Category: pressReleases

HARRISBURG — The state Supreme Court today announced that the Washington County Common Pleas Court was the first to begin detailed tracking of dependency cases as part of a statewide effort to make Pennsylvania’s courts more responsive to the needs of children and families and to reduce the time abused and neglected children spend in foster homes. This new computer system is the first of its kind in the nation, and will move Pennsylvania far ahead of other states in understanding what is occurring within its child welfare population.

This represents one of the first innovations of the Office of Children and Families in the Courts (OCFC), which is coordinating Pennsylvania’s efforts to improve the lives of its abused and neglected children. 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, “We will enhance and standardize the collection of child dependency information throughout the state, assuring that judges and other child welfare professionals are given the necessary data and resources to solve the local and state-wide problems which are impeding efforts to assure that every Pennsylvania child grows up in a quality permanent home.”

Sandy Moore, administrator of the OCFC, added, “On any given day in Pennsylvania, there are tens of thousands of dependent children in foster homes or temporary residential settings because they have been abused and/or neglected. They can wait, in some cases, for years before being placed in a permanent home. That’s too many children in the court system and it’s far too long for dependent children to wait to be placed in a permanent home where they have a better chance for successful lives.”

Washington County Judge Mark Mascara, who hears dependency cases, said, “It is an honor to be the first in the state to begin collecting and tracking details regarding child dependency cases. I applaud our court staff, our Clerk of Courts, Barbara Gibbs and our agency personnel assigned to this task, all of whom spent weeks with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts’ computer staff to pilot this effort. Our President Judge, Debbie O’Dell Seneca, has also been very supportive. It has been a collaborative effort which has improved how we handle these important cases.”

In addition to Washington County, the system is being piloted in the common pleas courts of Bucks and Northampton counties. The statewide county rollout of the dependency tracking system begins with this effort, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s overall Dependency Court Improvement Project, court officials and dependency advocates can contact the OCFC at 717-295-2000 ext 4255.

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Editor’s Note: The OCFC joins other recent initiatives of the Supreme Court designed to modernize and improve the court system throughout Pennsylvania. Those initiatives include, among others, programs that provide trained court interpreters; assist in the establishment of specialty — or problem-solving — courts, such drug and DUI courts; and train judges in general and specialized areas of jurisprudence, using the most advanced educational techniques available.

HARRISBURG — Dauphin County’s Director of Human Services has been recruited to run the Pennsylvania Judiciary’s new Office of Children and Families in the Courts (OCFC), which is responsible for finding permanency for thousands of abused and neglected children who are in jeopardy of growing up without stable homes.

Sandra E. Moore, of Harrisburg, will begin serving as Administrator of the OCFC on Jan. 14, 2008. The Office is part of the AOPC’s Judicial Programs Department.

Moore has served as Dauphin County Human Services Director since 2004, managing a staff of more than 200 and overseeing the service delivery of various public agencies. She also is the Administrator of the Dauphin County Social Services for Children and Youth, an agency responsible for aiding neglected and abused children and their families. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the public child welfare system of two states (Pennsylvania and California) as well as knowledge in the areas of Mental Health/Mental Retardation, Drug & Alcohol, System Reform, and Community Collaboration to the post.

“We are thrilled that we found someone with Sandy’s knowledge, expertise, and statewide reputation to fill this critical role in our state court system,” said Justice Max Baer, a former Allegheny County Family Court judge who serves as the contact between the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the Office of Children and Families. “This step will enhance the development and level of activity of the OCFC, as it embarks on another successful year.”

The office was created in October 2006 to make Family Courts more responsive to the needs of children and families chiefly by spreading best practices and coordinating cooperation and communication among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. During the first year of its operation, the OCFC has created local, regional, and statewide work groups to begin this process. Through these work groups, three exciting new practices are being implemented in Pennsylvania, with others being assessed for future development.

HARRISBURG — On any given day in Pennsylvania, there are some 20,000 dependent children — abused and neglected they have been placed in foster homes or temporary residential settings where they can wait, in some cases, for years before being placed in a permanent home.

“That’s too many dependent children in the system,” says Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Ralph J. Cappy, “and it’s far too long for a child to wait to be placed in a permanent home where hopefully they will find stability and normalcy in their life.”

On Tuesday, June 26 at the Hershey Motor Lodge in Hershey, PA, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the state Supreme Court will hold the first-ever State Roundtable to improve the plight of dependent children.

The State Roundtable culminates over a year of planning by the Court and the Office of Children and Families in the Courts (OCFC) to establish 60 local Children Roundtables (one in each of Pennsylvania’s Judicial Districts) and ten Leadership Roundtables throughout the state.

OCFC was created in Oct 2006 with the broad goal to make family courts more responsive to the needs of children and families. The roundtables were created to establish a statewide infrastructure that allows for effective administration and communication among Pennsylvania’s judicial districts and child welfare services.

“We believe the State Roundtable will have a profound effect on how abused and neglected children fare in the Pennsylvania judicial system,” said Justice Max Baer, a former administrative judge of family court in Allegheny County. Justice Baer is acting on behalf of the Supreme Court to guide OCFC within the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.