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From YouTube: Committee on Children and Youth 4-8-2021
Description
The Committee on Children and Youth of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 1:00 PM, in a remote manner using Microsoft® Teams to hear testimony on the following items:
210126 Resolution authorizing the Committee on Children and Youth to hold hearings concerning recommendations to establish an independent Youth Services Ombudsperson office to receive, investigate, and report on concerns from youth and families about safety or services for young people in congregate care, secure or other forms of detention, or any institutional facility.
B
B
I
note
now
that
the
hour
has
come.
Mr
spiva,
would
you
please
call
the
roll
to
take
attendance
members
that
are
in
attendance?
Will
please
indicate
that
you
are
present
when
your
name
is
called.
Also,
if
you
can,
please
say
a
few
brief
words
when
responding,
so
that
your
image
will
be
displayed
on
screen
when
you
speak.
D
B
A
quorum
of
the
committee
is
present
and
this
hearing
is
now
called
to
order.
I
would
also
like
to
take
a
moment
to
acknowledge
my
other
council
colleagues
who
are
present.
I
want
to
thank
the
council
members
who
are
in
attendance
today.
Council
members
brooks
johnson,
my
vice
chair
council
member
thomas.
B
B
C
Before
we
begin
to
hear
testimony
from
the
witnesses
we
have
today,
everyone
who
has
been
invited
to
the
meeting
to
testify
should
be
aware
that
this
public
hearing
is
being
recorded
because
the
hearing
is
public.
Participants
and
viewers
have
no
reasonable
expectation
of
privacy
by
continuing
to
be
in
the
meeting
you're
consenting
to
being
recorded.
C
B
Thank
you
so
much,
mr
spiva.
Well,
first
of
all,
I
want
to
welcome
everybody
here
today,
especially
our
young
people,
who
will
be
comprising
our
first
and
third
panels
to
have
a
conversation.
That's
been
years
in
the
making
as
chair
of
city
council's
committee
on
children
and
youth,
which
was
formed
for
the
first
time
actually
in
2016.
B
I
know
that
I
speak
for
myself
and
colleagues
to
make
this
clear.
We
are
not
going
to
put
off
this
conversation
about
the
safety
of
our
children.
Any
longer
institutions
that
abuse
young
people
are
not
new.
After
decades
of
research,
we
have
learned
that
putting
young
people
in
institutions
does
not
ensure
their
safety
does
not
ensure
their
health
and
sense
of
potential
and
too
often
comes
at
a
great
cost,
to
both
the
individuals
lives
of
young
people
and
their
families,
their
communities
and
our
city.
B
B
This
residential,
this
citywide
youth
residential
placement
task
force,
voted
unanimous
unanimously
in
2019
for
the
establishment
of
a
youth
ombudsperson
office
with
investigatory
powers
to
ensure
that
not
one
more
child
in
our
city's
care
would
be
sexually
physically
or
emotionally
abused.
I
want
to
note
as
well
that
our
city
agencies
have
been
partners
in
this
effort.
B
But
our
committee
is
here
today
because
we
know
that
enough
is
enough
in
the
three
years
since
the
task
force
have
been
formed.
We
have
heard
from
we
have
heard
of
hundreds
of
reports
of
abuse
and
mistreatment
of
young
people.
We've
endured
investigation
after
investigation
on
the
front
pages
of
our
media
of
glenn
mills
of
devereaux.
B
This
is
not
a
philadelphia
specific
issue,
as
we
learned
with
the
delaware
county,
juvenile
justice
center,
for
example,
but
we
have
to
take
responsibility
for
our
children
today.
We're
going
to
hear
from
young
people
who
are
going
to
come
before
us
and
tell
deeply
personal
stories
demand
that
we
take
decisive
action
to
protect
them,
because
at
this
point
in
time
the
state
of
pennsylvania
will
not
in
a
state
as
divided
as
ours,
where
a
funding
formula
is
as
inequitable
as
it
can
be.
B
B
We
have
to
do
it
in
honor
of
16
year
old,
david
hess
and
the
assaults
of
minors
at
wordsworth,
who
are
abused
time
and
time
again
over
decades
by
staff
members
we're
here
today
to
support
young
people
at
glen
mills
who
suffered
broken
bones
and
other
horrifying
abuses
at
the
facility.
As
recently
as
last
summer,
the
challenges
with
institutionalizing
youth
are
widespread
and
there's
no
question
that
we
have
to
reduce
the
number
of
youth
in
these
facilities.
B
Imagine
if
the
level
of
safety
and
transparency
we
could
ensure
could
come
through
a
youth
ombudsman
who
could
hear
directly
from
youth
themselves,
and
today
we
are
going
to
hear
directly
from
those
youths.
Youth
who've
been
forced
into
a
system
either
by
the
child
welfare
system
or
by
our
courts,
without
adequate
safety
support
or
support
for
them.
We're
going
to
hear
from
advocates
who
have
direct
experiences
trying
to
advocate
for
young
people
and
sounding
the
alarm.
B
B
I
want
to
thank
my
committee
members.
I
want
to
thank
my
longtime
colleague,
councilmember
johnson,
for
his
steadfast
support
as
co-chair
of
the
youth
residential
placement
task
force
and
for
his
vast
knowledge
of
the
decades-long
failures
of
this
system,
and
I
ask
all
of
us
to
use
this
opportunity
to
listen
to
the
witnesses,
to
hear
calls
for
support
and
to
take
action
when
it
is
within
our
control.
C
B
D
It's
imperative
that
we
do
everything
possible
to
protect
children.
It's
real
simple
and
that's
why
I
will
continue
to
support
you
and
also
follow
up
on
on
the
work
that
we
have
done
on
our
task
force
and
also
pull
and
also
make
sure
we
speak
truth
to
power
to
those
who,
on
the
state
level
right
to
do
their
part
and
protecting
our
children
as
well.
But,
as
always,
work
that
we
have
done
on.
D
B
A
A
A
C
A
C
F
F
I
did
not
know
how
to
communicate
my
daughts
and
my
feelings
when
I
felt
that
people
were
not
listening
to
me.
I
was
in
different
care
settings,
including
group
home
and
foster
homes.
Staff
in
these
facilities
use
my
history
against
me.
Child
child
welfare
workers
use
that
against
me
and
did
not
give
me
a
chance
to
know
who
I
am
to
support
me.
F
D
F
G
F
I
entered
into
the
I
was
12
years
old
when
I
first
entered
into
care
being
in
the
system
at
a
young
age.
My
voice
was
taken
away.
I
was
not
heard
I
was
to
insert
or
shut
down
because
of
the
experience
that
brought
me
into
the
system.
We
are
children,
we
are
youths,
we
have
our
moments.
I
did
not
know
how
to
communicate
my
thoughts
and
feelings.
When
I
felt
like
that
people
were
listening
to
me,
I
was
in
different
care
settings,
including
a
group
home
in
foster
homes.
F
Staff
in
these
facilities
used
my
history
against
me.
Child
welfare
workers
used
that
against
me
and
did
not
give
me
a
chance
to
know
who
I
am
to
support
me.
Many
people
judge
me
for
for
have
for
having
behavior
problems.
I
was
mistreated
by
some
youths
and
by
grown
adults,
foster
parents
and
group
home
staff.
F
When
I
was
in
a
group
poem,
they
were
using
profanity
to
put
me
down,
calling
me
a
for
complaining
and
crying
or
incited
violence
against
one
another
or
on
me.
They
would
manipulate
other
youth
and
tell
them
to
say
it
didn't
happen,
a
lot
of
uncomfortable
emotions
and
tension.
You
can
feel
in
the
air
that
made
me
feel
left
out
as
a
person
I
feel
like
I
couldn't
connect.
F
I
tried
to
adjust
to
living
both
in
a
group
home
and
foster
homes,
but
I
was
always
worried
that
something
would
happen.
I
was
afraid
of
being
mistreated
or
bullied
while
in
a
group
home
there
were
times
when
I
did
speak
up
on
violence
and
mistreatments
and
nothing
changed.
The
violence
and
mistreatment
continued
to
happen.
F
Many
adults
didn't
hate
me
maybe,
but
they
did
dislike
me
because
they
disagree
that
I
was
speaking
the
truth
and
I
was
standing
up
for
what
was
right
instead
of
what
was
cool
it
made
me
feel
like
I
was
dumb
minded,
or
that
I
was
over
exaggerating
about
a
lot
of
stuff
that
was
concerning
when
I
was
working,
it
felt
comfortable
to
go
out
and
get
away
working.
Helped
me
find
peace
of
mind.
F
It
made
me
feel
like
a
regular
kid
who
was
not
in
the
system
anymore.
I
felt
sad
and
I
felt
like
I
was
trapped
and
incarcerated
when
I
returned
from
work
because
of
the
environment
in
the
group
home
and
the
lack
of
support
from
staff,
I
would
find
my
room
a
total
mess.
My
bed
was
flipped
over.
My
clothes
were
all
over
the
floor
after
coming
home
from
a
long
eight
hour
shift,
I
would
question
who
had
done
it
and
no
one
would
help
me
find
the
answer.
F
I
would
have
to
spend
hours
cleaning
that
up
when
I
had
school
the
very
next
day
it
was
repeatedly
done
over
and
over
again
for
days,
a
lot
of
violence
was
happening,
which
obviously
made
me
made
a
really
uncomfortable
setting.
She
wasn't
good
or
safe.
I
talked
to
many
staff
about
it.
Night
staff
supervisors
case
managers,
but
nothing
came
about
it
for
their
entitlement
or
entertainment
or
laughter.
I
would
be
picked
on
or
I
would
be,
the
butt
of
the
joke
I
felt
like
I
did
not
belong.
F
F
My
case
manager
allowed
them
to
just
silence
me
my
foster
parents
said
I
could
be
lying
or
what
I
was
saying,
probably
wasn't
accurate,
so
my
case
manager
listened
to
them
to
the
first
appearance.
Instead,
I
came
out
to
talk
to
my
case
manager
and
my
foster
parents
screamed
and
said
no
one
asked
you
to
come
out
your
room,
so
you
better
go
back
to
your
room.
We
will
call
you
if
we
need
you
to
say
something.
F
F
F
Given
my
lived
experience
in
a
group
home
in
foster
homes,
I
wish
I
had
better.
I
wish
I
had
a
better
support
system.
I
wish
I
had
a
single
person
or
many
people
who
could
relate
to
me
in
my
situation.
I
wanted
someone
who
will
always
defend
me
when
I
realized
that
no
one
was
listening
to
me.
I
lost
hope
I
lost
hope
and
was
silenced
about
it.
F
If
I
had
someone
listening
to
me,
I
would
be
happy
because
I
know
there
are
people
out
there
or
a
person
concerned
about
the
things
in
the
system
to
fix
them.
I
would
have
believed
that
there
are
good
people
out
there.
I
would
have.
I
would
have
trusted
the
system,
because
I
know
that
the
system
problems
will
be
fixed
without
hesitation
or
shifting
the
blame
on
the
child.
If
it's
not
the
child's
fault,
I
would
believe
that
things
would
be
all
right
and
my
experience
in
the
system
will
have
gone
smoothly.
F
What
we
have
on
paper
doesn't
define
or
doesn't
make
us
who
we
are
an
example
of
my
behavior
problems.
My
paperwork
is
not
comprehensive
of
who
I
am,
I
believe
that
staff
or
higher
authorities
that
work
for
the
child
welfare
system
to
allow
youth
to
to
prove
that
certain
documents
or
case
numbers
don't
define
who
they
are.
I
believe
that
paperwork
and
cases
numbers
should
be
looked
past
and
staffs
are
encouraged,
youth
to
stay,
motivated
and
start
completing
their
goals
or
start
goals,
encourage
the
youth
that
they
are
human
and
not
just
a
number.
