Child abuse, neglect, sexual assault.

These are just a few of the types of cases Carbon County Children and Youth Services caseworkers handle on a daily basis.

That’s why on Thursday, the county adopted a proclamation naming June 6-10 as Child Welfare Professionals Appreciation Week in the county.

“It feels good to be recognized because … we get a lot of criticism and people threaten our lives,” said Christine Guerrera, caseworker II. “We’re there for the safety of the children. … No one wants to take your child away.

“It’s not an easy job.”

Rhianna Delich, caseworker II, echoed Guerrera’s thoughts, that it feels good to be recognized because “we can have some really hard days and to have days like this, I think it gives us motivation to keep going.”

Both Guerrera and Delich have been with the county since 2020.

Jill Geissinger, director of Children and Youth, said that her office received approximately 1,700 reports from July 1 through now, which equates to 30 reports of child abuse or neglect every week.

“That requires our nine casework staff to investigate those 30 reports a week - from the worst of the worst, broken bones, sexual abuse by a loved one to the false reports and truancy,” she said.

“Every day we make an effort to do what is best for our children and families, and every day I thank them for their service.”

The proclamation, which Commissioners Chris Lukasevich and Wayne Nothstein read, states that the staff “selflessly undertakes the endeavor to protect Pennsylvania’s children, often with low pay, long hours, tremendous demands, little appreciation, great criticism and with dramatic impacts to their personal life.”

Because of the staff’s efforts, “innumerable injuries and deaths of children in Carbon County have been averted.”