This is a tale of two counties that border Allegheny County. In one of them, it has not been the best of times concerning an issue dear to everyone -- children at risk -- but officials have taken steps to do something positive to improve the situation. In the other, it is the worst of times and is likely to remain so because a commitment to change is conspicuously lacking.

Westmoreland County is the one that is seeking to do better. The county commissioners last week appointed a seven-member board of residents with appropriate credentials to conduct a comprehensive study of the county Children's Bureau and suggest improvements.

What prodded this move was the tragic case of 4-year-old Kristen Tatar, who weighed only 11 pounds when she was found insider a cooler in her yard in Armstrong County, where her family had moved. Her mother, Janet Crawford, pleaded guilty to murder charges earlier this month. Her father, James Tatar, faces trial in November.

Children's Bureau staff in Westmoreland County twice took the girl from her parents because of possible abuse but later sent her home before the family moved away.

Commissioner Tom Ceraso said:"It can be easy to cast criticism on an agency with so much responsibility. It is much more difficult to take action to improve it." The Westmoreland County commissioners deserve praise for taking this step.

If only their actions could be taken to heart by officials in Beaver County, the second player in this tale. Unfortunately, nobody there seems to want to step up to the plate except when ordered by a court. As it is, the American Civil Liberties Union has sued Beaver County three times since 1999 over problems associated with Beaver County Children and Youth Services.

If a panel were convened in Beaver County, it could study many disturbing issues raised by the ACLU and by Post-Gazette stories. Among these are failing to give parents proper notice of hearings, terminating parental rights twice as fast as the national average (and even faster when a baby was involved), failing to provide services to parents so that they can reform themselves and reunite with their children, and not appointing lawyers for poor parents at every hearing.

One of the most heartbreaking cases involved Selena Underwood, who lost custody of her son William even though she'd never abused or neglected him. CYS accused her of failing to feed him, but it turned out he had lost weight because of a congenital bowel defect. Earlier this year, she decided to end her three-year battle to regain custody -- for the good of her child, who had bonded with his foster mother.

A tale of two counties: One of them seeks better times, one remains mired in the worst of times. If only one would learn from the other, for the sake of the children.