Southwestern Pennsylvania is struggling with a declining number of foster parents as fewer families are willing to step up, as experts estimate a surge of children to flood the system soon.
Now, Allegheny County is preparing for an increase in referrals to the Office of Children, Youth, and Families. In a statement, an administrator for Allegheny County's Department of Human Services, Julia Reuben, said that "parental stress is a big predictor of child maltreatment."
Foster Parents in Southwestern Pennsylvania
She added that when families do not have enough funds to feed their kids, they can surmise that their situations would lead to increased maltreatment. The current predicament comes as, in 2010, more than 1,000 families took in foster children for the first time or became certified to be a foster parent in Allegheny County.
However, this number suddenly dropped to 429 in 2024, and there are now only 1,077 foster care-approved families in southwestern Pennsylvania. This includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland counties, according to the Union Progress.
Pressley Ridge's director of foster care, Tanya Johnson, added that she gets calls and emails every single day about children in the system who need to be placed. Pressley Ridge is among 12 foster care agencies that are under contract with Allegheny County.
There are roughly 60 families in the county who are certified to provide foster care through Pressley Ridge, with Johnson noting that about 75% of whom already have foster children placed.
Stepping Up to be Foster Families
She said that the numbers do not stop, adding that they are grateful to the families who are stepping up to be foster families. However, Johnson also expressed the need for more foster parents, especially those who are willing to take on teenagers and replace the families who have gone from fostering to adopting, if reunification is not possible, New Castle News reported.
The term reunification refers to the process of bringing a child who is in foster care back to their biological parents or primary caregivers. This is done when it is deemed safe and appropriate by the courts, caseworkers, and foster agencies.
The situation comes as, in Pennsylvania, there are set parameters for a foster parent's role in dependency court proceedings. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently provided more law on what rights a foster parent has or does not have in the courtroom where hearings occur for foster children, which need to be taken into consideration, as per JD Supra.
