Jun. 30—An action plan Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak ordered for the beleaguered county Office of Youth and Family Services has yet to be finalized.
Chermak directed county Department of Health and Human Services Director William Browning to prepare the plan following arrests Tuesday of five current and former OYFS workers accused of allowing eight neglected and abused children to remain in disgusting conditions at three Scranton homes.
"My primary goal moving forward is the protection of all children, and their families, who deal with OYFS," Chermak said Wednesday. "To that end, I have directed Mr. Browning to provide me with an action plan to accomplish that goal."
Browning provided a draft of the plan Thursday that's currently under review by county officials. The substance of the plan and how it may be implemented remains to be seen.
"We will be working together on a final draft," Chermak said Friday in a text message, noting the process will likely take a few days.
Tuesday's arrests were the product of an ongoing investigation by Scranton police and county detectives. Those charged to this point are Amy Helcoski, 50, of Scranton; Erik Krauser, 45, of Dickson City; Sadie Coyne (O'Day), 34, of Scranton; Randy Ramik, 57, of Clarks Green; and Bryan Walker, 51, of Archbald.
Helcoski, Krauser, Ramik and Walker face three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and three felony counts of failure to report or refer. Coyne faces five counts on each charge.
Charging documents in their cases describe children living in dangerous situations at three city homes rife with garbage, animal feces, rotting food and other filth. Defendants failed in their duty to appropriately intervene and protect the children, investigators contend.
The county placed Helcoski, Krauser, Coyne and Walker on paid administrative leave. Ramik is retired.
Prior to the arrests, commissioners approved a contract in early June with Reading-based Service Access and Management Inc. to bolster staffing at OYFS. The contract's approval came weeks after the state Department of Human Services downgraded the county agency's license from full to provisional for a period of six months, citing dozens of violations.
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