F
In
a
piece
of
paper.
We
are
human.
We
are
youth.
We
deserve
better
treatments
to
have
better
outcomes
as
youth
and
later
on
in
life.
We
should
have
someone
in
the
system
and
outside
of
the
system
to
advocate
for
our
needs
and
get
better
support.
This
is
why
the
city
of
philadelphia
should
create
the
ombudsman
person
position
for
the
city.
C
I
have
been
in
multiple
placements
in
the
foster
care
and
juvenile
justice
system.
Before
I
ever
first
came
before
I
ever
first
came
in
contact
with
the
juvenile
justice
system.
I
was
attending
girls
high
school
in
philadelphia.
When
I
first
entered
into
a
juvenile
placement
facility,
I
lost
so
many
relationships.
I
lost
everything
connections
with
my
family,
my
teachers,
my
school
and
friends.
I
had
to
start
all
over.
I
moved
through
several
types
of
placements
when
I
was
in
the
foster
care
and
juvenile
justice
system.
C
I
still
do
not
understand
how
I
ended
up
at
the
first
juvenile
placement
or
for
how
long
I
was
living
in
the
shelter
after
running
away
from
my
group,
home
and
shortly
after
I
got
locked
up
the
first
time
at
the
police
station.
I
remember
the
officers
telling
me
I
was
not
going
to
be
locked
up
and
that
no
one
wanted
to
press
charges.
I
just
needed
a
parent
or
guardian
to
come
and
pick
me
up
from
the
police
station,
so
I
could
go
home.
C
I
wouldn't
I
wouldn't
even
have
performance
replacement
if
I
would
have
just
gotten
in
contact
with
my
adopted
parents
or
case
worker.
I
tried
calling
my
case
working
on
my
caseworker
and
I
left
the
message
and
texted.
I
also
tried
calling
her
supervisors
and
thought
that
the
supervisor
would
have
followed
the
no
one
called
back.
No
one
came
to
get
me
so
I
was
taken
to
the
youth
study
center,
which
is
now
the
juvenile
justice
service
center.
C
My
caseworker
came
to
visit
me
the
next
day
and
I
thought
I
would
go
home.
I
found
out
that
she
only
had
came
to
visit
and
I
couldn't
leave.
I
remember
a
staff
member
at
the
youth
study
center
telling
me
that
I
could
have
had
someone
come
to
get
me
out,
but
not
even
my
caseworker
did.
After
no
one
came
back
for
me.
I
was
sent
to
vision
class.
When
I
got
there
the
staff
there
wasn't,
the
staff
said
that
there
wasn't
any
room
left,
so
I
had
to
go
back
to
the
you
study
center.
C
Then,
a
few
days
later
I
was
back
at
I
was
back.
I
was
sent
back
to
vision,
quest
for
two
months
straight
until
I
was
sent
to
another
group
facility
being
incarcerated,
and
living
in
group
placements
makes
you
lose
connections
to
people
family
mentors.
It
creates
a
bigger
problem
than
what
youth
are
going
in,
for
it
makes
it
harder
for
youth
than
actually
helping
them.
I
don't
know
why
people
just
want
to
lock
us
up,
there's
no
real
mental
health
or
services
or
support
when
you
get
there.
C
It
doesn't
solve
our
problems
if
it
creates
more
of
anything.
Instead,
it
makes,
and
it
seems
like
a
system
or
like
the
system,
is
more
about
getting
money
than
my
I'm
sorry.
It
seems
like
a
system
more
about
getting
money
from
having
kids
in
placement
and
then
actually
using
the
funds
on
the
actual
young
person
being
in
these
placements
creates
a
bigger
hole
for
youth.
It
leaves
us
with
more
problems
than
before
we
went
in
and
instead
there.
Instead,
there
should
be
more
investment
in
community
programs.
C
Investing
in
the
community
gives
you
more
access
to
programs
and
will
help
them
better
than
just
locking
them
up,
especially
because
there's
not
currently
a
lot
of
resources
and
communities
that
kids
have
access
to
or
know
about.
If
we
were
to
invest
in
the
actual
community,
there
will
be
changes.
You
can
actually
see,
I
believe,
in
creating
a
local
embezzlement
office,
because
it
will
help
the
community.
It
will
help
you
get
access
to
mental
health
support
and
help
in
the
community
and
to
help
kids
from
being
locked
up.
C
If
this
office
was
around
when
I
was
replacement,
maybe
I
never
would
have
gone
to
the
new
study
center
to
begin
with,
or
the
group
I
would
have
called.
If
I
knew
there
was
a
place
I
couldn't.
I
could
call
to
report
that
no
one
was
coming
to
pick
me
up
or
maybe
I
would
have
had
access
to
real
food
work.
Instead
of
learning
my
lim,
my
elementary
school
work
like
abc's,
and
once
this
visa
is
a
ninth
grader.
Maybe
it
would
have
helped
me
reconnect
to
my
adopted
family.
C
C
Thank
you.
Thank
you
for
sharing.
Thank
you
both
for
sharing,
thank
you
for
your
courage
and
I
would
ask
that
you
both
stay
around
until
we
get
through
the
entire
panel.
So
other
council
members
can
ask
questions.
Mr
clerk,
can
you
please
call
the
next
panel
and
also
I
don't
have
a
script
in
front
of.
D
C
J
C
Oh,
thank
you.
Council
members.
I
didn't,
I
didn't
know
yeah.
Thank
you
appreciate
it
great.
Thank
you,
my
council
member.
Next,
we
have
angie,
please
state
your
name
and
proceed
with
your
testimony
when
you're
ready
to
begin
good
afternoon.
My
name
is
angie
and
I
have
been
a
youth
advocate
for
juvenile
law
center
for
almost
five
years
placement.
Isn't
it
isn't
something
a
kid
should
go
through,
especially
for
small
stuff.
When
I
was
younger,
my
parents
thought
they
didn't
know
how
to
handle
some
of
my
behavior.
C
They
didn't
know
where
else
to
turn
to
get
help
or
support.
When
I
was
15,
I
was
initially
put
on
house
arrest,
but
I
got
frustrated
about
staying
in
the
house
all
the
time
and
ended
up
breaking
curfew.
I
also
got
in
trouble
for
trying
to
take
off
my
bracelet.
I
had
friends
over
for
a
party
and
everyone
stepped
outside
for
a
little
bit.
They
were
just
beyond
where
I
was
allowed
to
be
with
my
bracelet
on.
I
wanted
to
be
with
my
friends
because
I
was
15
and
that
mattered
to
me.
C
So
I
tried
to
take
off
my
bracelet.
I
got
sent
to
placement
for
that
in
placement.
I
watched
youth
getting
restrained
when
they
were
in
trouble
like
people
like
when
people
fought
both
would
get
restrained.
One
girl
got
arrested
for
fighting
the
staff,
they
argued
first
and
then
the
girl
got
restrained.
The
staff
also
tried
to
hit
the
girl
back
for
fighting.
C
At
the
juvenile
placement
facility
I
was
in
one
person
a
day
would
probably
be
rich
jane.
I
also
seen
youth
in
shackled.
If
people
had
grievances,
you
were
allowed
to
put
the
pink
slips
in
a
grooving
spot.
They
were
addressed
by
a
therapist
through
group
therapy
or
one
on
one.
Sometimes,
when
youth
had
issues
with
that,
they
would
change
which
staff
worked
with
that
person.
C
Staff
had
favoritism,
and
you
will
also
know
when
they
were
mad
at
you
or
had
an
attitude
if
you
complained
about
them,
and
but
a
person
should
be
everywhere.
If
kids
don't
have
a
safe
way
to
share
a
concern,
things
are
going
to
escalate
for
that
child
and
placement
placement
didn't
do
anything
for
me
and
doesn't
do
anything
for
the
youth.
C
It
makes
the
youth
not
want
to
repeat
the
offense
again,
but
it
doesn't
help
it
doesn't
help
with
school
it
delayed
when
I
was
able
to
graduate
the
placements.
I
went
to
had
me
complete
electives
for
over
a
year
that
didn't
transfer
account
from
me
to
be
able
to
graduate.
Even
when
I
came
back
for
two
regular
schools,
I
felt
really
unprepared.
I
was
behind
when
I
was
in
policemen.
C
C
C
K
C
C
B
L
L
B
L
L
She
was
that
she
had
went
to
the
attention
to
the
crisis
center
multiple
times
and
she
got
multiple
beds
and
the
best
never
seen
to
fit
the
diagnosis.
It
seems
as
though,
whatever
bed
came
up,
that's
where
she
was
sent,
and
it's
almost
as
though
they
never
even
looked
at
her
diagnosis
or
history.
So
if
you
are
an
adult
and
you
have
a
special,
a
specialty
even
for
your
car,
you
wouldn't
send
your
your
mercedes
to
a
jack
plate,
but
you
send
children
places
where
their
diagnosis
don't
even
matter.
L
My
daughter
ran
away
56
times
and
over
the
history
of
the
times
that
she
ran
away.
She
was
put
in
placements
that
had
nothing
to
do
with
her
care
or
evidence
based
on
treatment
or
any
of
those
things
she
has
went
to
some
of
the
facilities
that
have
been
closed.
She
has
been
abused
at
some
of
those
facilities.
L
Some
of
the
staff
has
stole
her
belongings
and
when
she
asked
them
to
return
them,
she
was
attacked
and
beat
up.
When
I
formed
when
I
put
a
complaint
in
that
my
daughter
was
attacked
and
abused,
nothing
ever
happened,
the
other
staff
covered
up
for
their
co-worker
and
the
abuse
continued,
because
the
abuse
was
in
in
the
recreation
room
that
happened.
It
also
frightened
other
children
that
were
in
the
facility
and
set
a
message
that
I
can
attack
you.
I
can
abuse
you
and
nothing
will
happen.
L
L
L
The
only
reason
why
my
child
contacted
the
facility
is
because
she
knew
no
one
in
texas,
so
she
came
back
for
her
own
safety
and
not
because
they
found
her
or
put
in
a
police
report
that
she
was
ever
missing
and
she
or
notified
me
that
she
was
missing
when
she
was
there.
She
received
school
on
the
education
on
the
campus,
but
the
education
was
not
appropriate,
even
though
she
thrived
when
she
was
there
doing
it.
L
If
the
child
is
going
into
a
partial
program,
they're
doing
third
grade
work,
even
though
they
might
be
trying
to
prepare
to
leave
and
graduate
from
high
school.
The
medication
doesn't
have
to
be
appropriate
medication.
Children
are
told
that
to
take
your
medication
and
you
will
feel
normal
that
leads
into
some
time
of
co-occurring.
L
L
I
hope
the
children
of
philadelphia
receive
the
care
that
we
as
an
adult
should
care
about
our
children
and
one
of
the
other
issues
I
had
with
case
management
was.
It
was
not
realistic.
I
was
told
by
case
managers,
you
should
quit
your
job,
so
you
can
be
home
for
your
kids.
I
was
told
that
I
had
therapists
that
cried
in
sessions
with
my
daughter,
so
they
were
not
seasoned
professionals.
L
L
When,
when
my
son
was
killed,
I
asked
for
a
one-on-one,
it
was
denied,
my
daughter
came
home
and
because
she
was
at
a
risk
to
run
away,
we
could
not
sleep
the
whole
time.
She
was
there
because
she
would
be
on
the
run
and
not
be
able
to
return
back
to
her
therapeutic
study,
because
she
would
be
gone
for
more
than
72
hours.
L
B
D
Yeah,
I
just
wanted
to
just
take
a
moment
to
acknowledge
the
courage
of
our
young
people
for
taking
time
out
of
his
schedule
to
tell
their
truth
and
that
just
empowers
us
and
inspires
us
to
continue
on
to
advocate
and
fight
on
their
behalf
and
our
mind
whims
you
as
well
for
being
an
advocate
and
making
sure
that
your
daughter
is
protected
in
this
process.
