Staff report: 13 Delaware County youths currently placed across seven facilities, county staff say

Chief DiMatteo delivered the juvenile placements report to the board, listing current placements by facility: 1 male at Abraxas, 1 male at Bucks County, 2 males at Adelphi and 1 female at Montgomery County. Chief DiMatteo also reported direct-file placements including youth at Jefferson County and four in the local jail, bringing the county’s total to 13 youth in custody or placement.

Chris Welsh explained broader trends, saying that after the county’s detention center closed in 2020 the number of detained youth and out-of-home placements dropped dramatically—he described it as roughly a 50% reduction—and that the county’s needs-based budget and plan are prepared annually with input from children and youth services, juvenile probation and the courts. He cautioned that while those numbers fell historically, recent month-to-month counts show an uptick that the board should monitor.

Board members asked clarifying questions about whether the current rise is an anomaly or a sign of a trend and urged staff to match program investments to where the county would likely place youth. Chris Welsh recommended consulting the slides and recording from the county needs-based budget meeting for the detailed data.

What was concrete: the meeting transcript records 13 Delaware County youth currently placed in various juvenile or adult facilities; staff recommended continued monitoring and aligning programs and budget priorities to reduce reliance on out-of-home placements.