Pennsylvania has now fully implemented the Family First Prevention Services Act, which prioritizes providing services to children and families in the least restrictive manner and with their families as much as safely possible.
“The Family First Prevention Services Act dovetails with longtime goals of both the Wolf Administration and our county-level partners across Pennsylvania. The implementation of our plan will enhance the impact of work we were already doing to strengthen families and keep children safe with their families, in their homes, whenever and however possible,” said Department of Human Services Acting Secretary Meg Snead.
The Act gives states the option of using federal funds to administer their child welfare systems differently, and for the first time, to utilize federal funding that supports certain evidence-based mental health prevention and treatment, substance use prevention and treatment, and in-home parenting skill-based programs that are delivered to eligible children, youth and families to help prevent the placement of a child into out-of-home care. In the event placement outside the home occurs, the law directs federal funding toward family-like settings or other specialized settings that are best suited to a child’s individual needs.
Progress has been made in recent years to improve outcomes for children in foster care and their families. For example, there has been an increase in the percentage of children in foster care who are placed in kinship care with families. As of April 2021, 44 percent of children in foster care were placed with relatives, compared to 31.5 percent in 2015.
Pennsylvania has also decreased its use of congregate settings, such as institutions or group homes, in the state’s foster care system. In 2015, 17.1 percent of Pennsylvania children in foster care were in congregate settings. By 2019, that dropped to 12.7 percent. The overall number of children entering foster care is also on the decline. Between 2019-2020, 2,797 fewer children entered foster care. Currently, there are about 14,000 children in foster care in Pennsylvania.
The state is also aiming to reduce instances of child abuse and neglect through the Act.
