Dec. 19—SOMERSET, Pa. — Six months after launching efforts to reverse a trend of employee departures, Somerset County officials said the move is working for its hardest-hit department — Children and Youth Services.

County Human Resources Director Jodi Lepley said the county plans to expand the multimedia effort in 2023 to address more departments and positions, including jail corrections officers.

"We've definitely seen a difference," she said.

CYS officials across much of the nation have been struggling to attract and keep caseworkers, hired to oversee often-stressful child welfare situations. Somerset County's office had 16 of 28 positions vacant at one point this summer, Lepley said.

Four additional caseworkers are on the county's staff, with efforts ongoing to fill the other 12 positions, she said.

"It's not where we want it to be, but we're making progress there," she said, noting that recruitment has eased some of the burden.

Countywide, Somerset has also seen a boost in filling clerk positions, she said.

A contract with Chambersburg marketing firm Cross and Crown enabled the county to launch somersetpacareers.com and supporting social media sites to promote certain careers.

The site's message is also a direct appeal to people who want to make a difference in their communities — with the tagline "Our work changes lives" in bold lettering on the main page.

Lepley said 2023 plans involve creating content that will target specific fields.

Staffing at Somerset County Jail continues to be an issue. She said the jail's eight vacant corrections officer jobs is a higher number than it was over the summer. That comes despite moves already taken to try to attract and retain corrections officers.

Somerset County commissioners added corrections officers to an incentive program in the spring, offering existing workers $500 if they successfully attract a new hire.

The commissioners often cite the county's nearby, larger competition — the Somerset area's two state prisons, SCI-Somerset and SCI-Laurel Highlands — for luring away county jail staff after they are trained for the work and gain experience.

Negotiations are also underway on a new contract with the United Mine Workers of America union, which represents the corrections officers.

With the intention to have a deal final early next year, Lepley said marketing in 2023 can highlight efforts to attract people to work inside the jail.

"We've seen those ads work," Lepley said, noting that one Facebook post reached 8,000 viewers. It also led to an increase of 2,700 new visitors to the county's career page, which she called encouraging.

Human Resources Assistant Director Allie Cicmansky said she has received training from the marketing firm to post updates and new ads to the site to keep it fresh.

"For now, we've paused the marketing ads because November and December aren't the best time to find people hunting for work," Lepley said, "but the plan is to restart it in January."

Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes said the main goal is to educate the area's residents that county jobs have unique benefits, which add a significant level of value to positions that might not seem appealing based on salary alone.

In many cases, the private sector might offer better pay for similar jobs — but the county's health care plan, pension and other perks matter, she said.

"These are mostly positions where you are working 8:30 to 4 p.m. each day — with no weekends, paid holidays and flexibility," Tokar-Ickes said. "We get hit all the time on salaries — but how many other employers offer the accommodations that we do? When you take a step back and look at the total compensation package ... this is a very conducive environment."