Improving Outcomes for Children and Families Initiative

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services is committed to safely reducing the number of children in out-of-home placements by integrating children’s services and improving outcomes for children who enter the DHS system through the Improving Outcomes for Children and Families Initiative(PDF, 1MB). This department-wide service-integration plan helps to ensure that all child-serving systems within the county plan together as one system to determine what services are appropriate for a child and his or her family. The specific goals of the DHS Improving Outcomes Initiative were articulated in a proposal to Casey Family Programs, a national foundation focused on improving the child welfare system, in 2008. Casey and local foundations embraced the concept and provided operational funding assistance.