PA HB1573

Requires the Department of Human Services to conduct an inventory of juvenile delinquency programs and services across all Pennsylvania counties at least every three years, coordinating with local judges, county officials, and stakeholders, with results made publicly available

Establishes statutory purposes for child welfare services including protecting children from abuse and neglect, preserving family unity when possible, and providing balanced rehabilitation programs for delinquent youth that address community protection, accountability, and competency development

Prioritizes kinship care as the first placement option for dependent children, with family foster care as an alternative, and limits congregate care and institutional placement to short-term stabilization only

Mandates creation of a publicly accessible real-time data dashboard tracking juvenile placement populations (disaggregated by race, gender, ethnicity, disability, and county), facility bed capacity, staffing ratios, programming, and average length of stay

Requires annual collection and public reporting of placement instability statistics including children rejected, denied admission, or removed from facilities, to be reviewed by a multidisciplinary task force for policy development