Amid the bustle of Wilkes-Barre’s Farmers Market last week, representatives of Luzerne County Children and Youth and its volunteer citizen advisory board manned a table with crayons, small toys and informational brochures.
Advisory Board Chairman Joshua Wilder said the public outreach has been in the works for some time.
”Things at the agency have been improving, and this was a small first step in getting both the board and the agency out into the community,” Wilder said.
The agency had struggled with low employee morale and public perception of its services since former administrator Joanne Van Saun’s termination in July 2021 due to the criminal charges against her over failing to investigate child abuse and neglect allegations. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced that August it was downgrading the county agency to a provisional license. Caseworker recruitment and retention struggles persisted.
Wilder and others say they are witnessing a turnaround attributed primarily to Katrina Gownley, who has been working as county Children and Youth administrator since February.
Gownley came to the county with 20 years of child welfare experience in Northumberland County, where she held positions as a child protective services/intake caseworker, supervisor, director and the top administrator for seven years.
“We made a lot of progress, more rapidly than I thought, and Katrina is going a long way to change the agency,” Wilder said.
He highlighted Gownley’s scheduling of group team meetings to review what’s happening and how to approach issues. She also is making sure caseworkers have sufficient time to complete required paperwork and prompt access to management when they need assistance, he said.
Advisory Board member Eileen Song also was at the Farmers Market table Thursday and said her assessment as an outside observer is that Gownley is making a difference through her open-door policy, transparency and push to arm staff with information.
“As advisory board members we’re observing a difference in morale,” Song said. “We’re not where we need to be yet, but we’re making a lot of progress.”
Song also praised county Manager Romilda Crocamo’s decision to participate in advisory board meetings since becoming the county overseer May 25.
Crocamo said she sees tangible evidence of Gownley’s effectiveness because the county is down approximately 41 caseworkers, compared to 61 this time last year.
“That shows me that we’re moving in the right direction, and I think a lot of it has to do with Katrina,” Crocamo said.
Gownley “really embraced” coming here and trying to “turn the agency around” through increased communication and clear messaging that aiding children and families is the mission, Crocamo said.
The agency’s relationship with the state also has “improved greatly under Katrina,” Crocamo said. The county is working to regain a non-provisional license.
“What I note from interactions I’ve had with her is she is really trying to listen to caseworkers and solve the challenges they face,” Crocamo said.
Appreciative of the positive feedback, Gownley said she sees herself as a role model and mentor concentrating on the present and future and not getting bogged down rehashing actions of past workers.
“They’ve been through it,” she said of staff. “I just want to focus on the here and now. I’m seeing improvements in morale.”
Gownley said she had no problem jumping into action to provide guidance at 2:30 a.m. two weekends ago when workers wanted to discuss the response plan of a case that had emerged.
“I’m available any time, day or night, for them. I want to be part of the team and show them I’m a part of the team because we’re all in this together,” she said.
She is big on keeping staff in the loop through regular meetings, a morning memo and creation of a new work environment improvement team.
“There’s no hiding anything. It’s about being very honest, and open and ethical,” Gownley said. “They know what my expectations are, and we have accountability.”
Gownley said state officials informed her they are receiving fewer complaints about the agency, and she is concentrating heavily on staff recruitment and retention.
Describing her first more than five months on the job as a “whirlwind,” Gownley promised to continue confronting challenges and thanked council, Crocamo, Human Services Division Head Lynn Hill and the advisory board for their support.
“I think that’s how you solve problems — you talk to people. Don’t run away from them or ignore them,” Gownley said.
Three agency workers at the Farmers Market table with Wilder last week — intake supervisor Shawna Williams, fiscal officer Caitlyn Holland and legal assistant Francis O’Looney — said they are supportive of changes implemented by the new management.
Wilder said foster and adoptive parents have stopped to chat with them since the table was first set up two weeks before, and a few citizens shared negative experiences they’ve had with the agency.
“Overall, it’s been pretty positive,” he said.
The table will be set up for the last time this season at the Farmers Market on Aug. 10. Wilder encourages citizens to come and ask questions, particularly about the opportunity to serve on the advisory board or other county boards with vacancies.
“We explain the process, share what our experiences have been, and have applications with a listing of all the current openings,” said Wilder, who served on the agency’s advisory board for six years.
Volunteer work on the agency’s board can be “intense” but is a “privilege,” he said.
“It’s very rewarding to help the county as a private citizen,” Wilder said.
Applications to serve on county boards also are available on council’s authorities/boards/commissions link at luzernecounty.org.