Luzerne County Children, Youth and Families administrator to co-chair roundtable

Luzerne County Children, Youth and Families Administrator Katrina Gownley has been named co-chair of a multi-county Leadership Roundtable in Harrisburg, county Manager Romilda Crocamo announced Thursday.

“The appointment of Katrina as co-chair highlights the significant trust and respect that the Commonwealth has in her abilities and the initiatives she is leading,” Crocamo told council. “Her commitment to enhancing the services for children and families in Luzerne County demonstrates a strong vision for making it a leader in Pennsylvania. This role not only underscores her leadership qualities but also reflects a collaborative effort to improve the well-being of the community’s youth and families.”

The roundtable falls under the Office of Children and Families in the Courts, which was created by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to achieve more positive outcomes for foster children and minimize the trauma children may experience in dependency court, according to information supplied by Gownley.

As part of its formal statewide infrastructure, the Office of Children and Families in the Courts implemented a three-tier roundtable system in 2007 that includes local children’s roundtables in each of the state’s 60 judicial districts, seven statewide leadership roundtables and one state rountable.

Gownley will be co-chair of leadership roundtable 3, which also covers Cumberland, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lehigh and Northampton counties.

The leadership roundtables meet twice a year and are co-chaired by a dependency court judge from one judicial district and a children and youth administrator from another.

Crocamo said Gownley will attend state roundtable discussions and “have a voice and a vote for meaningful changes to help improve the functions of Children, Youth and Families in Luzerne County.”

Gownley was hired to oversee the county agency two years ago, in February 2023, and said Thursday she is honored to serve as co-chair.

She has stressed the county agency is working to position itself as a compassionate resource so parents and other caretakers can get support to prevent problems from spiraling out of control.

An example is the agency’s creation of a pantry at its office building on Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre, which has expanded from food to providing a range of items to meet other basic needs, including plates and utensils, clothing, personal hygiene items, diapers and cleaning supplies.

A unit also was created to house agency employees in schools to reduce truancy and interact with students facing challenges, she had said.