HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County has been making headway in hiring staff for its Children, Youth & Families office and reducing its backlog of cases, Commissioner Laura Burke said Tuesday.

Since Aug. 29, 2022, when Tiffany Treese began as CYF administrator, Burke said the county hired 29 people for the office and retained 22 of the 29.

Burke also reported that the CYF office, which at one point fell to its lowest level of employing five caseworkers, now has 10 full-time and seven part-time caseworkers.

The county CYF office is making improvements, but it continues to be a challenge, Burke said.

In May, the state issued the county CYF office its third provisional operating license based on an investigation indicating a lack of progress in addressing prior violations and a growing backlog of cases.

The state dated the third provisional license — extending six months — to remain in effect through Nov. 5.

Burke said Tuesday that the state inspectors have returned, and while some improvements should be visible, she suspects that the county will be issued a fourth provisional license.

“They’re not saying we have to be perfect, but they are looking for substantial and sustainable improvements,” she said.

The inspectors also re­­view prior citations to see if they’ve been addressed.

Despite improved staffing levels, Burke said CYF remains understaffed at a time when it’s difficult to find qualified caseworker job candidates. She said she doesn’t see that changing without the state’s support for higher salaries and money to cover educational expenses.

Burke also said Tuesday that the county currently has 394 general protective service reports awaiting action. Those reports are separated from child abuse and welfare reports deemed to be in need of immediate attention.

Of the 394 general protective service reports, Burke said 29 were filed in the last week and 111 have been filed since July 26. So before July 26, the commissioner said the county had 283 cases in the queue.

“The high mark I remember of the queue was 504,” Burke said.

By subtracting 283 from 504, she concluded that the CYF office had moved 221 cases out of the queue in 15 weeks.

“Although we have a long way to go, this is a significant achievement,” Burke said.

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