And
so
I
just
wanted
to
take
a
moment.
D
A
Yes,
thank
you
so
much.
I
I
kind
of
just
I'm
kind
of
stuck
in
awe.
As
we
start
these
conversations
we
hear
about
black
mental
health
and
encouraging
folks
to
get
mental
health
support
and
then
hearing
ms
williams
talk
about
reaching
out
for
support
for
her
daughter
and
end
up
in
systems
and
cycles
of
incarceration
and
abuse,
which
is
definitely
problematic
and
also
hearing
the
young
folks
stories
about
same
thing.
Mental
health
and
the
needs
for
mental
health
supports
and
ended
up
in
the
classroom
system.
L
She
ran
away
56
times
and
at
the
17th
time,
the
20th
time,
the
21st
time
and
going
through
all
these
placements.
The
major
reason
why
she
was
in
placement
was
to
save
her
life.
So
when
we
put
children
or
we
take
to
take
our
children
to
the
crisis
center,
the
major
reason.
Why
is
because
we
want
them
safe?
We
do
not
want
them
harmed
and
we
want
them
to
have
the
appropriate,
evidence-based
therapies.
L
You
cannot
treat
a
child
with
a
bipolar
as
same
as
you
would
teach
on
treat
a
child.
That's
autistic!
You
can't
teach
treat
the
child,
who
is
a
fire
starter
the
same
as
you
would
treat
a
child
as
hyperactive
and
have
some
other
behavior
crisis.
That's
going
on
one
of
the
things
that
we
want
to
be
as
advocates
for
our
children
is
to
get
them
the
most
appropriate
care
in
the
most
appropriate
setting,
and
we
don't
want
them
to
languish
into
settings,
because
this
institution
is
making
a
dollar
off
of
our
children.
L
L
A
A
B
C
So
I
really
didn't
like
I
was
just
having
like
family
issues
around
the
time,
so
it
wasn't
really
like
a
need
for
me
to
like
go
to
any
placements
I
feel
like
if
they
would
have
just
provided
like
me,
and
my
family
would
like
maybe
like
family
therapy
or
something
it
I
feel
like.
That
would
have
like
been
like
what
I
really
needed
or
like
what
we
all
needed,
because
it
was
just
like
I
was
just
going.
C
F
Yes,
I
want
to
say
at
that
time
in
the
very
beginning,
I
what
I
really
needed
was
the
resources
and
the
support
from.
I
guess,
all
of
the
adults,
even
my
own.
You
know
parents
hope
maybe
they
wish
they
could
have
advocated
for
more
but
dhs
workers.
I
wish
or
case
managers
our
social
workers.
I
wish
they
would
have
found
more
resources
and
support
systems
such
as
kinship
care,
or
even
doing
a
maybe
a
more
better
investigation.
F
Instead
of
removing
me
from
the
home
and
placing
me
in
these
foster
homes,
group
homes
and
maybe
eventually,
if
they
done
offer
more
resources,
more
services,
things
would
probably
most
likely
would
have
gone
a
bit
more
better.
For
me,
instead
of
me
having
to
deal
with
being
in
these
types
of
facilities
for
years.
A
D
Yes,
thank
you,
and
this
is
questions
for
all
of
the
youth
just
to
get
their
perspective.
The
first
part
of
the
of
the
question
is:
how
would
such,
how
do
you
think
such
an
office,
if
created,
could
have
been
supportive
of
you,
and
also
the
type
of
two
would
be?
What
type
of
support
systems
do
you
believe
should
be
in
place
within
such
the
office?
To
be
supportive
of
you,
as
you
address
issues
within
on
the
system.
F
A
lot
of
youth
be
more
confident
have
filled
that
they're
safe
feel
that
they
feel
that
they
believe
that
they
have
someone
that
they
can
rely
on
and
report
things
that
that
doesn't
go
unheard
because,
obviously,
and
realistically
we
have
a
lot
of
you-
know,
officials,
social
workers
case
managers,
staff,
they
don't
do
what
they
really
need
to
do
and
creating
this
office
will
make
sure
that
people
do
their
jobs.
Make
sure
that,
obviously
that
this
is
somebody
an
abundant
person.
F
M
D
D
B
L
B
I
think
one
of
the
questions
that
we're
doing
for
this
hearing,
if
I
could
council
member
johnson,
is
it
okay,
if
I
absolutely
okay
is
to
ask
really
families
what
would
they
want?
You
know
as
we're
discussing
the
outlines
of
a
potential
office.
What
is
it
that
you
want
to
see
that
would
have
made
something
different
for
you,
your
daughter,
your
children
and
maybe
other
families
that
you've
seen.
L
I
think
peer
specialists
for
family
members
would
be
empowering
for
family
members,
so
they
will
understand
the
the
role
that
they
play
in
the
advocacy
of
their
children
and
youth
that
they're
supporting,
and
I
would
think
that
a
youth
peer
specialist
would
be
important
to
end
because
the
youth
peer
specialist
will
speak
the
language
of
a
youth.
It
will
empower
them
and
I
think
this
office
of
embossment
needs
to
be
hosted
in
in
such.
B
B
H
Yes,
I
am
kimberly
ali.
I
am
commissioner
for
the
philadelphia
department
of
human
services
good
afternoon,
chairperson
helen
gym
and
vice
chairperson
isaiah
thomas.
I
am
kimberly
ali
commissioner
of
the
city
of
philadelphia.
Department
of
human
services
with
me
today
are
members
of
my
dhs
leadership
team,
as
well
as
jonathan
houlin,
chief
deputy
city
solicitor
of
the
city
of
philadelphia
law
department,
child
welfare
unit.
Before
I
go
any
further,
I
also
want
to
extend
my
gratitude
to
the
young
people
who
just
spoke
to
ms
williams,
who
also
just
spoke.
H
We
also
appreciate
your
ongoing
partnership
and
dialogue
through
the
youth
residential
placement
task
force
at
philadelphia,
dhs,
the
largest
county
child
welfare
agency
in
the
commonwealth.
Our
mission
is
to
provide
and
promote
safety,
permanency
and
well-being
for
children
and
youth
at
risk
of
abuse,
neglect
and
delinquency.
H
As
dhs,
commissioner,
let
me
be
clear
that
keeping
children
and
youth
safe,
especially
those
who
are
in
the
city's
legal
custody,
is
my
number
one
priority.
I
wholeheartedly
agree
with
the
recommendation
of
the
task
force
that
an
independent
youth
services
ombuds
person
office
be
established
to
receive
and
investigate
concerns
from
youth
and
families
about
safety
or
services.
H
It
is
essential
that
children
and
youth
who
need
residential
care
and
their
families
and
communities
have
a
clear
path
to
express
their
concerns
and
for
their
voices
to
be
heard.
Speaking
from
their
lived
experiences,
an
obvious
person
office
must
be
easy
and
safe
for
youth
and
families
to
access,
have
clear
investigative
authority,
the
ability
to
institute
systemic
reform
and
to
issue
corrective
action
to
entities
not
in
compliance
with
rules
and
regulation.
H
H
In
my
testimony
today,
I
will
go
into
detail
why
state
office
is
better
for
young
people
and
their
families,
but
first
I
think
it
is
important
for
the
public
to
be
aware
of
the
many
ways
dhs
is
addressing
the
fundamental
concerns,
the
recommendation
for
the
creation
of
an
ombudsperson
office.
We
are
hopeful
that
this
office
would
enhance
the
work
that
we
are
already
doing.
H
First
and
foremost,
dhs
has
made
significant
progress
in
reducing
the
number
of
children
who
are
in
congregate,
care
and
keeping
more
children
and
youth
safely
in
their
own
communities
and
homes.
As
a
result
of
our
laser
focus
on
these
issues
over
the
past
several
years,
dhs
has
significantly
reduced
the
use
of
these
facilities.
H
Dhs
has
reduced
the
number
of
youth
in
dependent,
congregate
care
by
57
and
by
87
in
delinquent
places
over
the
past
seven
years,
and
the
numbers
continue
to
decline
significantly
each
year
as
of
this
week,
there
are
currently
361
youth,
independent
care.
This
is
down
from
458
only
a
year
ago
and
842
youth
seven
years
ago
and
118
youth
and
delinquent
care,
as
of
this
week,
down
from
219
one
year
ago
and
875
youth
seven
years
ago.
H
We
are
now
in
our
second
year
of
issuing
a
congregate
report
which
demonstrates
dhs
commitment
to
transparency
and
improving
quality
services
for
children,
youth
and
families
and
congregate
care.
It
includes
an
extremely
thorough
review
of
both
compliance
and
quality
indicators
for
providers
of
dependent
and
delinquent
residential
services
that
contract
with
dhs.
I
strongly
urge
you
to
review
this
report
that
contains
a
detailed
report
of
all
of
the
congrega
care
providers.
H
We
have
built
and
continue
to
enhance
an
incredibly
robust
monitoring
system
for
all
providers
that
is
managed
by
our
performance
management
and
technology
division.
Our
service
concerns
unit
conducts
assessments
that
adjust
contract
program
and
or
service
delivery
quality
issues.
This
includes
serious
incidents
that
involve
the
safety
of
children
and
require
immediate
follow-up
to
identify
the
nature
of
the
incident,
what
caused
it
and
what
programmatic
or
policy
changes
can
be
made
to
prevent
it
from
occurring
again.
H
H
During
and
after
placement,
the
guides
were
developed
in
partnership
between
dhs
community
behavioral
health
and
other
system
partners
through
the
task
force.
The
youth
and
family
guides
respond
to
youth
and
family
concerns
identified
by
the
task
force
during
a
year-long
listening
and
planning
process
residential
facility
placement
providers
must
use
the
rights
guides,
in
addition
to
existing
facility
documents
to
inform
youth
and
their
families
of
the
youth
rights,
while
in
placement
and
the
multiple
pathways
to
express
concerns
and
get
help
if
needed.
H
This
requirement
applies
for
all
youth
currently
in
placement
in
the
facility
newly
placed
youth
and
youth
re-entering.
The
facility
providers
are
required
to
provide
and
review
these
guides
with
youth
and
families
at
minimum
upon
arrival
in
their
primary
language
if
needed.
Finally,
the
dhs
commissioner's
action
response
office.
Cairo
plays
an
essential
role
in
assisting
constituents
with
questions,
concerns
or
complaints
about
services
provided
by
dhs
from
the
outreach
made
by
constituents
in
2020,
cairo
received
over
400
telephone
contacts
and
over
200
emails.
H
Cairo
is
staffed
with
experienced
social
work
staff,
including
one
director
and
two
social
work
program
analysts
who
are
assigned
inquiries
within
24
to
48
business
hours
and
speak
with
people
individually
to
address
their
concerns
and
complaints.
The
cairo
staff
also
helped
make
appropriate
language
linkages
to
relevant
entities
for
further
investigations,
services
or
follow-up,
as
stated
previously
dhs
wholeheartedly
supports
the
need
for
an
independent,
centralized
confidential
resource
for
youth
and
their
families
to
report
concerns
across
systems
and
providers
statewide.
H
As
the
task
force
noted,
no
single
point
of
contact
exists
for
addressing
concerns
about
services
in
youth,
residential
placement
across
multiple
systems
and
regulators.
Having
this
single
point
of
contact
will
strengthen
the
system.
However,
this
office
is
better
situated
at
the
state
level
because
of
the
commonwealth
statewide
jurisdiction,
its
ability
to
institute
stronger
remedies
and
systemic
reform
and
the
existence
of
confidentiality,
various
barriers
at
the
local
level.
H
Also,
a
state
office
will
have
greater
ability
to
leverage
its
position
to
affect
systemic
change.
