HOLLIDAYSBURG — A former supervisor for Blair County Children, Youth & Families said she sees no immediate relief coming for the office in crisis due to significant understaffing and lack of leadership.

Deawna Wyandt, who worked 10 years for the county until her Aug. 17 firing, told the Mirror this week that she is doing OK, but remains worried about the people who still work for CYF.

She called them dedicated employees who keep trying to do a good job despite poor working conditions, heavy caseloads and low salaries.

Wyandt was dedicated too, her co-workers told the Mirror.

“Deawna was the one who was running the office when there was no administrator, the one who could put out fires,” said one of her co-workers who asked not to be named for fear of job-related reprisals. “The people who work in my office are now worried because they’re thinking that if they get rid of Deawna, then who’s next?”

Commissioners Bruce Erb, Laura Burke and Amy Webster, who approved Wyandt’s firing this week, regularly decline to discuss reasons for an employee’s termination.

Their action leaves the CYF office without one of its veteran staff members, at a time when the office is significantly understaffed and has few job applicants.

Burke, who started supervising the CYF office in June after CYF Administrator Paul Bookhamer abruptly resigned, said it will be up to the salary board to recreate Wyandt’s position and for a committee to interview applicants.

As for the timing of the decision to fire Wyandt, Burke described every decision as critical.

“We’re not making any (decision) lightly because of the situation we’re in,” Burke said.

Wyandt said that if she had to sum up why she was fired, it would be for reasons that were previously addressed through conversations.

In the 10 years she has worked in the CYF office, Wyandt has been a caseworker, a casework manager, the manager of day-to-day operations and an interim administrator.

“Until this, I didn’t have a single blemish on my personnel file,” she said.

The reason she decided to speak about her firing, she said, reflects a desire to let people know what’s going on.

After Bookhamer resigned, Wyandt said that Burke and County Administrator Nicole Hemminger began managing CYF.

Like many county offices, CYF has a history of high turnover that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic fallout.

“When they took over, it was like they were looking at trying to find out what the problem is,” Wyandt said. “But the root cause of this problem begins with them … and they’re not going to get to the source of the problem unless they look at their level.”

At the commissioners June 26 meeting, CYF employees pleaded with commissioners for pay changes that could help retain current staff and attract job applicants. At that time, the office had 12 caseworkers and 25 vacant caseworker positions. The week before the county fired Wyandt, commissioners approved another resignation submitted by a CYF casework supervisor.

Wyandt described Blair County’s starting pay for a caseworker, at $32,000 annually, as insulting for someone with a college degree, certified for civil service and who deals daily with trauma, abuse, neglect and a heavy caseload.

“There’s a lot of people who are passionate about child welfare work,” Wyandt said. “But passion only goes so far, and it doesn’t pay the bills.”

One of the CYF union leaders said her members are interested in retention bonuses and sign-on bonuses to counter the understaffing crisis. Other counties have already done it, she said.

Wyandt said Blair County’s leaders have “no sense of urgency” to address the crisis.

“There seems to be more of a ‘we can’t do this for your office without doing it for other offices.'” Wyandt said.

The CYF union leader said that’s not a valid reason because CYF protects children.

During a recent presentation of the county CYF 2023-24 Needs Based Plan and Budget, Burke, Hemminger and others in charge of CYF spoke of ongoing efforts to deal with staff shortages, including greater reliance on local agencies to provide services.

Charts making up that plan show Blair County with better statistics in the care of foster children when compared to state and national standards.

Hemminger referenced those statistics during a recent commissioners meeting where she offered her conclusion that Blair County is doing a good job in caring for its children.

Wyandt’s co-workers said they are trying to do a good job on behalf of the children but feel that they, like Wyandt, are being scrutinized while trying to do a job that involves a lot of stress.

“That doesn’t make for a good working environment,” one of the co-workers said.

Wyandt said the CYF staff has gone through an incredible transition.

“Back in 2019, we had an abundance of experienced staff members who were dedicated to the community, to the children and their families. And now (2.5) years later, there’s maybe a handful of employees in that office with at least five years’ experience,” Wyandt said. “They’re all trying to do the best they can with the cards they’ve been dealt. But there’s many with less than two years’ experience … and they’ll all spread so thin.”

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.