Shapiro Administration Continues to Support Child Welfare System and Keep Kids Safe, Marks Progress in 2025 Annual Child Protective Services Report | Department of Human[...]

Governor Shapiro's 2026-27 Budget invests more than $50 million to support and enhance the Commonwealth's child welfare system

Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) today released the 2025 Annual Child Protective Services Report, which provides statewide and county-level data on the Commonwealth's efforts to protect and help children who were reported as victims of suspected abuse and neglect. 

The report provides an annual look into trends in Pennsylvania's county-administered, state-supervised child welfare system. PA DHS has been using this data to identify opportunities to strengthen PA DHS' work with county partners and further support organizations working with families to give children safe, healthy childhoods.  

"Keeping kids safe is a responsibility that falls on all of us but at the center of this work are our County Children and Youth Agencies (CCYAs). Their steadfast commitment to serving Pennsylvania's children is inspiring and every child protected is a testament to their work," said PA DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. "But while CCYAs play a critical role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect fatalities, they cannot work alone. We are committed to a whole-of-government approach in collaboration with our community members and families to continuously improve our efforts to prevent abuse and increase awareness of its warning signs."  

Pennsylvania's Child Welfare System

The child welfare system in Pennsylvania is state-supervised and county-administered, which means day-to-day operations are the responsibility of each county with state oversight. PA DHS, through its Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF), oversees this system; all parts of the child welfare system play vital roles in the protection of children.

Counties in Pennsylvania are generally responsible for all day-to-day child welfare functions. Nearly 3,000 county-employed caseworkers and case supervisors across Pennsylvania's 67 counties dedicate themselves to ensuring the safety and well-being of the Commonwealth's children, youth, and families. PA DHS licenses county agencies to provide essential child welfare operations, which includes investigations of potential abuse and neglect, case management services, foster care coordination and monitoring, and other supportive services. County children and youth agencies are responsible for staffing these operations. 

At the state level, PA DHS is responsible for oversight and enforcement of laws, regulations, and policies that guide the provision of child welfare services by each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. This includes the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL), which defines child abuse and incidents in which Child Protective Services reports are necessary. PA DHS also provides funding, oversight, and technical assistance to each county children and youth agency.

Report Summary   

Under the CPSL, PA DHS must submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly on child abuse in the Commonwealth. The report provides information on the efforts to protect and help children who were reported as victims of suspected abuse and neglect. 

Read the full report on PA DHS' website.

In 2025, there were a total of 39,486 reports of suspected child abuse, compared to 41,070 reports in 2024. However, the percent of reports of suspected child abuse that were substantiated was 11.6 percent in both 2025 and 2024. In the 2019 Annual Child Abuse Report, prior to Pennsylvania experiencing the impacts of the pandemic, the total number of suspected child abuse reports had been 42,252. 

The 2025 report found that:   

• There were a total of 45 substantiated fatalities in 2025, compared to 60 substantiated in 2024;

• There were a total of 95 substantiated near fatalities in 2025 compared with 82 reported in 2024. 

Addressing Pennsylvania's Overburdened Child Welfare System

 Pennsylvania's child welfare system was established to keep our kids safe from abuse and neglect, but it has been overburdened. One especially noteworthy trend was the length of time taken by counties to complete an investigation of alleged child abuse; the number of child protective service (CPS) investigations that took more than 60 days to complete had been increasing at an alarming rate following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 there were 254 CPS reports investigated in more than 60 days; this increased to 358 reports in 2022 and to 661 reports in 2023. These increases were largely attributed to staffing shortages at the counties.

The Shapiro Administration took action and focused on two initiatives to support counties and address this workforce challenge. In 2024, PA DHS launched a 'Recruitment and Retention Workgroup' and invited the PA Council of Children and Youth Administrators (PCYA) to co-chair the efforts to identify and implement workforce strategies. In 2025, the Shapiro Administration convened workgroups focused on the intergovernmental structure of child welfare as well as on investigations into child fatalities and near-fatalities. The groups identified that Pennsylvania's child welfare system could be strengthened by connecting parents who have fallen on hard times and need extra help with support services.

The approach is working - overdue outcomes have declined significantly. In 2024, 310 investigations took more than 60 days, and the 2025 report confirmed this trend, with 72 investigations taking more than 60 days. PA DHS will continue to monitor this trend to ensure this number continues to fall.

"Data from this year's report reinforced that there is a continued opportunity to look beyond the child welfare system to protect children by focusing on prevention, but we're on the right track. We've consistently seen that CPS investigations of fatalities and near fatalities often found that families had no prior interaction with the child welfare system - a trend that we are actively exploring to ensure that public and private sector systems that interact with children and families can get support before a situation is dire or too late," said Secretary Arkoosh.

To continue this progress and provide further support to counties, Governor Shapiro's 2026-27 budget invests:

• $658,000 to enhance ChildLine staffing and provide more training to all workers, which will allow caseworkers more time and resources to effectively triage calls before referring them to the counties or appropriate agency.

• $50 million into the county child welfare system so counties have the resources they need to hold abusers accountable and keep our kids safe.

How To Report Abuse  

PA DHS operates ChildLine, a 24/7 hotline available to anyone concerned about the welfare of a child to report suspected child abuse; it can be reached at 1-800-932-0313. Mandated reporters can also report to ChildLine electronically.  

Anyone can make a report to ChildLine, and anyone who is not a mandated reporter can make a report to ChildLine anonymously. 

PA DHS encourages all Pennsylvanians to learn more about the signs of potential abuse or neglect and make a report to ChildLine if they begin to suspect abuse or neglect. Signs of potential abuse or neglect can include:   

• Numerous and/or unexplained injuries or bruises;   

• Chronic, pronounced anxiety and expressed feelings of inadequacy;   

• Flinching or an avoidance to being touched;   

• Poor impulse control;   

• Demonstrating abusive behavior or talk;   

• Cruelty to animals or others; and,   

• Fear of parent or caregiver, among others.

Every allegation of child abuse reported to ChildLine is investigated. ChildLine caseworkers are trained to collect all helpful information from anyone reporting concern for a child's well-being and to properly refer reports to the appropriate investigating agencies for review, assessment and follow-up, if necessary. Investigating agencies can be county child welfare offices or regional PA DHS offices and, when appropriate, ChildLine also refers reports to local law enforcement agencies.

Pennsylvanians can learn more about the signs of potential abuse at www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov. To report suspected child abuse, call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.