Its
recommendations
will
be
far
more
powerful,
given
their
ability
to
be
shared
with
the
pennsylvania
department
of
human
services,
which
has
the
power
to
issue
citations
and
revoke
an
operating
license.
There
is
precedent
for
this
concept
through
current
state
legislation,
which
seeks
to
establish
a
children's
mental
health
ombuds
person,
the
legislation
specifically
reference
references,
the
use
of
state
agency
enforcement
to
resolve
complaints,
as
recommended
by
the
office
person.
H
Some
may
argue
that
advocating
for
change
at
the
state
level
is
a
hopeless
task,
but
in
fact,
significant
changes
in
the
child.
Protective
services
law
have
emerged
in
the
last
decade,
most
notably
in
the
wake
of
the
sandusky
case
and,
most
recently
in
the
establishment
of
a
child
advocate
by
the
state's
office
of
advocacy
and
reform.
This
child
advocate
could
be
invested
via
state
legislation.
What
powers
envisioned
by
the
task
force
ombuds
person
recommendation.
H
Alternatively,
a
separate
state,
obvious
person
could
be
established.
Philadelphia's
current
power
is
contractual.
Dhs
has
not
shy
from
using
this
tool
to
address
provider,
service,
quality
and
safety
concerns.
However,
this
power
is
limited,
even
while
philadelphia
dhs
has
stopped
contracting
and
sending
philadelphia.
U
to
provide
us
with
poor
service
quality
and
safety
concerns.
These
same
providers
continue
contracts
with
other
counties
and
states.
Given
these
limitations,
statewide
systemic
issues
remain
unresolved.
H
Lastly,
under
the
state
child
protective
services
law,
information
regarding
county
involvement
in
child
welfare
cases
is
confidential,
exceptions
can
only
be
made
for
certain
individuals
and
entities
specifically
listed
in
the
state
law
does
not
include
a
local
office
person
in
that
list
and,
to
be
sure,
locating
an
omis
person
in
a
city
office
other
than
dhs
will
not
somehow
overcome
the
strict
confidentiality
requirements
of
the
law.
The
inability
to
have
information
be
submitted.
Confidentially
also
is
a
significant
barrier
to
receiving
anonymous
complaints
and
would
likely
discourage
families
and
you
from
reporting
problems.
H
If
a
report
were
made
anonymously,
a
local
office
person
would
have
to
seek
the
consent
of
the
child
or
the
child's
parents
in
order
to
collect
information
from
dhs
regard.
Regarding
the
complaint,
one
can
imagine
the
awkwardness
and
trauma
that's
seeking
such
consent
based
on
an
anonymous
complaint,
may
cause
a
state
ombudsperson,
on
the
other
hand,
will
be
able
to
gather
and
investigate
without
enlisting
the
victim
of
the
complaint,
who
may
be
frightened
and
hesitant
to
participate.
H
Furthermore,
without
the
protection
of
confidentiality,
any
information
reported
to
the
local
ombuds
person
will
be
open
to
subpoena
children
and
families
will
not
be
protected
from
public
exposure.
Establish
an
ombuds
person
at
a
local
level
may
very
well
have
the
unintended
consequence
of
exacerbating
the
very
trauma
that
such
an
office
is
designed
to
address
a
child
or
family
who
wishes
to
have
their
concerns
examined
in
a
confidential
manner
could
find
themselves
thrust
into
an
unforgiving
public
arena
again.
This
concern
can
best
and
only
be
addressed
through
a
state
ombudsperson.
H
We
are
committed
to
continuing
our
work
at
the
state
level
and
in
partnership
with
city
council
to
advocate
for
an
appropriately
resourced
state
average
person
office
to
provide
greater
voice
to
youth
and
families
and
help
us
build
a
quality
system
of
support.
I
want
to
thank
you
for
allowing
me
to
testify
my
team
and
I
are
available
to
answer
questions.
B
Thank
you
very
much,
commissioner
ali.
We
appreciate
your
testimony
and
have
you
know
certainly
taken
it
into
consideration.
First,
I
wanna
just
underscore
some
of
the
things
that
you
know
you
you
and
your
predecessor
have
been
able
to
do.
One
first
and
foremost,
you
know
want
to
acknowledge
the
commission's
your
office's
work
in
reducing
the
number
of
young
people
in
congregant
care
and
being
an
advocate
for
that
reduction.
B
B
B
B
B
But
I
think
the
the
issue
that
we
have
here
is
that
we
don't
actually
know
if
the
state
will
ever
take
that
up.
That
has
been
on
the
books
for
for
a
while.
We
have
met
now
twice
with
with
dhs.
The
current
commissioner
at
the
state
level
is
stepping
down
at
the
end
of
this
month,
and
so
we're
now
once
again
influx
and
we
still
have
hundreds
and
hundreds
of
our
children
in
these
facilities.
B
I
think
one
of
the
questions
you
know
that
does
come
up
because
we
heard
it
repeatedly
from
this
from
from
this
panel
anahi.
I
think,
and
angie
spoke
about
it
and
we'll
definitely
hear
it
in
the
next
youth
panel.
But
dhs
do
you
feel
like
you're,
equipped
to
evaluate
educational
facilities
for
educational
learning
at
these
facilities?
B
H
Are
not
we
rely
on
the
expertise
from
the
school
district
of
philadelphia,
but
also
from
the
pennsylvania
department
of
education?
You
know
our
expertise,
that
dhs
is
child
welfare
and
juvenile
justice
services.
So
we
rely
on
our
colleagues
who
have
the
expertise
in
education
to
evaluate
those
facilities
in
terms
of
their
on
ground,
schooling,.
B
B
B
B
H
B
Okay,
you
know
the
the
other
question
that
I
had
is
a
little
bit
about.
You
know
the
the
the
review
of
dhs
of
its
own
facilities.
There
are
scores,
I
know
that
are
assigned
to
various
rep,
and
you
know
we.
Obviously
we
have
been
in
dialogue,
serious
abuse
that
occurred
at
devereaux
according
to
the
inquirers
reporting
this
year
and
most
especially
it's
a
serious
concern
because
it
involved
children
with
very
serious
disabilities,
some
of
whom
are
non-verbal.
B
This
included
sexual
abuse
of
children,
and
you
know
it
only
came
to
light
because
it
ultimately
got
reported
to
police.
You
know
the
teenagers
often
told
law
enforcement
that
they
were
afraid
to
speak
up.
I
think
this
is
something
that
we
are
hearing
consistently
within
youth
testimonies,
but
you
know
the
in
one
particular
case
there
was
a
young
boy
who
had
been
sexually
assaulted
by
a
male
staff
member
and
he
felt
like
he
had
to
speak
up,
because
that
individual
was
now
abusing
his
little
brother.
B
I
think,
even
in
the
case
of
wordsworth,
before
the
homicide
of
david
hess,
there
were
800
calls
to
police,
but
one
of
our
concerns
is
the
score
for
deborah's
facility.
In
the
report,
the
branding
wine
campus
got
three
green
dots
which
categorizes
them
as
optimal
at
the
time
and
was
the
highest
rating
available
by
dhs.
So
can
you
explain
how
that
score
is
possible,
given
that
there
was
a
history
of
abuse
that
occurred
at
devereaux?
H
In
order
to
understand
more
about
the
actual
indicators,
I
will
actually
defer
it
to
my
colleague,
lisa
rodriguez,
who
is
chief
of
our
performance
management
and
technology,
and
she
can
speak
more
to
both
the
compliance,
as
well
as
the
quality
indicators,
that's
contained
in
the
contrary,
care
report.
So.
H
N
N
However,
the
service
concern
piece
is
incident.
Incorporating
to
that
score
is
very
important.
In
our
first
year
of
evaluations,
we
reported
out
on
that,
but
we
we
hadn't,
figured
out
a
way
to
score
it,
and
in
our
second
year
we
did
because
we
know
we,
we
know
it's
it's
important.
Those
incidents
that
that
you're
referring
to
are
not,
for
the
time
period
of
evaluation
that
for
that
annual
evaluation
that
we
were
doing
it
doesn't.
B
Yeah
so
miss
rodriguez.
So
just
for
clarity,
you
know
the
lawsuit
that
was
filed
around
devereaux
alleged
abuse
of
young
people
between
the
years
of
2003
and
2019.,
and
that
there
were
multiple
cases
of
abuse
over
time.
I
assume
that
we're
not
just
like
looking
at
each
case
annually.
You
know
piece
by
piece
but
we're
trying
to
understand
a
history
of
abuse
and
how
that
informs
the
evaluation.
B
The
testimony
that
we're
hearing
from
young
people
that
opened
up
and
from
parents
themselves
is
that
if
they
call
childline,
there
is
no
means
of
a
support,
they're,
not
sure
who
to
call
in
other
places,
and
so
you
know
we
cannot
continue
to
do
to
to
take
on
these
facilities
merely
by
reading
about
it
in
the
papers
public
witnessing
you
know,
even
if
it
happens
to
another
child,
these
are
not
enormous
facilities.
Not
all
of
them
are
our
young
people
may
witness
a
sexual
assault.
B
They
may
witness
a
p
of
abuse
just
because
they
weren't
the
exact
subject
of
that
does
not
excuse
the
fact
that
there's
an
intimidating
environment,
that's
created,
there
can
be
a
dangerous
environment.
That's
created
there
can
be
no
educational
empowerment,
as
we've
heard
from
some
of
our
young
people.
H
H
Hence
is
one
of
the
reasons
why
we
developed
in
concert
with
cvh
and
various
other
stakeholders,
the
family
and
youth
guide,
so
that
we
won't
rely
on
professionals
in
order
to
file
a
complaint
that
families
know
who
to
file
a
complaint
with
young
people
know
who
to
file
a
complaint
with,
and
they
too
can
remain
anonymous
when
they
file
a
complaint
with
us.
So,
yes,
I
do
agree
with
you.
However,
I
just
recognize
the
limitations
in
terms
of
relying
on
a
facility
to
report
the
abuse.
H
B
H
O
D
D
D
I
I
just
want
to
say
for
the
record
to
our
technical
team.
I
think
we
should
just
start
using
zoom.
Zoom
is
the
easier
platform.
I've
never
had
the
log
out
losing
zoom
and
just
you
know,
just
a
public
recommendation.
I'm
going
to
go
ahead
and
put
that
out
there.
So
I've
never
been
logged
out
of
any
zoom
presentation
webinar.
B
D
You
know
and
just
finished
my
acknowledgement,
but
yes,
commissioner
ali
great,
to
see
you
in
that
position
and
just
you
know,
send
your
trajectory
just
proud
to.
You
know
acknowledge
that
you
represent
our
neighborhood.
My
question
is
around
the
decrease
in
children
and
placement,
and
so
I
want
to
get
an
idea,
and
I
know
you
talked
about
the
numbers
somewhere
around.
D
I
think
we
went
from
like
1800
down
to
about
700
now
right,
which
is,
which
is
a
great
accomplishment,
and
I
want
to
get
an
idea
of
how
many
of
the
youth,
how
many
so
we
terminated
several
different
contracts
right
from
different
placement
agencies
so
and
that
number
how
many
of
the
youth
came
from
those
particular
facilities.
Your
glen
mills,
your
devrex
contracts,
give
me
an
idea.
H
Okay,
first,
I
actually
stand
corrected
when
I
gave
you
the
number
around
700
young
people
that
was
actually
as
of
last
year.
So
currently
we
have
479
young
people
in
congregate
care.
That's
not
our
total
placement
population
in
terms
of
I'll.
Do
it
off
the
top
of
my
head,
so
george
jr
in
terms
of
dependent
and
delinquent.
