Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Children And Youth Cwel Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Children & Youth: county approves CWEL participation and places foster care contract renewals on consent agenda
Summary
The board approved a staff participation agreement for the Child Welfare Education for Leadership (CWEL) program and authorized placing three foster care contract renewals on next week's consent agenda; the CWEL participation requires recipients to remain in child welfare or repay tuition if they do not finish.
The board approved a Child Welfare Education for Leadership (CWEL) participation agreement and moved three foster care contract renewals from the county Children & Youth Services (CYS) to next week's consent agenda.
Lynn/Leah (Children & Youth) explained a staff member applied to CWEL, a University of Pittsburgh‑administered program that funds master’s degrees in social work for participants who commit to remaining in child welfare for the length of the degree; if an employee leaves before completion they must reimburse the funding. The county reported the staff member will participate part‑time outside normal work hours and that no county funds are required for tuition; the county will monitor employment status during the education period.
CYS also presented three contract renewals to provide foster care residential services for dependent and delinquent youth: a $180,000 contract with Diversified Treatment Alternative Center (state share $144,000, county share $36,000); a $165,000 contract with Community Specialist Corporation (state share $92,000, county share $23,000); and a $65,000 contract with Family Care for Children and Youth Inc. (state share $52,000, county share $13,000). Each covers July 1 to June 30 (year not explicitly restated in the transcript but the typical service period was cited).
Commissioners asked for clarification on CWEL timelines; CYS staff said full‑time CWEL typically takes 18–30 months and part‑time participation could take roughly three years. The board voted to add the four items (CWEL agreement and three contracts) to the next week's consent agenda for formal approval.
The CWEL participation represents a staff recruitment/retention strategy tied to state-funded education; the contract renewals maintain existing foster care service providers and the stated state/county funding splits in CYS budgets.
