Luzerne County Children Youth and Families shifts approach

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — An agency with the goal of helping children and families is shifting its approach.

After having its license downgraded to provisional in 2021, due to criminal charges against the former director, Luzerne County Children and Youth had its license fully restored in September.

Now, the agency says they are implementing a series of new strategies to fully rebuild trust with the community and continue its mission.

A new name, Luzerne County Children, Youth and Families, is just one of the changes they’ve adopted to meet their goal of serving the community.

The new approach aims to empower families and involve the community in the agency’s decision-making.

“No one knows their family better than the family,” Luzerne County Children Youth and Families Administrator Katrina Gownley said.

Gownley says she knows it takes a village to raise a child.

“So for us to tell the family what services they need is not as beneficial as for the family to tell us what they need,” Gownley continued.

Changes like the agency’s family engagement initiative, aim to do just that.

Put into place by the administrative office of Pennsylvania courts, the plan encourages collaboration with the judiciary, families, and the agency, to reduce the number of children in foster care through relative placement or in-home services.

“Back in December 2023, we had 377 children in foster care, and today we have 335,” Gownley added.

Another new strategy focuses on being preventative instead of reactive, by putting services into area school districts.

“We meet with the judge and the superintendents regularly and that was one thing that schools said would benefit them. If we could be there to prevent families from getting involved in the agency,” Gownley stated.

Gownley says this fall, the agency will place school-based workers and a supervisor in districts that need it.

Other strategies such as a unit focused on helping families with children ages five and under, and the reactivation of a staffing quality assurance program all work to meet the same goal: rebuilding trust, and serving children, families, and the community.

“You do not have to be active with the agency to get our help. And even if you’re not active we can certainly point folks in the right direction for services that they need for their kids or themselves,” said Gownley.

The agency has also started a food pantry in conjunction with CEO, which has helped to feed nearly 800 kids across Luzerne County.

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