H
Then
we
also
had
glenn
bills,
so
glenn
mills
at
the
time
had
maybe
about
50
to
75
young
people
deborah
at
the
time
that
we
closed
their
intake
in
august
had
26
young
people
that
were
committed
to
dhs
mid-atlantic
had
maybe
about
12
or
so
young
people,
but
remember
those
numbers
that
I'm
quoting
are
numbers
when
we
were
at
a
high,
all-time
high
in
terms
of
congregate
care.
So,
as
I
indicated
in
my
testimony,
the
reduction
on
the
dependent
side
was
57
in
terms
of
congregate
care
and
then
on
the
delinquent
side.
H
So
some
of
the
transition
occurred
because
the
determination
of
contracts,
but
other
things
occur,
for
example,
on
a
dependency
side.
We
are
definitely
we
recognize
the
traumatic
experience
for
young
people.
I
mean
our
first
panel
talked
about
the
trauma
that
they
suffered
as
a
result
of
being
placed
in
foster
homes,
although
we
have
some
great
foster
parents
as
well
as
group
homes.
So
we
have
a
push
around
placing
young
people
with
ken,
so
people
that
they
know
people
that
they
may
have
grown
up
with
in
the
community
they're
teachers,
coaches.
H
We
have
a
loose
definition
of
kin.
So
when
you
think
about
our
placement
population,
we
have
51
of
our
placement
population
that
is
in
kinship
care.
So
what
we
do
is
number
one.
We
want
kinship
care
to
be
the
first
placement,
but
when
it's
not
the
first
placement
for
young
people
and
the
young
person
is
placed
in
foster
care
or
congregate
care,
we
do
an
ongoing
search
in
order
to
place
young
people
with
ken.
So
I
would
say
kinship
care
is
certainly
a
big
push.
H
H
Is
this
young
person
absolutely
unsafe
that
I
cannot
put
in
supportive
service
to
keep
the
young
person
safe?
If
we
can't
put
in
services
to
keep
the
young
person
safe,
then
we
will
petition
the
court
for
a
removal.
So
those
are
some
of
the
efforts
we
did
on
the
dependency
side
and
then
on
the
delinquent
side,
a
lot
of
efforts
around
diversion
intensive
prevention
services
our
evening
reporting
centers,
our
gps
monitoring.
So
I
would
say,
in
addition
to
the
closing,
but
also
a
continuing
continuum
of
services,
to
help
support
young
people
and.
H
D
Okay,
okay,
and
so
I
just
want
to
look
at
the
correlation
between
determination
of
contracts,
because
the
service
providers,
who
aren't
really
protecting
our
children
and
then
also
how
the
contribution
of
the
decrease
in
children
not
being
in
placement
based
upon
determination
of
those
service
contracts,
and
so
that's
one
aspect
in
terms
of
why
our
young
people
aren't
in
placement.
But
then
also,
I
hear
your
efforts
saying,
but
we
discourage
placement
as
a
last
option,
so
we
have
other
safeguards
that
we
try
to
do
so.
D
A
young
person
don't
go
and
go
in
placement,
so
I
just
wanted
to
make
that
correlation.
But
in
regards
to
the
omnibus
position
right-
and
I
know-
let's
say
there-
weren't
any
legal
ramifications
or
so
to
speak,
that's
debatable
right
would.
Would
you
be
supportive
of
the
office
if
there
was
no
legal,
no
legal
debate,
no
legal
policies,
issues,
no
confidentiality
issues.
Would
you
be
supportive
of
a
local,
I'm?
Obviously
I'm.
I
can't
this
word.
H
The
other
major
issue
that
we
haven't
necessarily
talked
about
in
detail
is
really
around
the
remedies
right,
so
what
the
state
can
do
versus
what
the
city
of
philadelphia
can
do.
For
example,
I
just
indicated
that
we
did
stop
contracting
with
six
facilities
since
2016
and
two
continue
to
operate,
so
we
don't
talk
to
that.
D
Though,
and
so
when
I
think
and
the
reason
why
I
asked
the
question,
I
primary
really
to
protect
the
children
here
in
the
city
of
philadelphia
right,
I
don't
care,
that's
what
happens
in
allegheny
county
right.
I
don't
care
less
what
happens
in
erie
county
right,
because
at
the
end
of
the
day
you
know
this
is
dhs
of
the
city
of
philadelphia
right
and
our
primary
responsibility
are
protecting
the
children
that
come
from
the
city.
D
D
So
there's
our
office
of
victim
advocate
right
in
the
state
of
pennsylvania,
and
recently
I
passed
legislation
to
introduce
the
office
of
victim
advocate
on
the
city
of
philadelphia
level
and
some
folks
say:
oh,
it's
going
to
be
confusing,
but
here's
the
reason
why
I
moved
forward
with
the
legislation
to
create
the
all
of
the
victim
advocate
on
the
city
levels,
because
in
the
state
of
pennsylvania
right,
everyone
knows
that
the
city
of
philadelphia
is
viewed
a
little
differently
than
other
accounts
than
other
local
counties
and
municipalities.
Right.
D
Sometimes
it's
a
struggling
to
fight
for
us
to
get
them
there
to
see
things
that
are
taking
place
here
in
the
city
of
philadelphia
and
so
like
with
the
office
of
victims
advocate.
We
have
had
500
homicides
here
in
the
city
of
philadelphia
just
this
last
year
right
and
the
policy
on
the
state
level
yeah
they
have
been,
they
have
been
supportive,
but
not
to
the
extent
around
the
issue
of
gun
violence.
D
Their
particular
issue
with
all
the
victims
advocate
on
the
state
level,
was
fighting
for
domestic
violence
and
individuals
who
are
impacted
by
sexual
assault,
which
is
a
very
worthy
issue
to
address.
So
I
just
want
to
say
that
for
the
record,
but
the
voices
for
the
mothers
right
and
the
fathers
and
the
films
were
losing
young
people
day
after
day
the
census
gun
violence
was
pretty
much
non-existent
in
terms
of
them
having
a
voice,
and
someone
really
looking
at
this
issue
in
in
a
totality
issue.
D
D
So
I
just
wanted
to
just
put
that
out
there
for
the
record,
because
I
believe
you
know
charlie
starts
at
home.
The
protection
of
our
youth
starts
at
home,
and
so
anything
that
takes
place
across
the
state
of
pennsylvania.
You
know,
I
think
their
legislators
need
to
address
it
in
their
capacity,
but
our
role
as
local
council
members
are
to
address
this
issue
locally,
and
so
I
just
wanted
to
put
that
out
there
for
the
record.
A
H
Yes,
so
let
me
start
with
the
two
facilities
that
received
unsatisfactory.
One
of
the
facilities
is
no
longer
a
provider
for
dhs.
The
other
facility
is
a
provider
group
home
is
a
provider
I'll
ask
for
my
team.
I
may
have
to
get
back
to
you,
council,
member
books
with
the
number
of
young
people.
They
are
group
homes,
so
they're,
not
a
large
institution.
H
I
just
don't
want
to
quote
a
number.
I
will
say
that
typically
group
homes
have
anywhere
between
six
and
eight
young
people,
as
opposed
to
a
large
institution,
but
I
see
my
team
texting
now
to
give
a
sense
of
how
many
people
are
there.
I
mean
young
people.
Are
there
in
terms
of
the
other
facilities?
H
H
So,
even
fair,
so
even
fair,
depending
on
fair,
although
fair,
is
between
80
and
89,
depending
on
the
indicator,
the
overall
could
be
fair,
but
then
there
could
be
an
indicator
that
we
are
concerned
about.
Then
we
will
put
them
on
a
corrective
action
plan
for
that
particular
indicator,
so
from
fair
needs,
improvement
and
certainly
unsatisfactory,
and
then
what
we
do
as
opposed
to
a
yearly
monitoring,
then
we
monitor
them
between
every
three
and
six
months,
depending
on
their
scoring
okay.
A
A
H
H
H
We
also
hosted
forums
with
the
providers
around
our
expectations
around
making
sure
that
young
people
know
who
to
report,
and
they
don't
have
to
report
to
the
net,
the
provider
necessarily
if
they
have
concerns
they
have
a
child
advocate
that
they
can
report
to
certainly
a
dhs
or
community
umbrella
agency
that
they
can
report
to.
They
were
also
given
the
number
to
ghs
hotline
as
well
as
child
line.
A
A
Another
one
was
adelphia,
which,
in
march
19
the
state
dhs
secretary
at
the
time,
found
substantial
claims
that
his
staff
had
sexually
abused
a
young
person
over
three
weeks,
and
that
was
a
month
before
this
report
was
out.
So
how
is
it
possible
for
events
like
the
six
on
one
assault
or
several
weeks
of
sexual
abuse
to
occur
in
to
occur
and
an
institution
still
receive
the
highest
optimal
score.
H
H
By
way
of
we
do
go
on
the
state
website
to
determine
whether
or
not
the
state
has
cited
the
facility
or
not.
That's
something
that
our
division
of
performance
management
technology
will
go
back
and
take
into
consideration,
because
at
this
point
is
philadelphia,
young
people
only
and
not
young
people,
that
is
outside
of
philadelphia.
But
I
will
say
that
those
are
serious
incidents
significant
concerns,
so
we
should
think
about
how
do
we
weigh
those
concerns?
Even
if
they're
not
philadelphia,
concerned
philadelphia,
young
people?
So
we
will
definitely
take
that
back.
B
Chair,
thank
you
so
much
councilmember
brooks,
and
you
know,
commissioner,
ali
again,
you
know
we
appreciate
the
work
that
has
been
done
by
dhs
to
address
it.
I
think
one
of
our
concerns,
though
just
remains
that
we
just
don't
know
what
we
don't
know
I
mean.
I
think
that
is
the
bigger
issue
here
and
the
question
is:
are
we
offering
enough
opportunities
for
young
people
to
reach
out
to
us?
B
You
know
there
have
been
questions
about
local
powers
versus
state
powers,
for
example,
but
I
think
you
know
whether
or
not
a
local
ombudsman
would
have
the
power
to,
for
example,
shut
down
a
facility.
Isn't
really,
I
think,
as
council
member
johnson
said,
isn't
really
the
standard
I
mean
we
can
agree
that
dhs
has
the
power
to
end
a
contract,
terminate
a
contract
and
remove
its
own
children.
B
Is
that
correct,
yes,
okay
and
so
knowledge
of
and
your
own
investigations
can
allow
you
to
do
that,
remove
children
from
unsafe
situations
and
then,
if
the
state
were
to
shut
it
down,
that
would
be
up
to
them,
but
we
have
control
or
should
feel
like.
We
have
control
over
the
safety
of
our
young
people
if
it
comes
to
our
attention.
B
B
M
Yes,
my
name
is
aquila.
I
am
22
years
old
and
this
is
my
fourth
year
serving
as
an
advocate
with
the
juveniles
for
justice
at
the
juvenile
law
center.
I
first
entered
the
child
welfare
system.
When
I
was
15.,
it
was
a
long
horrible
journey.
I've
been
bounced
around
through
a
few
juvenile
residential
treatment
facilities.
M
I've
had
workers
assigned
to
me
through
dhs
in
the
courts.
To
this
day,
I
feel
like
I've
encountered
so
many
harmful
and
traumatic
events,
while
being
in
the
child
welfare
system.
I
was
expelled
in
11th
grade
due
to
truancy,
odd
and
feeling
frustrated
with
things
happening
in
my
life.
After
being
expelled,
I
was
sent
to
an
alternative
school
on
probation
and
later
forced
to
go
to
a
juvenile
placement
because
of
a
gps
violation.
M
When
I
got
to
the
juvenile
holding
facility,
no
one
notified
the
alternative
school,
so
they
didn't
know.
I
was
in
placement
and
constantly
marking
the
abstinence,
while
in
the
juvenile
facility
they
helped
me
at
the
juvenile
holding
facility.
