HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County’s Children, Youth & Families will remain on a provisional operating license through

May 23, based on findings during the state’s most recent inspection.

The state Department of Human Services, which oversees licensing of county CYF offices addressing child welfare matters, recently issued Blair County CYF its seventh provisional operating license within four years, effective Nov. 23.

Blair CYF’s first provisional license was issued in May 2022 after the state identified a long list of shortcomings when the agency’s staffing had fallen to its lowest levels in the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its latest report, the state outlined findings from its September inspection of Blair County’s child welfare case files, including 24 findings that were repeated from March’s inspection. Those findings generally included references to time frames being exceeded for tasks within an investigation and instances where case files lacked signed documents to indicate that tasks were completed.

The report also identified cases with procedural issues that the county had to address through a plan that would involve more employee training or more supervision of the work being done.

In some cases, the county also responded to the state’s findings with additional information to explain what happened and/or detail how the finding will be addressed.

Blair County CYF Director Shannon Tucker said Monday that the county’s ongoing efforts to address the state’s concerns have already yielded recognizable improvements.

“I understand that the decision to issue another provisional license rests with the state,” Tucker said. “But at the same time, they’re telling us that they’re going to be pulling back on the amount of their presence in our office because they think we can do a lot on our own, without their oversight. That tells me that we must be moving in the right direction.”

While state personnel do not investigate Blair CYF cases, they have been working regularly inside the Blair County CYF office on efforts to address operational shortcomings.

In a statement released Tuesday, state Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosch and Deputy Secretary Laval Miller-Wilson praised the county for making progress.

“DHS and Blair County’s Commissioners have worked closely to protect and support the children and families of Blair County,” the state leaders said. “The Commissioners have committed unprecedented attention and focus to improve BCCYF, and we are deeply appreciative of their efforts. BCCYF has made measurable gains toward achieving operational compliance and stability for the children and families they serve.”

Tucker, a longtime Blair County CYF employee who was named director in mid-2024 and later accepted the job of as the office’s chief administrator, said she’s grateful for the amount of technical assistance the state has been providing.

“There’s so much I’ve had to learn since stepping into this role … and in making sure we had policies and procedures in place,” she said. “While I really wish the state’s decision (to issue another provisional license) had gone differently, I’m still pleased with the improvements we’ve made.”

Blair County Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling said Monday that he and fellow commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke may appeal the state’s decision to issue another provisional license because it fails to recognize what has been accomplished.

“Over the last two years, with the leadership changes and the state’s involvement, we’ve seen improvements and done everything they asked,” Kessling said.

Those improvements include efforts to attract and retain CYF employees during what’s recognized as a statewide shortage of caseworkers, by increasing salaries, awarding retention bonuses and creating part-time positions to attract and accommodate experienced personnel. The county also followed through on the state’s directives by working with consultants and relying on outside agencies to help CYF with its workload.

In a Nov. 17 letter to Blair County awarding the latest provisional license, the state indicated its review of 82 case records showed 24 with shortcomings that were repeated from its March inspection.

The report spelled out various shortcomings and responsive explanations or plans.

In one case, the state pointed out that Blair County CYF took custody of a child, then proceeded to transfer the case to another county because the child’s parents weren’t in Blair County. The state accused Blair County CYF of initiating the transfer and closing the case based on its solicitor’s advice and without confirmation that the other county would accept the case.

In responding to that finding, Blair County advised the state that it transferred the case based on a judicial order. It also pledged in the future to see that judicial orders are transferred with other documents when a case is forwarded to another county and to confirm that the case was accepted.

In another court-related finding, the state said Blair County CYF failed to file for involuntary termination of parental rights within 60 days of a judicial order identifying adoption as the goal for a child in CYF care. The state recommended developing a plan to track such orders and implementation. While the county indicated that it already has a tracking spreadsheet for that purpose, it pledged to add paralegal personnel to the monitoring and follow-up procedures.

The state’s findings also referenced Blair CYF’s failure to document that children in its care were provided with medical and educational opportunities, including religious activities. The county’s response indicated that staff are being trained to avoid using the term “Not applicable” and to document when parents decline to approve a child’s participation in religious practices.

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