Children deserve to be safe and protected from abuse and neglect. A safe, nurturing environment provides both emotional and mental well-being for children and is best provided by their family. However, some families need help to maintain the safety and well-being of their children. That’s when Greene County Children and Youth Services steps in. They work with families to provide that safe and nurturing environment for children in need.
The mission of Greene County Children and Youth Services is to provide for the immediate safety and protection of children from abuse and neglect, to keep children with their own families whenever possible, to provide temporary substitutive care of children when necessary and to reunite children with their families as quickly as possible after placement.
The department is a social service agency working with a variety of protective services related to General Protective Services (GPS) and Child Protective Services (CPS) cases, while linking the families to service providers. To maintain a safe and nurturing home environment, the department connects families with services that will help them get through whatever challenges they may be struggling with. Should the families be unable to resolve situations within the home, the department assists with potential adoptions so that children may have a permanent supportive home.
Mark Starostanko says that the biggest challenge facing the department is dealing with misconceptions of Child Protective Services. “The agency’s first and foremost goal is to protect children while also being a provider of services agency to preserve and attempt to keep intact family structures. The removal of children within a family structure is a last resort.”
The department’s staff has both seasoned and newer staff that provide a unique mindset and fresh ideas. This mindset makes the department available to present family preservation as a top priority for the families within the county.
To report child abuse, call 1-800-932-0313; mandated reporters can report online at www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home. For 24-hour emergency calls, call 911 and ask for the CYS on-call supervisor. FMI on Greene’s Children and Youth Services, call 724-852-5217.
