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Blair County ratifies payment to Bethanna and discusses strain on child-welfare placements
Summary
The board ratified a payment arrangement with Bethanna for a special-needs foster child and approved related agreements; commissioners and staff described repeated placement shortages and overnight staffing burdens on Children, Youth and Families (CYF) workers.
The Blair County Board of Commissioners on May 1 ratified a payment arrangement with Bethanna to pay $54.17 per day for the care of a special‑needs foster child and approved a related purchase-of-service and HIPAA business‑associate agreement covering July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
During a lengthy discussion, county staff and commissioners described the case that prompted the agreements as one in which staff and local providers maintained 24/7 care for the individual in hotels, Airbnbs and in county offices while an appropriate placement was located. A county speaker said the state's complex case team assisted and that staff were able to locate a foster family, but added that similar placement gaps occur about once a year and place heavy stress on CYF personnel.
Commissioners praised CYF staff and the local provider network. Commissioner Burke (by surname) and others described the case as “extremely difficult” and thanked staff for extended efforts to find a placement and to protect the child's safety.
Separately, the board approved a union side letter with PSSU SEIU Local 668 to add a Caseworker 3 classification to the collective-bargaining agreement and to allow Children, Youth and Families to recruit those positions. Human Resources (Kyle) and commissioners said the change is part of a state settlement regarding CYF licensure and is intended to create a quality-assurance unit for casefile review and licensing-related oversight.
Motions to ratify the letter to Bethanna, to approve the purchase-of-service and HIPAA agreements, and to approve the side-letter adding Caseworker 3 positions were moved and seconded and passed on voice votes with no recorded opposition.
Why this matters: commissioners and staff said the episode highlights broader challenges in Pennsylvania’s child‑welfare system — limited placement availability for high‑need cases, recurring overnight staffing at county offices, and the need for strengthened internal licensing and quality-assurance capacity within CYF.
