Pennsylvania Statutes Title 62 P.S. Poor Persons and Public Welfare § 708. Departmental administration of county child welfare services

On and after January 1, 1968, the department shall provide, maintain, administer, manage and operate a program of child welfare services in a county institution district or its successor when the department determines, after hearing, that such county institution district or its successor is not complying with the regulations prescribing minimum child welfare services or minimum standards of performance of child welfare services or minimum standards of child welfare personnel administration on a merit basis, and that, as a result, the needs of children and youth are not being adequately served.

When, in pursuance of this section, the department takes charge of, and directs the operation of the child welfare services of a county institution district or its successor, the county shall be charged and shall pay the cost of such services, including reasonable expenditures incident to the administration thereof incurred by the department. The amount so charged and to be paid by the county shall be reduced by the amount of the payments that would have been made pursuant to section 704.1  1 if the county institution district or its successor had maintained a child welfare program in compliance with the regulations of the department.

The amount due the Commonwealth may be deducted from any Commonwealth funds otherwise payable to the county. All sums collected from the county under this section, in whatever manner such collections are made, shall be paid into the State treasury and shall be credited to the current appropriation to the department for child welfare.

The department shall relinquish the administration of the child welfare program of the county institution district or its successor when the department is assured that the regulations of the department will be complied with thereafter and that the needs of children and youth will be adequately served.