HARRISBURG — The state Department of Human Services announced Wednesday that it has entered into a settlement agreement with Blair County for improved operations in the county’s Children, Youth & Families office.

When Commissioners Dave Kessling, Amy Webster and Laura Burke voted May 21 to approve the proposed agreement, they indicated that state DHS personnel had not yet signed the agreement but were expected to do so.

Based on the negotiated agreement, the state is issuing the county CYF office a regular license that is valid for six months and requires the county to remain focused on operational improvements.

As part of the agreement, Blair County will be required to work on increasing staffing levels and reducing backlogs associated with child abuse allegation reports and related tasks. It also has to cover the salary and expenses for a DHS-appointed operations manager assigned to work in Blair County.

In a news release distributed by the state, Blair County Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling pledged the county’s cooperation and commitment to improvements.

“These six months will give us the opportunity to begin making the changes necessary to get on a better footing, and we are committed to making the tough decisions necessary to make that happen,” Kessling said. “There will be more positive news in the near future.”

Secretary Val Arkoosh also pledged the state’s support to help Blair County’s CYF office that has been operating on provisional licenses since May 2022, after a state inspection identified operational violations that were repeated in later inspections.

“Blair County leadership and the staff at CYF have demonstrated that they are taking the (state’s) concerns seriously,” Arkoosh said in the news release. “With this mutual agreement, we have a path forward to make sure the county CYF operations continue to improve so that they can provide more support to families and children.”