close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

    • Child and Youth Caseworkers Needed; Wayne County is offering ,000 in bonuses
    asane

    Child and Youth Caseworkers Needed; Wayne County is offering $5,000 in bonuses

    Online Niel Posted on

    A shortage of enough social workers at Wayne County Children & Youth Services (CYS) has reached the point where the county is offering a $5,000 sign-on bonus for new hires.

    Wayne County Commissioners adopted a temporary policy on Oct. 24 to address the high vacancy rate for both intake and ongoing CYS units. To be eligible for the bonus, the new hire must be there for one year.

    “In Children and Youth, our number should be 10 people working in that department. Right now we only have two,” said Commissioner James Shook. “On the continuous side, there should be 10, we only have three. We have a very high vacancy rate there.”

    He said people working in those departments now carry more of the caseload because they can’t share it with other staff who are absent or unavailable.

    “Sign-up bonuses are supposed to entice people to get those positions, filled,” Shook said. “Even though the staff positions are down, the number of cases is not.”

    Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer said the vacancy rate is not new, and the county has tried different ways to recruit caseworkers.

    “There are some incredible people doing incredible work for this community, but we’re not attracting the level of people that we need…” Cramer said.

    “It’s a difficult and stressful position as well. We need to find the right person,” Shook said. Commissioner Chairman Brian Smith added that the state requires the county to fill these positions.

    Eighty percent of the cost of the bonuses will be reimbursed by the state. Shook noted that the funds the county will spend are in CYS’ current budget because they have a surplus due to understaffing.

    Applications are available on the county website and can also be obtained from Human Resources at the courthouse. The county holds career fairs at local colleges and schools and hosts job fairs. However, there were no participants for CYS at the recent job fair.

    The website describes the position, in part, as conducting interviews to obtain information from clients and their family members; Providing information about agency programs; assisting families in developing plans; caseload management and record keeping; and providing family services with supervision.

    County Clerk Andrew Seder said there are more than 30 vacancies in the Department of Human Services, of which CYS is a part.

    Honored CYS employee

    At the same meeting, commissioners honored CYS employee Linda Huffman for 20 years of service. Executive Director Janine Latsch hailed Huffman for her “kindness, support, honesty and dedication to what we do every day” and said she has a “smile that is incredibly calming on difficult days and can light up a room on very good”. Huffman takes care of CYS employees and takes any project in stride, Latsch said.

    “I felt blessed to be here. I love what I do, I love coming to work every day,” Huffman told the commissioners. “I work with great people and Janine is just amazing in her role; it’s a good team.”

    For information on Wayne County CYS, visit waynecountypa.gov/156/Children-Youth. For information about employment opportunities in CYS, call Paula Wehrmann at 570-253-4262 or visit the county website. The CYS offices are located at the Park Street Complex.

    Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Contact him at [email protected] or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

    Online Niel
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like