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Diversion Case Management Services

To make a referral or learn more about Prevention Services call 215-683-4000

Diversion Case Management services are aimed at preventing child abuse, neglect, and delinquency by providing appropriate services to families in need of support. These services address identified concerns and to help prevent a subsequent report to the Department for intervention by either the Department of Human Services' Children and Youth or Juvenile Justice Services Division.

Diversion Case Management services are provided by a professional social worker who works with the family to assess problems and develop interventions to help them function more effectively. Each case manager has a maximum active caseload of 25 families and conducts a minimum of two home visits a month with the family. Families are contacted within two working days of referral. Working with the family, the case manager develops a support plan that includes measurable objectives, timelines, prioritization of needs and proposed interventions. The case manager also provides information and referral services to key support services including:

  • Food Assistance
  • Housing Assistance
  • Medical Care/Health Screening
  • Immunization
  • HIV/AIDS Screening
  • Counseling (family, individual, group)
  • Adult Continuing Education
  • Job Readiness/Training
  • Furniture
  • Day Care
  • Special Education
  • Energy Assistance
  • Health Insurance
  • Well Baby Care
  • Lead Poisoning Testing
  • Substance Abuse Counseling
  • Mental Health/Mental Retardation Services
  • Literacy Enhancement
  • Legal Aid
  • Clothing
  • Summer Camp
  • Tutoring

Program Objectives:


  • Increase family stability and well being
  • Enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors for families and children
  • Increase community support networks and linkages for families and children
  • Increase a family’s ability to address its own needs
  • Increase access to and use of needed appropriate services
  • Increase collaborative relationships and community support networks for families and children.

Target Populations:


  1. Children, youth, and their families already in the DHS system or transitioning from it,
  2. Children, youth, and their families referred to the DHS system but not active in its caseload, and
  3. Children, youth, and their families at-risk for child abuse, neglect, and/or delinquency who have not previously come to the attention of DHS including:
    • Foster care families
    • Kinship care families
    • Families with children with special physical/emotional/mental needs
    • Children/families experiencing post-traumatic stress
    • Children/youth with a history of chronic behavior problems, delinquency and/or truancy
    • Teen parents
    • Homeless families
    • Families in need of post-permanency services (adoption, guardianship, reunification, etc.)
    • Families with a history of substance abuse
    • Children with incarcerated parents
    • Children in poverty and low-income families (using federal guidelines)