HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne County Commissioners saluted the county’s Children & Youth Services (C&Y) on April 12, with their proclamation of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Since the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State and the resulting legal changes that made so many new positions responsible as reporters of child abuse, the workload of C&Y staff workers has increased proportionately.

Wayne gets about 1,200 claims reported annually, through staff screeners, reports from Harrisburg and the hotline. Case supervisor Amy Hubert was in C&Y before the Sandusky rule changes. “A lot more things fly across our desks now, things that mandated reporters just aren’t sure about,” Hubert said.

Only about 20% of these require a case follow-up, but that still amounts to 300 to 400 cases a year, Wayne Children & Youth Director Natalie Burns said.

Commissioner and attorney Wendell Kay recalled his experiences in C&Y-related court actions as court-appointed guardian and asked how Burns deals with it.

Dealing with hundreds of varying claims a year, Burns said, “I’m always concerned about losing sight of the forest for the trees. What are the serious ones? You just can’t put 100% effort into each one,” she said.

Kay asked why she chose the job. “I came to Wayne County 16 years ago, for a year while I was working on my master’s and… I’m still here,” she replied. Hubert and Kelsey Fasshauer, who supervises child abuse and neglect cases, are in charge of  five caseworkers apiece. Each of the foster care and social services aid unit supervisors also has five caseworkers.

Kay recalled that when he began in the court in 1981, there were total of four caseworkers in the agency and about 30 cases a year.

Modern caseloads are increasing in part because of the new reporting rules, but Burns said issues including family breakdown, substance abuse and full-time working mothers also contribute.

Some changes have helped the children deal with the trauma that is often involved. Wayne has adopted the safe house interview center, which has allowed their testimony to be taken once, in a single interview, rather than the old method of multiple interviews, with police, caseworkers and prosecutors.

“Our hats are off to you. You’re involved in things—I don’t know how you can sleep at night,” Commissioners’ Chair Brian Smith said.

The commissioners also presented the county’s seventeen 911 dispatchers with certificates of service recognition. “Fire, and I have experienced it, is a horrifying experience, especially when fire and animals are involved. You are the people who somehow find a way to connect people in need with help. That means so much to the public, I can’t put it into words,” Smith told the 10 dispatchers who were available to attend.