislative efforts to codify the Office of Child Advocate within DHS to give the office real power, ensure it is staffed appropriately, and provide the advocate with access to confidential case records. A bill passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives last year — but never advanced further.

In lieu of legislative action, however, the Shapiro administration is taking direct, proactive steps within our authority to protect children across the commonwealth.

That includes work to address what are often the most challenging child welfare cases — youth who end up in the juvenile justice system. When we took office, we were facing a crisis — kids were spending weeks, if not months, on a waiting list before they could get placed in state-secure treatment. That placement is critical because it ensures a youth can receive the social, emotional, and educational support they need to return to their communities.

By working with the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission and increasing capacity at our state-operated facilities, we’ve reduced those waiting dramatically — from 171 in July 2023 to just 30 as of January. We still have more work to do, but that 80% reduction means more kids are getting the treatment they need more quickly.

At the same time, we’ve worked to address staffing shortages, especially in counties that needed help the most. For example, in Blair County, DHS worked intimately with the county’s child welfare agency to improve investigation processes and timelines, implement best practices of child welfare operations and management, and improve staff recruitment, training, and morale.

We’ve not only worked to address urgent issues — we’ve also worked to build long-term capacity, resolve structural challenges, and promote, whenever possible, prevention strategies that mitigate risk to children and families, keeping families intact and avoiding out-of-home care for their children.

A bill to strengthen the Office of the Child Advocate passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives last year — but never advanced further.

High turnover and staffing shortages are an issue at nearly every county agency, so we’re working to boost recruitment and retention by providing additional training and technical assistance so caseworkers have the support they need to serve our children.

To prevent abuse and support families before crises occur, we’re increasing cross-agency collaboration, with plans to launch a Child Fatality and Near Fatality Workgroup comprised of six state agencies to coordinate prevention strategies and champion lessons learned from post-incident reviews. But this will require further partnership — from parents, schools, health providers, substance abuse treatment providers, and other stakeholders — so we can deliver more rapid, intensive, and effective responses when a child is in danger of abuse or neglect.

And finally, plans are underway to convene a working group of stakeholders in the coming days, representing all parts of the child welfare system, to look comprehensively at this system in a way that works as far upstream as possible to make sure our children are safe and healthy from the start, our families are supported, and our counties have the resources they need to accomplish these goals.

We are leaving no stone unturned, and working with every partner possible to improve this system and keep kids safe. But our administration cannot do this work alone. Ultimately, we will need legislative change to modernize and strengthen Pennsylvania’s child welfare system, stabilize our workforce, prevent child fatalities, and codify the child advocate position.

Val Arkoosh, a physician, public health professional, and former chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, is secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.