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County Commissioners Appoint Task Force to Study Children's Bureau
Posted 09-14-2004
The Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners today appointed a seven-member task
force to conduct a comprehensive study of the county Children's Bureau to improve services
for families.
"The ultimate goal of our task force
is to improve and strengthen the agency responsible for the protection of innocent
children who are, through no fault of their own, abused or neglected," said
Commissioner Tom Balya. "We have assembled a talented group of people to conduct this
study. They bring with them diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives, but they share
one thing in common -- they care deeply about our county's families. It is honor to have
them working with us, and I look forward to their findings."
Commissioners met with the task force for
the first time this morning to begin the study, which is expected to take about a year.
"The Children's Bureau serves one of
the most important functions of county government, and its makes sense to bring in an
outside perspective," said Commissioner Tom Ceraso. "It can be easy to cast
criticism on an agency with so much responsibility. It is much more difficult to take
action to improve it. I am confident that this panel is up to the task and will be a great
benefit to the families the Children's Bureau serves, both today and in the future."
The task force members are as follows:
Phyllis Eldridge (Derry) - A
consultant/trainer for Time Out Ministries who is completing work on her master's degree
in instructional design at Seton Hill University. Ms. Eldridge has worked to recruit
families into the foster care system and previously served as a program manager for the
Blackburn Center for Domestic Violence.
Dr. Mary Ann Gawelek (Jeannette) - As vice
president of academic affairs for Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Dr. Gawelek is
responsible for all undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs. She also
serves as a professor of psychology, instructing such courses as multicultural counseling
and lectures in research methods, in addition to supervising the National Education Center
for Women in Business at the university.
Thomas Horan (Hempfield Township) - Mr.
Horan is the director of safety and security at the University of Pittsburgh at
Greensburg. A former Rostraver Township police officer, with a master's degree in
administration of justice from the University of Pittsburgh, he also served as a
Westmoreland County detective for 17 years and investigated numerous crimes against
children.
Robert Krupey (Hempfield Township) - Mr.
Krupey is a recently retired schoolteacher from the Greensburg Salem School District who
taught both primary and secondary education classes. Mr. Krupey holds a master's degree
from Indiana University. He is a distinguished military graduate of the ROTC and achieved
the rank of captain in the U.S. Army.
David Reno (Mount Pleasant) - Mr. Reno is a
graduate of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, where he earned his sociology degree. He has
experience in the child welfare system, previously working at Adelphoi Village where he
served as a counselor, therapist, and child care worker, and also as a residential adviser
at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.
Dr. Gerome Spino (Greensburg) - Dr. Spino
is an independent researcher and consultant currently serving as a data and safety
management board member who supervises and guides best management practices for data
collection and reporting, patient safety, and protocol ethics for organizations such as
the Mayo Clinic, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
He has also served as an adjunct professor at Westmoreland County Community College and
Seton Hill University.
James Whelton, Jr., Esquire (Hempfield
Township) - A Greensburg lawyer with experience in litigation and appeals, estate and
trust administration, real estate, and guardianship. Before beginning his own practice,
Attorney Whelton served as a law clerk for the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. He also
serves on the Board of Directors of the Westmoreland Bar Association.
"The goal of this panel is not to
chastise the work of the Children's Bureau employees or cast blame on anyone for past
problems or current challenges," Balya said. "Instead, we want to improve the
overall quality of the agency so that innocent children are given the highest level of
protection and scrutiny."
The purpose and assignment of the task
force is to conduct a comprehensive investigative study of the Children's Bureau, with
particular consideration and attention to the following general categories: organizational
structure; the role and efficiency of the courts; and services and efficiency of the
Children's Bureau.
Within these categories, the task force
will examine specific areas, including but not limited to, hiring practices; work level
and staffing ratios; internal policies and procedures; work loads of the court system in
hearing adjudications / dispositional hearings and permanency hearings; placement
services; and financial resources. A working group consisting of the county commissioners,
Family Court Judge Christopher Feliciani, and Children's Bureau Director Marilyn McSparrin
will meet with the task force periodically throughout the study.
At today's organizational / orientation
meeting task force members were given a presentation on the study areas.
"While we've established parameters
for the study, they are purposely broad to allow the task force members to incorporate
their own perspectives into the process and to give them the flexibility to explore
additional areas they may discover," said Commissioner Ceraso.
At the conclusion of the study, the task
force will submit a report to the Board of Commissioners with its findings,
recommendations, and proposals for improvement within the Children's Bureau.
For more information on the Westmoreland
County Children's Bureau, visit the county homepage at www.co.westmoreland.pa.us
(keyword: "children"). |
