Children, Youth & Families (“CYF”) Committee

The newest of the Commission’s standing committees, the CYF Committee was established in 2025 to promote policies, services, and best practices that support children, youth, and families in areas including but not limited to court-sponsored childcare and juvenile delinquency and dependency.

Committee Feature

In Chapter 12: Family Law, the Final Report of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System studied the extent to which women litigants and litigants of color encountered difficulties in gaining access to the family court system. The Report found that in family law matters such as support cases, parties are frequently required to attend numerous hearings, which presents significant difficulties for litigants incurring childcare and other expenses.

Childcare responsibilities are burdensome not just for litigants, but also for jurors called to perform their civic duty. In its Final Report, the Supreme Court Committee cited several factors that impede prospective jurors’ ability to serve. Of the nine factors highlighted, access to childcare was the second most frequently cited barrier, with women being disproportionately impacted. To reduce this barrier, the Final Report encourages judicial districts to establish licensed courthouse childcare facilities, consistent with funding opportunities made available through Act 105 (Title 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 3721).

In furtherance of this recommendation, Commission staff and several members of the CYF Committee have toured the Commonwealth’s two existing court childcare programs in Montgomery and Allegheny Counties. These programs present different but equally viable models that help to ensure equal access to justice for all Pennsylvanians regardless of their socioeconomic status or caretaking obligations.

The Committee is now in the process of producing educational materials designed to elevate the importance of court childcare programs – and the demonstrated need to officialize and expand those services to a greater number of Pennsylvanians.

The Committee’s current initiatives include the following:

• Partnering with allied professionals and experts to secure non-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ youth in the foster care system and to draft model guidance to be shared with child welfare agency staff and other stakeholders across the Commonwealth.
• Meeting with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders regarding and weighing the impact of legislation designed to re-establish an Office of Child Advocate in Pennsylvania.
• Reviewing the findings of the 2026 Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice Task Force Progress Brief with an eye toward related legislation and elevating the importance of data-informed decision-making.