May 2017
In this month's edition:
  • Stand Together gains local, national attention
  • CWEB internships offer opportunities for students, regional offices
  • Local conference encourages “self” discovery for consumers with mental health needs
  • Listening to Youth Voices
  • KEYS members, host sites find their match
  • Kudos: Jessica Andrews
  • New report: 2016 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Improving Systems to Help People with Barriers Gain and Sustain Employment
News articles are uploaded to the DHS website as soon as they become available. For the most up-to-date news, visit DHS News online . 

Stand Together gains local, national recognition

There was much to celebrate at the 2017 Stand Together Project Presentation and Recognition event.


View the Stand Together promotional video on Vimeo

CWEB internships offer opportunities for students, regional offices

The Department of Human Services (DHS) is committed to hiring and developing highly skilled caseworkers for the Office of Children, Youth and Families (CYF). One method to reach that goal is the Child Welfare Baccalaureates (CWEB) program. 

Local conference encourages “self” discovery for consumers with mental health needs

Resiliency and wellness were common themes during the 2017 Day of “Self” Discovery Conference and Celebration, held May 18 at Rodef Shalom in Oakland.

Listening to Youth Voices

Since 2012, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Data Analysis, Research and Evaluation  (DARE) has conducted a series of surveys to gather feedback from Office of Children, Youth and Families  (CYF) youth living in out-of-home placements. This year, DARE is implementing new methods to improve survey design .

KEYS members, host sites find their match

On May 16, 80 new AmeriCorps KEYS (Knowledge to Empower Youth to Success) Service Corps members gathered at the Human Services Building (HSB) for the annual KEYS Meet and Greet. 

Kudos: Jessica Andrews

A young Office of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) client left a voicemail for the Director’s Action Line (DAL) commending Jessica Andrews, caseworker 3 in the North Regional Office. 

New report:  2016 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Improving Systems to Help People with Barriers Gain and Sustain Employment

A new report has been posted to http://www.alleghenycountyanalytics.us

The tenth annual Local Government Case Competition engaged graduate students in thinking about creative solutions to employment challenges for vulnerable Allegheny County residents.  They were asked to develop strategies to address one of three employment-related questions:

  • How can job centers or other employment resources better support vulnerable populations in finding and maintaining jobs?
  • How can systems work together to encourage businesses to hire vulnerable populations?
  • How can systems work together to support, equip and empower job seekers to achieve  higher wages and advance along their career pathways?

All 15 teams identified interesting strategies to address these questions for a variety of target populations. The four winning teams focused on youth exiting the foster care system and English-language learners, and proposed a variety of mentoring, networking and technology solutions designed to meet their specific employment-related needs.

We welcome your story ideas, employee news and comments. If you’ve got news you’d like to see in DHS News, please contact Mark Bertolet at mark.bertolet@alleghenycounty.us or 412-350-3439.