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Authors Posts by Emma Sharp

Emma Sharp

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

On Monday, August 25, the Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) successfully completed obligations outlined in a Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The VRA began in 2023 after a complaint of discrimination based on disability was filed against one of the county children and youth agencies that OCYF supervises. In confirming that all provisions of the agreement were satisfied, OCR noted:

“… the positive changes that have taken place to better ensure that individuals with disabilities will have meaningful access to DHS’ programs and services in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794, and its implementing regulation, 45 C.F.R. Part 84 (Section 504), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq., and its implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 35 (Title II).”

During the monitoring period, over 31,000 state, county, and private provider child welfare staff received training on civil rights compliance related to the Americans With Disabilities Act. Following July 30, 2025, the training is not required by OCR. However, the training is still available via the PA Child Welfare Resource Center. OCYF encourages agencies to continue offering it to new and seasoned staff.

Please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.

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Through a contract with the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA), the Department of Human Services’ Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) is supporting a specialized training on the reporting requirements for incidents involving children served in Child Residential and Day Treatment Facilities. This training is designed for child residential facility staff, their related purchasing entities, law enforcement agencies, OCYF Regional Office Reps, MCO staff, and staff of other entities that interact with Child Residential and Day Treatment Facilities.

Title of Training: Reporting Requirements for Children Served in Residential Care Facilities

Training Hours: 3 Hours

Format: Live Virtual

Register for an upcoming Training:

Training Summary:
This training, intended for providers and other child serving entities, clarifies what allegations must be reported to ChildLine as suspected child abuse and/or HCSIS as a reportable incident, and further clarifies when an alternative plan of supervision must be put into place. This training also teaches minimal facts interviewing skills to better determine when to make a report, and then explains how those reports of suspected child abuse are categorized and handled at ChildLine. Lastly, internal follow-up recommendations and communication are discussed. Other entities that interact with these 3800 facilities are also welcome to attend – OCYF Regional Office Reps, Law Enforcement, MCOs, etc.

This training mirrors the information outlined in the OCYF Bulletin # 3800-21-01 issued January 19, 2021, and is meant as additional training (not a replacement for the mandated reporter training).

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

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Photo by Larry Crayton on Unsplash

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) recently launched an initiative focused on improving the outcomes that matter most: meeting the needs of children and families and keeping children safe. The goals of the initiative are to make sure that children and families have access to the support and services they need for children to grow and thrive in a safe home, reduce involvement with the child welfare system, and support successful transition out for those already involved in the child welfare system.

DHS Secretary Val Arkoosh invites you to upcoming listening sessions, where more details about the initiative will be shared. As part of these sessions, DHS will be seeking your feedback on this initiative, particularly involving actionable ideas around prevention, diversion, crisis intervention, and once involved, what is needed to successfully transition out of the child welfare system. An overview of the initiative can be found here. Please review these slides prior to the session.

Your voice matters, and your input will help shape the future of child welfare in our Commonwealth. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to support children and families across Pennsylvania.

How to Participate:

The PA Children and Families Initiative will host four public listening sessions. DHS encourages you to register for the session that corresponds to your region (see schedule below). However, if you are unable to attend your region’s designated session, you may register for another session that better fits your schedule.

There are two ways to provide feedback during the listening sessions:

  • You may submit comments using the chat function at any point during the session.
  • You may register to speak during the event. Each speaking slot is limited to two (2) minutes per participant. To maximize speaking opportunities, we ask that individuals (or organizations or providers) only sign up to speak at one (1) listening session. Speakers are also invited to contribute additional comments in the chat if two (2) minutes is not sufficient.

Speaking slots are limited and will be allocated as time allows. If you wish to speak, please indicate your interest in the registration form. After you register, you will receive an invitation to attend the session. Please note that only registered participants will be able to attend the event. Speakers will receive a confirmation email with further details.

Webinar Sessions: Please visit the link for your preferred session to register.

  • Central Region | Tuesday, September 23 | 2:00 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Somerset, Union, York
  • Western Region | Friday, September 26 | 1:00 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland
  • Southeast Region | Monday, September 29 | 2:30 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia
  • Northeast Region | Tuesday, September 30 | 3:30 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming

Your feedback is essential to this initiative, and DHS looks forward to your participation!

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

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The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is inviting Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) Professionals, CRS Supervisors, CRS Providers, Primary Contractors, Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations (BH-MCOs), County Mental Health Representatives, and Single County Authorities (SCAs) to give feedback on providing Medicaid services through Certified Recovery Specialists.

