HARRISBURG — As part of a statewide initiative to improve the lives of dependent children, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania will hold three training sessions in August featuring Kevin Campbell — a nationally known youth permanency expert and creator of Family Finding, a strategy aimed at finding lost or forgotten individuals willing to provide lifelong support for abused and neglected children.
More than 160 judges, state, county and private sector children and youth professionals from surrounding areas (see attached) will be attending training sessions scheduled for:
- August 4 and 5; at the Rustic Lodge, 2199 Oakland Avenue, Indiana, PA
- August 6 and 7; at the Adams County Department of Emergency Services, 230 Greenamyer Lane, Gettysburg, PA
- August 11 and 12; at the Ramada Inn, 20 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Each session will run from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Your coverage is invited.
State Supreme Court Justice Max Baer, a former administrative judge of family court in Allegheny County who is guiding these efforts on behalf of the Supreme Court, said, “With enhanced judicial oversight and strength-based, family-led practices, our overriding goals are to keep children safely in their homes, return others to their homes, and when staying or returning home is not possible, quickly find the best alternative permanent home for every child.”
The August training sessions are the second phase of the Supreme Court’s effort to provide Family Finding training throughout the state. Officials in 14 counties attended phase one training sessions held in September 2008.
Sandy Moore, Administrator of the Office of Children & Families in the Court (OCFC), said, “Family Finding combines common sense, good social and detective work, and the use of technology to seek out extended family members for dependent children.”
“Early results of this training are very promising,” Moore added. “A review of 40 dependency cases in phase one counties indicated that through Family Finding methods 1767 additional family resources were identified. Of those, approximately 250 became new lifelong connections for the dependent children.”