Lycoming County Children and Youth Services Supplement to Service Map

Agency Mission

Lycoming County Children and Youth Services (LCCYS) is committed to supporting, strengthening, and empowering families by focusing on the safety, permanency and well-being of children while working towards the goal of preserving families.

Why Lycoming County Children & Youth Services May Be Involved With Your Family

Lycoming County Children and Youth Services (LCCYS) works with families that are having a difficult time providing a safe and nurturing environment for their children. LCCYS is the agency designated by state law to look into allegations of child abuse and neglect. The Agency may receive referrals from friends, family, neighbors, schools and others, including parents themselves.

Referrals may be made to ChildLine (1-800-932-0313), the statewide abuse hotline, or directly to our agency (570-326-7895).

Lycoming County Children and Youth Services assigns a caseworker to look into the allegations and to determine if LCCYS can help. By law, the agency will offer services to families when:

  • Parents are not able to care for their children and no other responsible adult is available;

  • Children have been injured, exploited, or physically or sexually abused by their parents or caretakers;

  • Children are not adequately cared for or supervised;

  • In certain situations, when parents need help with their problems or their children’s problems.

Services

The services your caseworker will talk to you about will depend on what your family needs, what you ask for, or what a judge might order. Sometimes services are provided by LCCYS and sometimes LCCYS will refer you to another agency or program. LCCYS wants to develop a positive relationship and work in partnership with families to meet their identified needs. If parents are unwilling to work cooperatively with LCCYS and child safety concerns remain, the agency may file a petition seeking the court’s involvement in the case.

You may request and/or be asked to go to any of the following in order to assess your needs or to strengthen your family:

  • Psychological assessments (to assess parent/child relationships)

  • Parenting classes

  • Counseling and/or therapy

  • Self-help or support groups

  • Job training

  • Drug and alcohol assessment/treatment

  • Homemaking and/or home budgeting services/classes

Keeping Families Together

Our Agency’s hope and preference is to keep families together. If your children can live with you and be safe they will stay with you. The vast majority of families who are involved with LCCYS continue to live together; parents continue to parent while also receiving services through the agency. A case worker will meet with family members in the home to assist the family in working through any identified concerns. The needs of the family and safety of the children along with input from the parents will guide the frequency of home visits.

If the children’s safety cannot be assured in the family home, LCCYS will work with the parents to identify other family members or kin to provide a safe, temporary home for the children. If family friends or relatives are not willing or available, the “out-of-home” placement may be with a foster family. In rare cases, it is a group home or residential center.

Definitions

Child Abuse Report – The written report of a child’s alleged abuse. LCCYS will, through its assessment/investigation of the referral, decide whether child abuse is “Indicated” (i.e. likely that it occurred), or LCCYS can decide that a report is “Unfounded” (i.e. abuse cannot be proven). If at least one incident was proven to the court’s satisfaction, the report is “Founded”.

Court Order – A legally binding document stating a Judge’s instructions or directions with regards to the case brought before the court. (All court orders must be followed by all parties.)

Foster Care – A child’s temporary home and care provided by a trained caretaker.

Kinship Care/Placement – A child’s temporary home with a relative or friend of the family.

Out-Of-Home Placement – A temporary home for a child who, for safety reasons, must live away from their parent(s).

Termination of Parental Rights, TPR – A legally-binding court decision made by a Judge during a court hearing that ends all parental rights of the birth parents.