Until
a
placement
became
available
finally
placed
at
an
official
placement,
I
suffered
from
depression
and
I
felt
spiritless.
M
M
I
was,
I
was
glad
to
talk
to
anyone,
because
I
just
wanted
to
express
to
someone
how
things
was
making
me
feel,
while
at
a
residential
treatment
placement,
the
placement
prescribed
me
medicine
as
a
child
that
was
too
high
in
dosage
and
made
me
light-headed
dizzy
and
made
me
throw
up.
I
told
this
to
my
philly
kua
worker,
who
then
told
me
the
medicine
was
for
my
own
good.
I
then
told
the
psychiatrist,
I
did
not
feel
the
medicine
was
making
me
feel
better.
M
I
made
a
mistake
telling
her
because
this
only
led
to
them
increasing
the
medicine
they
were
giving
me
throughout
my
whole
stay
I
gained
weight
and
I
am
scared
of
medicine
to
this
day
as
an
effect,
while
at
placement
I
felt
I
had
no
advocate
for
myself.
No,
I
thought
I
had
I
had
to
advocate
for
myself
a
lot,
including
attending
a
school
off
grounds
of
the
placement,
a
local
community
school.
Where
I
had
to
be
tested
and
accepted.
I
was
glad
because
the
placement
school
was
horrible.
M
I
I
was
discharged
from
the
placement
at
age
18..
I
did
not
leave
with
the
documents
that
I
needed.
Like
my
like
my
school
documents,
my
health
records
or
my
vital
documents,
I
had
to
find
my
vital
documents
on
my
own.
The
placement
order.
Local
school
never
gave
me
my
diploma,
so
I
had
no
proof
that
I
graduated
high
school.
M
M
If
there
wasn't
an
office
like
a
local
philadelphia
ombudsman
office,
youth
could
go
there
to
file
complaints
and
get
accurate
information
on
who
is
supposed
to
help
and
report
when
when
people
are
not
supporting
them,
I
could
have
used
this
office
when
I
was
over
medicated
and
when
I
didn't
receive
appropriate
support
and
placement
and
when
I
left
no
child-
or
you
should
have
to
do
this
alone,
but
I
did
I
was
a
kid.
I
deserve
better
to
expect
that
a
youth
who
go
to
placement
will
experience.
M
B
A
Year
with
juvenile
law
center,
when
I
first
entered
care,
I
first
had
took
care
around
15.
placement
did
not
help
me,
especially
not
with
school.
The
placement
that
I
went
to
did
not
have
school.
I
did
not
know
that
I
was
supposed
to
have
educational
support
and
placement,
so
I
did
not
ask
about
it.
If
I
was
never
sent
to
placement,
I
would
have
graduated
on
time.
While
I
was
in
juvenile
placement.
A
I
experienced
discrimination
because
I'm
lgbtq
youth
discrimination
and
mistreatment
in
these
facilities
is
a
constant
problem
and
one
known
person
or
child
should
ever
have.
Sometimes
it
happens
because
of
our
race,
orientation
or
sexuality,
and
no
one
ever
really
knows
or
is
held
accountable
for
what
happens
to
us.
A
What
I
would
like
to
see
change
is
more
options
for
not
placing
use,
but
real
legislation
and
policies
that
divest
from
youth
incarceration
and
a
real
investment
in
communities.
We
need
an
ambassador
office
because,
obviously,
youth
are
not
being
cared
for
in
these
placements.
Youth
deserve
care
and
respect.
Adults
should
have
been
carefully
going
through
children
and
youth
complaints
and
should
be
evalu
evaluating
these
places.
How
can
you
all
look
at
these
complaints
and
cases
and
say
to
yourself?
Oh
a
youth
reported
that
and
that
you
just
throw
it
out
or
unfound.
A
These
claims
that's
wrong
and
it
doesn't
make
any
sense.
You
all
need
to
be
held
accountable
for
what
has
happened
to
us
in
these
facilities.
You
all
should
be
doing
your
job
just
like
how
you
want
everyone
else
to
do
their
jobs.
You
all
need
to
care
more
about
investing
money
in
the
youth.
Instead
of
the
over
211
thousand
dollars
per
kid,
it
can
cost
in
pennsylvania
to
lock
youth
up
the
same
amount
of
money
you
all
spend
to
incarcerate.
Youth
can
be
used
to
create
many
programs
to
keep
youth
off.
A
The
street
philly
could
have
philly,
have
more
physical
activity.
Programs
sports,
like
like
basketball
and
recreational
activities,
to
keep
youth
off
the
street.
You
shouldn't
shouldn't,
have
their
only
option
to
be
to
go
to
placement
when
they
need
help.
Placement
is
not
helpful.
Placement
did
not
help
me
at
all,
especially
with
school.
I'm
still
not
sure
I
ever
got
credits
while
in
placement
I
found
out,
because
when
I
got
home
I
was
trying
to
get
into
a
local
community
school
and
they
couldn't
locate
any
credits
from
the
placement
school.
A
A
If
we
had
an
office
like
this
locally,
a
lot
of
youth
from
philly
and
placement
and
in
group
homes
might
not
be
behind
in
their
schooling
having
to
graduate
after
1920
or
older,
because
they
could
report
that
they
are
not
getting
any
any
any
education
or
not
getting
the
educational
support
they're
supposed
to
get
and
get
help
faster.
It
could
help
make
sure
youth
can
get
the
real
help
they
need
when
they
are
returning
back
to
their
local
school.
This
office
could
have
also
helped
address
when
I
was
experiencing
discrimination
and
placement
from
staff.
A
E
But
you
know
I
implore
the
council
to
you
know,
stop
waiting
for
a
miraculous
manifestation
of
empathy,
and
you
know
we
start
demanding
that
knees
are
being
forcibly
removed
right.
We
start
demanding
that
young
people
are
are
given
the
chance
to
breathe.
We
start
demanding
that
it
shouldn't
be
on
the
so
obvious
and
traumatized
child
victims
of
abuse
or
their
families,
who
are
oftentimes
kept
in
the
dark
about
the
abuse
who
don't
they
don't
know?
What
truly
happens.
E
That
has
the
time
and
resources
and
may
have
the
limited
capabilities
to
deal
with
everybody
that
you
know
doesn't
reside
within
the
state
of
philadelphia,
but
really,
I
think,
it's
just
time
to
begin
actively
implementing
an
ombudsman
office
within
philadelphia
with
individuals
who
are
informed
appropriately
and
implementing
trauma-informed
care
practices.
Individuals
who
can
interpret
the
sometimes
verbose
reactions
from
a
young
person,
just
not
as
a
personal
slight,
but
simply
the
evidence
of
a
developing
brain
and
a
child
being
a
child.
E
E
Glenn
mills
affected
our
children.
You
know
wordsworth
affected
our
children,
vision,
quest
affected,
our
children
and
the
solution
isn't
just
to
close
the
drinks
and
rely
on
the
the
veil
of
confidentiality,
because
you
know
when
it's
time
for
these
resolutions
to
be
seen
in
these
tragedies.
Now
we
see
that
confidentiality
is
put
on
the
back
end
for
headlines
and
statements
by
journalists
who
spoke
up
because
there
was
no
other
independent
body
able
to
so.
E
Isn't
you
know
setting
the
tone,
we
have
to
understand
that
philadelphia
is
really
able
to
set
the
tone
for
pennsylvania,
because
you
know
we
turned
the
whole
red
state
blue
right.
So
this
little
city
has
a
lot
of
power
and
I
think
it's
time
for
us
to
utilize
it.
So
thank
you.
You
know,
for
my
time
and
for
everybody
listening.
B
Anthony
thank
you
that
was
incredibly
powerful
and
I
think
you're
just
underscoring
the
importance
of
us
being
the
leader.
Here
I
mean
you
are
and
the
hundreds
of
young
people
who
are
in
the
system
right
now
are
our
kids
and
you're
exactly
right.
You
know
we
whatever
happens
to
any
child.
You
know
it's
going
to
impact
our
children,
so
we
have
to
be
the
leaders
here
and
I
think
that's
a
clear
message
that
we're
having
so.
Thank
you
very
much.
O
G
I
am
the
social
worker
and
senior
manager
of
youth
advocacy
program
and
policy
at
the
juvenile
law
center.
Thank
you
all
for
allowing
me
to
speak
today
on
the
important
issue
of
having
a
local
ombuds
person,
time
and
time
again
as
a
society.
We
do
not
take
accountability
for
the
positions
that
we
place.
G
Children
and
youth
in
this
is
especially
true
in
pennsylvania,
a
state
that
has
been
known
for
its
punitive
system,
high
incarceration
rate
and
has
the
seventh
highest
youth
incarceration
rate
in
the
nation,
while
philadelphia
works
to
decrease
the
number
of
youth
and
juvenile
placements.
We
still
have
too
many
young
people
in
lock
up,
and
our
city
continues
to
remove
children
from
their
families
at
alarming
rates.
G
G
Children
are
being
put
at
risk,
they
are
being
removed
from
their
homes
and
are
forced
into
systems
that
claims
to
be
able
to
support
them
and
offer
a
better
environment
where
youth
are
safe
and
their
well-being
is
promoted.
Instead,
they
are
not
protected,
they
are
harmed,
they
are
in
your
system,
they
are
leaving
and
entering
into
homelessness.
They're,
not
graduating
they're,
trying
to
find
help
on
their
own
and
are
left
to
their
own
devices
to
try
to
figure
out
how
to
heal
from
the
trauma
that
your
system
has
caused.
G
G
They
have
not
been
protected
by
response
lines
that
are
operated
by
our
own
child
welfare
agency.
They
have
not,
they
are
not
adequately
responded
to
when
they
patiently
go
up
the
chains
of
command
when
they
go
to
their
case.
Planning
hearings
they're
not
even
heard
they're
not
heard
in
court.
These
mechanisms
are
not
effective
at
protecting
youth
and
they
make
young
people
distrust.
The
system
that
we
claim
has
been
meant
to
protect
them.
G
Your
system
doesn't
promote
healing
it.
Causes
trauma,
trauma
occurs
in
these
placements
philadelphia.
Children,
like
all
children,
deserve
an
opportunity
to
be
seen
and
treated
as
human
and
as
actual
children.
They
deserve
opportunities
to
stay
in
their
communities
with
their
friends
with
their
teachers
with
their
siblings.
G
I
want
to
leave
you
all
with
one
question
from
one
of
our
young
people
who
spoke
earlier,
dwayne
dwayne
and
I
were
chatting
the
other
day
and
he
said
to
me
miss
marcia.
I
wonder
if
we
asked
any
of
these
people
who
work
for
these
systems
if
they
had
the
opportunity
to
send
our
kids
to
these
systems,
would
they
do
the
exact
same
thing
they
did
to
us
with
the
same
rules,
the
same
silencing,
the
same
things
we
experienced
if
they
had
to
take
what
we
received?
Would
they
accept
it
all
without
any
hesitation?
G
If
we
don't
implement
an
office
or
any
mechanism,
because
we
don't
have
a
current
mechanism
to
protect
young
people,
we
are
sending
a
message
to
children
and
youth
that
they
are
expendable
and
that
we
care
way
more
about
saving
some
dollars
than
their
care,
their
well-being
and
their
healing.
They
deserve
absolutely
so
much
better.
Thank
you.
B
Well,
first
of
all,
I
want
to
again
thank
the
individuals
who
testified,
and
you
know
one
of
the
things
we
just
for
my
council
colleagues,
who
are
also
here.
I
did
wanna
also
note
that
our
folder
on
the
testimonies
also
includes
the
testimony
of
of
additional
youth,
who
aren't
speaking,
you
know
today,
but
also
submitted
written
testimony
as
well,
and
also
gives
a
powerful
insight
into
this
system
that
we're
really
trying
to
do
a
lot
to
change,
but
for
the
panelists
who
are
before
us
today.