Stakeholders who will not have an opportunity to join us on a virtual listening session are encouraged to complete this survey to provide feedback. The survey will remain open until Friday, October 10, 2025. We encourage stakeholders to complete the survey well before October 10, so your feedback is received in a timely manner. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Barry Decker or Kathy Nichols.

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The following is a message from the Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF):

Effective immediately, due to a federal funding pause, OCYF has been directed to halt work with Accenture, the System Integrator for the Child Welfare Case Management (CWCM) system. This pause is due to concern raised by our federal partners at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) that must be resolved prior to our resuming work. The Department of Human Services/OCYF remains fully committed to developing a single case management solution to be used by both the state and all counties, rather than continuing to fund both the statewide Child Welfare Information Solution (CWIS) and the individual county systems.

As you know, Pennsylvania does not have a unified statewide case management system. Instead, we maintain a statewide repository that houses all reports of suspected child abuse (CPS), General Protective Services (GPS) reports, and the outcomes of those reports. Day-to-day case management and service information, however, resides within the counties’ own systems. Currently, five different county case management systems are in use across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

Developing and implementing a CWCM system remains a top priority, as it will enhance data quality and accountability, improve efficiency, and support better outcomes.

The CWCM Steering Committee — which includes OCYF and county representatives — has been reviewing the multi-phase implementation plan to ensure a responsible rollout. There is consensus on the first two phases: (1) Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) compliance and (2) replacing CWIS. Next week’s Steering Committee meeting will still be held to gather participating county partner feedback. We believe strong partnership between county children and youth agencies and the state is essential to achieving our shared vision for CWCM.

To reiterate, this is a pause. We are committed to developing a path forward that will ultimately eliminate the need for counties to maintain and fund individual case management systems — freeing up resources for other critical needs. The current federated model is not sustainable given the costs and the time and effort required to update legacy systems.

This is all the information we can share at this time. We recognize counties may have additional questions about what this means, and we will continue to communicate more information about the next steps as it becomes available.

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

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The Jana Marie Foundation, Aevidum, Prevent Suicide PA, STAR-Center at the University of Pittsburgh, and Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Youth Suicide Prevention Grant are pleased to share a resource guide for National Suicide Prevention Month. This September, the week of September 7 – 13 is recognized as National Suicide Prevention Week, with Wednesday, September 10 marking World Suicide Prevention Day. This year’s theme is a continuation from last year’s theme of “Changing the Narrative on Suicide,” with a call to action to “Continue the Conversation.”

The guide provides a variety of suicide prevention resources and activities that you can implement in your organization or community to raise awareness about suicide prevention. This includes infographics, ideas for events, social media posts, virtual backgrounds, a sample proclamation, and more.

We encourage you to share this resource guide with partners in your communities that can work together to save lives.

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Young Girl Talking With Counselor At Home

The Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services are pleased to share a Dear Colleague letter regarding important updates to federal non-regulatory guidance for students in foster care placement.

This updated guidance, issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), represents the first significant update to federal guidance since the enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015.

Please see the letter for details about this announcement, and thank you for your continued dedication to supporting students in foster care.

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

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Providers are invited to attend a virtual informational session regarding the proposed regulatory chapters for Residential Services for Children. This session will provide highlights of the key changes being proposed to regulations governing child residential settings (including parent/child settings and outdoor programs), secure detention, and secure residential facilities. These proposed regulatory chapters are identified as:

  • 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3900 Child and Youth Facility Requirements
  • 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3910 Child Residential Facilities
  • 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3920 Secure Residential and Secure Detention Facilities for Youth

These proposed regulatory chapters currently are under review within the Governor’s Office, and the Office of Children, Youth, Families (OCYF) is projecting publication in the last quarter of calendar year 2025. There will be a 60-day comment period following publication of the proposed regulations.

In advance of publication, however, OCYF is extending the opportunity to attend an informational session to highlight proposed key changes to existing practices.

DATE: There are two dates you can attend. The content will be the same at each session.

TIME: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (the same for both sessions)

RCPA, as part of the Children’s Residential Services and Children’s MH Division, will be assembling a regulatory review team as part of the regulatory promulgation and public comment process. RCPA has performed a similar review for the PRTF, Crisis, IBHS, and Outpatient Psychiatric processes, as well as a host of other DHS regulatory efforts.

If you are interested in being a part of this review, please contact RCPA Mental Health Policy Associate Emma Sharp. RCPA will convene a Chapter 3900 Work Group within a week of the OCYF presentation.

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