In order to be in compliance with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1996, Pennsylvania is currently establishing eight Citizen Review Panels.
Citizen Review Panels (CRPs) are groups of citizens who are federally mandated through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Amendments to evaluate state child welfare agencies and make recommendations for improvement in child protective services. CRPs provide opportunities for members of the community to play an integral role in ensuring that Child Protective Service Systems are protecting children from abuse and neglect and are meeting the safety, permanency and well-being needs of children.
The CRP will provide public outreach and comment to assess the impact of child welfare procedures and policies upon children and families in the community, evaluate and monitor the extent to which The Department of Public Welfare is fulfilling its child protective responsibilities in accordance with its CAPTA five-year plan, as required by CAPTA, evaluate policies and procedures in consultation with county and state child protection staff to ensure the protection of children, and prepare and make public an annual report containing a summary of panel activities and recommendations for needed improvement in child protective services.
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Newly appointed volunteers who will represent Northwest Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Citizen Review Panel for the Northwest Region.
The Northwest Region, which covers Erie, McKean, Warren, Potter, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, Forest, Elk, Cameron and Clarion counties, has appointed the following: Joseph Carrico, Venango; Linda Delaney, Erie; Amity Messett, Mercer; Judith Perrotti, Warren/Forest; Lee Sizemore, McKean; and Ladona Strouse, Venango. These identified individuals are voluntarily giving of their time and expertise to improve the quality of children protective services.