B
E
I'll
start
for
me,
someone
in
that
position
would
have
been
invaluable
right.
You
know
someone
who
is
detached
from
my
school
someone
who
isn't
attached
to
my
resource
parent
or
someone
who
isn't
attached
to
dhs
or
the
residential
facility.
I
feel
like
that's
what
I
needed
for
such
a
long
time,
because
during
my
time
in
residential,
you
know
places
with
resource
parents
right.
D
E
So
complacent
with
how
things
are
right
now
right,
it
would
have
been
so
complacent
with
how
infrastructurally
damaged
the
child,
welfare
and
juvenile
justice
system
can
be.
So,
in
my
opinion,
I
know
that
they
would
have
made
a
great
difference
and
you
know
would
have
changed
a
lot
of
things
in
my
life
positively.
B
Thank
you
so
much
anthony
and,
I
think,
underscoring
the
need
to
have
somebody.
That's
separate
from
all
these
other
systems
is
incredibly
helpful.
It
just
explains
a
lot
about
why
you
know
why
why
why
this
is
such
an
urgent
call
from
youth
and
from
advocates
there
anybody
else
who
felt
comfortable
answering
that
question
and
again
the
question
is:
how
would
it
have
felt
you
know?
How
would
it?
How
could
it
have
made
a
difference
in
in
your
experience
or
for
other
young
people
who
are
in
placement.
C
G
Yes,
I
mean
I'm
happy
to
answer
your
accounts
person.
If
you
don't
mind,
you
know
just
of
the
years
that
I've
worked
with
young
people,
I
think
you
know
being
very
frank.
We
are
too
late
to
find
out
about
these
things
and
I
think
the
reality
is
across
the
state
of
pennsylvania
and
our
county,
and
we're
saying
it
nationally,
unfortunately,
is
that
once
young
people
get
into
these
systems,
people
are
basically
saying
I
mean
anything
was
better
than
being
placed
in
these
group
placements.
G
We
do
not
have
anything
in
place.
That
is
doing
the
job
that
we
also
hope
it
to
do.
And
when
you
read
the
mission
of
our
child
welfare,
our
state
child
welfare
and
all
these
other
institutions,
it's
supposed
to
rehabilitate,
perhaps
protect
you,
know,
promote
this
and
promote
that
and
the
fact
in
the
reality
is
that's
not
what
happening
when
young
people
are
in
these
systems,
and
we
don't
need
statistics
to
tell
us
that.
G
G
There
are
many
things
that
come
out
all
the
time
and
reports,
and
the
facts
is
our
own
facts
as
a
county
are
actually
slapping
us
in
the
face
about
what
it
is
that
we
need
to
do
right.
The
fact
that
our
numbers
have
been
reduced
in
part
due
to
the
fact
of
closing
of
facilities
that
were
abusive
to
children
is
a
reality
that
we
need
to
face.
B
Thank
you
so
much
marcia
and
you
know,
can
we
just
not
just
say
underscore,
but
like
3
000
times
underline,
highlight
with
exclamation
points
all
over
it?
There
was
no
question.
The
closure
of
glenn
mills
was
beyond
too
late.
There
was
decades
of
stories
about
glendale.
There
were
police
reports,
there
were
hospital
records,
there
were
the
statements
of
young
people
and
we
simply
don't
have
a
mechanism
for
allowing
it
to
be
heard
in
a
serious
way,
and
that
is
on
us.
You
know
again,
it's
just
underscoring
everything
that
you
said.
B
B
They
need
to
feel
like
they
had
a
childhood
when,
when
things
you
know
were
went
wrong
for
them
when
they
were
at
their
most
vulnerable
and
desperate,
that
we
did
something
to
give
them
back
their
childhood
and
it's
simply
unacceptable
if,
if
we
instead
put
them
in
places
that
have
no
oversight,
we
know
our
you
know
are
poorly
trained,
have
been
places
of
abuse
and
the
only
way
we
find
out
about
it
is
in
the
newspaper.
It's
just
it's
not.
We
cannot
continue
with
that
anymore.
B
I
really
want
to
thank
you.
Marcia
anthony
is
just
extraordinarily
powerful
ashali
for
your
testimony,
quella,
who
you
know,
we've
known
for
a
number
of
years
now
and
have
been
incredibly
grateful
for
her
voice,
but
for
all
of
you
thank
you
and
we
will.
We
will
try
to
do
as
better.
You
know
we're
going
to
be
pushing
on
this
as
hard
as
we
can.
So.
Thank
you.
J
I
just
want
to
make
a
comment:
I've
been
listening
and
I
mean
really
powerful
testimony,
especially
from
the
youth
and
obviously
we
need
a
position
like
this
that
I
don't
think.
That's
the
question.
I
think
that's
a
given
what
morsi
has
said
about
the
statistics,
it's
very
troubling,
to
know
that
we
as
a
city
who
try
to
take
pride
in
how
we
deal
with
youth,
is
probably
the
the
worst
offender
in
pushing
them
away.
J
J
K
J
L
J
It's
so
important
because
hearing
those
voices
from
the
children
and
not
only
just
the
advocates
but
the
people
who
were
actually
involved
in
it
and
and
them
reaching
out
saying
we
could
have
done
something
better
for
us,
and
maybe
we
wouldn't
be
in
this
position
that
we're
in
today,
so
I'm
willing
to
keep
listening
and
learning
and
whatever
we
could
do
help
move
this
forward.
So
thank
you.
A
I
just
wanted
to
echo
the
sentiments
of
my
colleague,
councilman
spoiler.
I
thank
you
guys
so
much
for
just
the
work
that
you
do
and
the
continued
advocacy
around
this
work
being
young
people
that
came
out
of
the
system
and
now
continue
to
help
young
people
navigate
this.
It
means
so
much
to
the
next
generation
of
young
folks,
but
it
also
means
a
lot
to
you
know
us,
oh
heads
and
educating
us
on
the
things
and
ways
that
we
can
make
it
better
for
young
folks,
so
anthony
marcia,
iceland.
A
B
Good
afternoon
to
this
powerhouse
panel,
wonderful
to
have
everybody
excel
if
you
would
like
to
just
introduce
yourself
formally
for
the
record,
many
of
us
already
know
who
you
are
and
just
thank
you
so
much
for
your
leadership,
statewide
locally
and
and
as
the
former
chair
of
our
youth
as
the
as
the
esteemed
co-chair
of
our
youth
residential
placement
task
force.
Thank
you.
I'm.
O
I
am
esthel
richmond,
I'm
currently
retired.
I
want
to
start
off
by
thanking
all
the
council
persons
for
having
for
for
having
this
forum
and
a
big
thank
you
to
the
youth
and
parent
for
your
testimony.
It
is
so
important
that
we
hear
your
voice,
and
I
want
to
acknowledge
the
comments
from
commissioner
ali
on
the
significant
progress
that
the
philadelphia
department
of
human
services
has
made
has
made
in
reducing
placement.
O
In
all
of
these
positions.
The
thing
I
feared,
the
most
one
of
the
things
that
kept
me
awake
at
night
was
not
knowing
what
I
don't
know.
In
fact,
I
would
tell
you
what
every
supervisor
director
administrator
fears
is
the
unknown
you're
constantly
trying
to
find
ways
to
create
feedback
loops?
That
will
give
you
information.
O
You
want
to
know
where
the
gaps
are
in
communication,
where
they
are
in
program
and
where
they
are
in
staff,
because
you
can
fix
you
can
plan.
If
you
know
the
problems,
you
cannot
fix
what
you
don't
know,
and
I
wanted
to
know
what
I
did
not
know
currently
as
a
retired
person,
I'm
on
or
work
with,
several
non-profit
boards
and
foundations.
O
One
of
my
more
recent
activities,
though,
was
co-chair
of
the
youth
residential
placement
task
force
as
a
result
of
the
death
of
a
child
at
wordsworth
in
the
abuse
of
children
at
glenn
mills.
The
task
force
made
recommendations
to
prevent
and
lower
the
probability
of
children
being
sent
to
residential
facilities.
O
One
of
our
recommendations
was
to
create
an
ombudsman
office
in
philadelphia.
I
urge
you
to
read
our
report.
If
you
have
not
done
so,
I
want
to
speak
to
three
important
issues
today.
Why
an
independent
entity,
why
a
local
creation
and
why
urgency
I'm
going
to
shorten
my
testimony?
A
little
bit
on
because
you
have
it
in
written
format,
just
in
sake
of
time.
O
O
It
is
fundamental
that
individuals
making
a
report
need
to
feel
safe
need
to
know
there
will
not
be
retribution
to
know
that
there
will
be
action
taken
and
there
will
be
feedback
as
a
result
of
the
action.
The
odd
buds,
the
ombudsman,
I'm
budget
buzzperson
becomes
a
way
to
learn
what
you
do
not
know.
O
The
data
tells
us
that
individuals
are
more
likely
to
confine
it
in
someone
outside
of
government
outside
of
their
employer
and
outside
of
the
facility
where
they
live.
Importantly,
an
ombudsman
provides
their
feedback
to
the
agency
or
institutions,
so
the
ceo
administrative
director
can
take
steps
to
lower
the
probability
of
abuse.
O
O
Let
me
stop
here
and
say
that
no
provider
wants
children,
injured
or
abused
in
their
facilities
accidentally
or
intentionally.
They
have
the
same
concerns
that
any
administrator
would
have
among
them.
What
is
it
they
don't
know?
They
want
to
know
if
they
have
staff
at
any
level
that
are
hurting
children.
They
want
to
know
if
their
policies
are
ineffective.
O
The
information
that
an
independent
ombudsman
can
collect
and
give
to
providers
can
help
fill
gaps
in
knowledge
and
contribute
to
fixing
problems
before
they
become
trends
or
tragedies.
However,
they
don't
know
what
they
don't
know.
Self-Reporting
requires
that
you
requires
what
you
don't
know
it
requires.
Someone
needs
to
tell
you
what
is
happening.
O
O
O
Furthermore,
facilities
are
also
mandated
to
have
an
internal
grievance
policy,
but
those
grievances
may
or
may
not
be
reported,
there's
no,
real-time
monitoring
or
reporting
on
how
many
internal
grievances
a
facility
might
have
the
the
identification
of
patterns
or
how
many
have
had
they
might
have
had,
resulting
in
licensing
actions.
An
independent
entity
increases
credibility
and
reliability.
O
O
During
my
tenure
as
the
department
of
public
welfare
secretary,
we
tried
very
hard
to
create
a
state
ombudsman
office.
Unfortunately,
I
and
many
senior
members
of
my
administration
left
the
state
before
getting
it
over
the
finish
line.
It
was
one
of
my
failures
and
disappointments
in
leaving
the
rindell
administration
at
that
time.
O
The
youth
residential
placement
task
force
presented
another
opportunity
to
find
a
way
to
protect
children
and
youth.
The
task
force,
which
was
co-chaired
by
me
and
patricia
fox,
voted
to
include
the
recommendation
for
an
ombudsperson
office,
because
it's
another
opportunity
to
learn
what
you
don't
know.
O
I
will
continue
to
advocate
for
an
ombudsman
office
at
the
state
level,
but
that
does
not
get
us
philadelphians
government
workers
advocate
providers
and
elected
officials
off
the
hook
to
protect
our
children
and
youth,
while
I'll
agree
that,
ideally,
there
should
be
an
unboxed
person
office
at
the
state
level.
I
also
firmly
believe
that,
as
the
biggest
sender
of
children
to
residential
facilities,
philadelphia
has
the
responsibility
to
protect
our
children
and
youth.
We
have
to
take
action
to
protect
our
children
and
for
me
this
is
also
personal.
