Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center

06/10/2026

Lehigh County's child advocate program in need of volunteers

Lehigh County’s CASA program is in dire need of volunteers. There are 28 CASAs available now, and the court could use double that number.

06/09/2026

From The Annie E. Casey Foundation: The 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book is here.
Key findings:
-Overall child well-being declined nationally, with the U.S. score falling from 553 to 547 between 2019-2024
-The share of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods fell 22% between 2019-2024, meaning about 1.3 million fewer children live in these communities.

Explore the 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, with child well-being state-level data in four areas: economic stability, education, health, and family/community…

06/05/2026

Pitt launches tuition-free initiative for Pennsylvania residents at regional campuses:
Beginning this fall, eligible students at the Bradford, Greensburg and Johnstown campuses, and in the Titusville nursing program, will pay $0 in tuition through the Pitt Regional Campus Tuition Pledge. https://ow.ly/ojOr50Z6roO

06/02/2026

"The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center is a special place. Though its main office is based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, near the state capital, much of its administration is nested within the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. From there, it powers a network of learning, support and transformation that resonates across the commonwealth."

Ever wanted to know more about all that we do here at CWRC? Read this latest article from Pitt Magazine:

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center, driven by Pitt, helps professionals serve children and families with greater competence, compassion and consistency.

06/01/2026

The 1st week of June is Child Welfare Professionals Appreciation Week! This is to recognize the meritorious work of the public child welfare workforce.

The 2nd week is designated in honor of private child welfare professionals and providers.

How are you celebrating Child Welfare Professionals?!

https://ow.ly/z5Lj50Z6lKF

Governor Shapiro has designated the 1st week of June as Child Welfare Professionals Appreciation Week! This is to recognize the meritorious work of the public child welfare workforce. The second week of June is designated in honor of the private child welfare professionals and providers. A well-dese...

05/27/2026

Big day today at the CWRC! Thanks for coming to our Open House and letting us share with you all that we do here and across the Commonwealth.

Today we:
-Showcased a live demo in our newly renovated simulation lab,
-Led an interactive example of Team-Based Learning in action,
-Dove deeper into the work we do one-on-one with counties, and
-Reminded folks of the many products and services we provide - youth and parent engagement, virtual reality training opportunities, workforce recruitment and retention, and more.

Want to learn more? https://www.pacwrc.pitt.edu/

05/26/2026

From PennCAC, a self-paced, virtual training: Minimal Facts Interviewing for Children with Disabilities.

Provides knowledge, skills, & tools to conduct a Interview; including communication strategies w/children who have a disability. Approved for 2 CEs thru MPOETC. Developed in collab w/PA DHS.

The Children’s Advocacy Centers of Pennsylvania (PennCAC) has developed this new Minimal Facts Interviewing for Children with Disabilities online course. The course is designed for multidisciplinary teams, first responders, and Children’s Advocacy Center’s staff. This course was developed by P...

05/25/2026

Every young person needs their community’s support during their transition to adulthood. For the 15 to 20 thousand young people that age out of foster care each year, system failures mean they are often left to navigate this critically important transition alone. They deserve better.

The John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee) was designed to support young people as they navigate the complex transition to adulthood by providing access to critical education and employment resources and support for expenses related to independent living. When young people are able to access Chafee-funded supports, research shows young people achieve long-term independence and experience positive wellbeing outcomes.

Unfortunately, the program does not currently meet young people’s clear needs as many states underutilize these federal funds, and are then forced to return their unused allocation to the federal government. These Chafee dollars are left unspent not because young people do not need support, but because there is a disconnect between what young people need and the requirements of the various programs available to them.

Opportunities exist to modernize and leverage Chafee to promote wellbeing and success. To ensure policy effectively supports young people policymakers should amend Chafee to:
1. Extend Chafee support for young people through age 27
2. Promote connections to community-based resources through creating a navigator program
3 Amend ETV program requirements to promote long-term goals identified by young people
4. Support wellbeing for young people by investing in responsive community-based supports
5. Guarantee a strong foundation through providing direct cash assistance
6. Leverage technology to provide real-time support while ensuring privacy
7. Strengthen accountability to young people in structure and implementation

Download the brief: https://ow.ly/XeAY50Z3mBY

05/21/2026

How to support youth in child welfare who are neurodivergent: https://ow.ly/Pihf50Z2VqV

05/21/2026

Save the date for PennCAC's June 3 virtual event, Creating Space for Grief.

This guides learners toward a fuller understanding of the process.

Registration info:

In this brief course, participants will learn from grief expert: Elizabeth McElroy, who will guide learners toward a fuller understanding of the grief process. Through the use of storytelling, practical exercises, and clinical examples from her work as a hospice social worker, Elizabeth helps learne...