The Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau (WCCB) offers in-home supportive services to families throughout Westmoreland County. After the agency’s Assessment Division has made a determination that a family is in need of services, the family is automatically referred to the Ongoing Services division of the agency. The families that become involved with in-home supportive services may have one or multiple areas of identified needs that warrant further agency intervention. The overall goal of in-home supportive services is to maintain children safely with their families of origin.

The in-home support services that are offered to families are classified as “Protective Services”. A family is assigned to a caseworker working in the Ongoing Services division. Caseworkers assigned to the Ongoing Services division carry an average of 12-15 protective services cases monthly. The assigned caseworker is responsible for making regular monthly contacts with the families and children. The initial contacts focus on the caseworker and family developing a working relationship in identifying the family’s needs and problems, while developing a plan based on the family’s strengths to overcome their troubles. During these contacts with the family and child(ren) the caseworker assesses the family’s progress towards alleviating the circumstances that necessitated the agency’s involvement and assesses the safety of the child(ren).

If new problems are identified, the caseworker works with the family in identifying a plan for addressing the new issues. The agency provides direct services to the families, but supplements our efforts through the use of purchased services and community resources. The agency feels that it is imperative for families to develop a support system comprised of community resources. Therefore, every effort is made to connect families with community resources before case closure.