First of many CYS roundtables held in York County

YORK COUNTY — In the past, state leaders have called Pennsylvania's child welfare system broken.

Now, state and county officials are taking a new approach when it comes to discussing ways to improve Children and Youth Services across the Commonwealth.

The new approach involves Department of Human Services, which oversees the county agencies, traveling around the commonwealth.

They'll speak with county leaders, advocates, and elected officials, and use the concerns to figure out how to make the system function more efficiently.

The first roundtable was held in York County Wednesday and featured about 30 community members.

Many took the meeting as an opportunity to tell state leaders about the struggles they face when it comes to keeping children safe.

Money, time, and resources were common issues mentioned during the discussion, as was prevention.

"We need to help and encourage the dialogue, help set positive goals, expectations and outcomes that we're going to work together to achieve, and help the counties achieve those goals with the providers, serving the families and their communities. That's not going to look the same in every community," Jon Rubin, OCYF deputy secretary, said.

Many advocates, and those involved with the system, have reached out to Project PA to express frustrations with a lack of communication within the agency.

"I do think there's enhanced recognition that we should be working together, and if you start looking at all the resources that are going into the programs and services. Getting smaller, how do we work better together is the natural result of that. How do we not duplicate? And how do we not waste and how do we work together with the resources that we have," Rubin added.