O
O
O
O
In
fact,
too
often
the
inquirer
is
the
place
where
we
learn
about
the
physical,
sexual
and
mental
abuse
that
residents
of
these
facilities
have
experienced.
We
can
and
must
do
better.
There
are
ways
that
we,
whether
an
advocate
provider
administrator,
a
staff
or
parent,
can
support
that
has
that
can
support
an
ombudsman
that
has
a
promise
to
tell
us
what
we
don't
know
the
time
to
create
this
is
now
our
children
deserve
better
than
waiting
for
the
state
to
take
action.
O
C
P
Good
afternoon
I'm
frank
cervone,
I'm
executive
director
of
the
support
center
for
child
advocates.
The
support
center
for
child
advocates
is
philadelphia's
lawyer,
pro
bono
program
for
abused
and
neglected
children.
We
offer
the
skills
and
dedication
of
lawyer
social
worker
teams,
and
we
represent
more
than
1100
children
each
year
who
are
involved
with
dhs
and
family
court.
John
adkits
works
to
ensure
safety,
health,
education,
family
permanency
and
access
to
justice.
P
Personally,
I
was
a
member
of
the
youth
residential
placement
task
force.
I
also
served
as
a
member
of
the
child
welfare
review
panel,
convened
by
the
city
in
response
to
the
2006
death
of
daniel
kelly,
a
child
who
was
served
in
our
own
home
by
dhs
and
by
private
providers
for
more
than
44
years.
We
have
served
as
a
resource
to
this
council
on
its
staff,
and
I
thank
you
for
the
invitation
to
serve
in
this
role.
P
The
experiences
of
countless
families
and
children
tell
a
different
story
when
child
serving
systems
act
in
a
manner
that
is
questionable
or
suspect,
or
even
abusive.
Citizens
and
consumers
have
little
recourse
outside
the
system
that
is
aggrieving
them.
Individuals
need
a
place
to
turn.
The
public
at
large
needs
assurance
that
this
is
a
system.
They
can
trust
the
office
of
the
philly.
Youth
ombudsman
will
not
erode
confidence;
rather,
it
will
build
confidence
that
these
are
systems.
We
can
trust
as
dozens
of
states
and
communities
are
demonstrating.
P
It
is
now
the
state
of
the
art
of
governing
that
communities
care
enough
to
listen.
We
commend
commissioner
ali
and
deputy
commissioner
rodriguez
for
their
leadership
on
reforms.
Their
efforts
are
essential
and
impressive.
They
are
insufficient.
However,
we
urge
you
to
create
the
youth
services
ombudsman
office
in
philadelphia.
P
P
But
cairo
is
a
little-known
hard-to-find
and
totally
opaque
internal
mechanism
that
really
gives
few
people
the
confidence
that
kids
have
a
place
to
call
or
that
they
will
be
heard
with
no
disrespect
intended
to
the
folks
who
run
it
or
to
the
leadership
of
the
department.
We
suggest
that
council
members,
google,
the
dhs
commissioner's
action
response
office,
you'll,
find
it
buried
on
the
web
page
used
to
request
a
birth
certificate
or
a
marriage
license.
P
It's
not
really
an
outward
pointing
face
for
the
department
to
receive
or
encourage
grievance.
Mostly
carol
is
inside
the
entity
that
it
is
set
up
to
watch
again.
We
don't
mean
to
impugn
the
motivations
or
practices
of
our
colleagues
who
run
dhs
or
the
other
agencies
that
we
address
today.
But
if
we're
to
have
confidence
in
the
accountability
and
the
objectivity
of
the
process,
it
must
be
independent
and
transparent
with
investigary
investigatory
powers.
P
P
Bad
things
were
happening
behind
closed
doors
and
no
one
was
telling
that's
the
way
child
abuse
works.
You
know
it's
a
secret
kept
for
days
or
weeks
or
years.
One
might
think
of
the
painful
passage
of
time
for
each
youth,
the
time
between
when
they
were
harmed,
and
when
that
harm
became
known
or
at
least
known
to
the
public
and
to
their
families.
P
P
Mostly.
We
have
to
ask
why
the
secret
is
it
fear
or
self-protection
by
the
victim?
Is
it
self-protection
by
the
perpetrator
or
perhaps
the
organization
we're
talking
about
the
silence
of
people
who
know
we're
never
going
to
fully
understand
motivations?
You
know
why
do
they
keep
the
secret,
but
we
have
to
acknowledge
that
victims
didn't
think
they
could
tell.
These
events
demonstrate
the
massive
silence
of
calls
not
made
and
injuries
not
known.
P
P
P
Finally,
it's
been
suggested
often
that
state
and
county
welfare
agencies
have
processes
in
place
for
receiving
and
resolving
complaints
like
caro.
Here
these
mechanisms
simply
do
not
serve
the
purposes.
We
are
seeking
the
regional
offices
of
paths
they
investigate,
they
can
make
recommendations,
but
they
simply
cannot
do
not
provide
an
adequate
remedy.
Their
failures
at
glenn
mills
are
now
infamous.
P
The
courts
can
be
a
good
form
to
address
some
concerns,
but
given
the
time
and
cost
associated
with
any
litigation,
it's
hard
to
imagine
a
parent,
much
less
a
child
always
feeling
like
problems
can
be
redressed
there
should
this
ombudsman
be
happening
statewide
at
the
level
of
state
government
and
conducted
by
the
state,
certainly,
but
only
in
our
dreams.
These
20-plus
years
of
failed
advocacy
and
obstruction
tell
us
that
this
is
simply
not
going
to
happen
anytime
soon.
P
Any
call
for
this
function
to
lie
elsewhere
is
really
a
statement
that
we're
not
responsible
for
our
kids
and
our
own
services
and
our
own
problems
and,
with
all
due
respect,
that's
fundamentally
irresponsible.
We
urge
you
to
create
the
youth
services
ombudsman
office
in
philadelphia.
We
have
to
take
care
of
our
own.
I
I
As
we've
heard
from
all
of
the
youths,
so
eloquent
speak
eloquently
speaking
today
and
miss
williams,
our
parent
who
spoke
today.
These
abuses
and
maltreatment
aren't
things
that
are
happening
to
other
people
somewhere
else.
It
is
our
responsibility
as
philadelphians
to
protect
our
youth
and
families.
I
The
model
design
of
an
ombuds
office
is
to
serve
as
an
independent,
meaning
not
run
by
the
systems
that
put
them
in
these
facilities,
impartial
and
a
resource
to
the
community
office
that
can
receive
and
investigate
these
reports.
It's
about
creating
a
credible
review
process
and
shining
a
light
on
these
grievances
and
stopping
them
from
continuing.
I
It
is
possible
to
do
that
legally
within
philadelphia,
while
maintaining
confidentiality
for
youth
and
families.
As
I
hope
we
will
all
agree
by
the
end
of
this
hearing.
It
is
well
past
time
for
the
city
of
philadelphia
to
follow
the
national
trend
and
create
a
youth
ombudsperson
office
to
receive
these
reports
to
receive
these
grievances
from
family
and
youth
and
to
who
have
been
committed
to
privately
run
residential
facilities
by
the
behavioral
health,
intellectual
disability,
child
welfare
and
juvenile
justice
systems.
I
I
have
also
personally
seen
what
can
happen
at
these
facilities
for
background
every
year
in
philadelphia,
around
17
000
children
enter
care
placed
there
by
the
systems.
I've
mentioned
every
year
over
twenty
two
thousand
two
hundred
of
those
children
end
up
relegated
to
residential
institutional
institutions
such
as
psychiatric
residential
treatment
facilities,
detention,
centers
group
homes.
I
Despite
what
the
law
says,
they
may
not
be
having
home
visits
or
seeing
their
families
in
terms
of
isolation.
Some
of
these
facilities
may
be
as
far
as
15
minutes
from
drive
from
the
closest
gas
station
or
fast
food
place.
This
impacts
their
ability
to
work
their
ability
to
get
out
into
the
community.
It
isolates
them
from
their
family.
They
also
have
spotty
internet
connection
in
some
of
these
facilities
and
some
are
over
50
miles
from
home.
I
It
severs
their
relationships
with
their
families
and
their
social
networks
that
isolation
can.
Isolation
contributes
to
the
feeling
that
children
can
be
harmed
because
no
one
can
see
the
general
public
has,
as
has
been
mentioned,
has
been
left
to
learn
about
these
things
through
the
philadelphia,
enquirer
and
council
members.
You
are
all
aware
of
these
incidents.
I
I
M
I
Call
their
child
advocate
now
every
one
of
these
cases
that
I've
mentioned
and
just
told
you
about
the
members
of
the
residential
placement
task
force
heard
that
these
children
did
all
of
those
things
it's
done
still
died
were
raped
and
abused
after
they
made
their
report.
The
calls
for
help
there
are
grievance
processes
that
processes
at
these
agencies
we've
heard
about
it.
Someone
else
has
spoken
today
that
estelle
richmond
has
spoken
today
that
they
rely
on
self-reporting
many
children
and
families
aren't
even
reformed
of
their
rights
to
report
grievances
or
how
to
do
so.
I
The
state
is
also
notoriously
strict
in
terms
of
providing
information
regarding
reports
of
abuses,
grievances
and
their
outcomes.
We've
seen
this
when
the
state
was
initially
asked
about
the
outcomes
of
254
abuse
cases
at
devereaux
occurring
over
a
two-year
period,
the
state
declined
to
disclose
that
information.
I
The
state
licenses
these
licenses,
these
facilities,
the
court
commits
the
children
dhs,
sends
the
children
and
we
pay
for
the
facilities.
Nobody,
but
these
reporters
put
together
the
fragments
of
multiple
reports.
The
only
one
who
has
the
data
is
the
pennsylvania
department
of
human
services,
but
they
don't
share
the
information
that
we
need
to
keep
kids
safe.
They
don't
share
it
with
the
courts,
philadelphia,
dhs
or
any
part
of
the
system.
I
We
are
fighting
to
change
that,
but
it
has
taken
years
at
the
state
level
and
it
could
take
even
more
years,
but
we
can
act
now.
The
current
administration
has
made
systemic
changes
so
that
kids
know
where
to
call
on
the
child
welfare
side.
That
is
clear,
but
some
of
these
providers
are
on
the
juvenile
justice
and
behavioral
health
side.
A
third-party
entity
can
receive
calls
from
all
these
systems
and
put
all
the
dots
together.
I
I
C
K
Thank
you
so
much
good
afternoon
and
thank
you
for
this
opportunity
to
speak
today.
My
name
is
maura
mcinerney
and
I
am
the
legal
director
at
the
education
law
center.
We
are
a
statewide
nonprofit
legal
organization,
dedicated
to
ensuring
that
all
of
pennsylvania
students
have
access
to
a
quality
public
education.
K
We
advocate
on
behalf
of
students
who
are
most
underserved
by
our
education
system,
including
those
living
in
poverty,
children
of
color
and
those
in
the
child,
welfare
and
juvenile
justice
systems.
Our
advocacy
seeks
to
ensure
policymakers
serve
the
educational
needs
of
children
who
have
been
marginalized
by
racism,
poverty
and
well-entrenched
educational
inequities.
K
Philadelphia's
children
in
residential
facilities
have
experienced
deep
harm
threats
to
their
safety
and
well-being
and
have
been
deprived
of
their
right
to
a
quality
education
from
wordsworth
to
the
culture
of
abuse
and
lack
of
education
at
glenn
mills
to
horrific
abuse
of
children
suffered
at
south
mountain
and
devereaux.
It
is
clear
that
our
state
and
local
oversight
has
failed
time
and
again,
no
one
has
listened
to
youth.
No
one
has
believed
them
until
it
was
too
late
for
too
many
children,
and
this
is
not
anecdotal,
as
reflected
in
my
first
slide.
K
Research
findings
in
our
2018
report,
based
on
publicly
available
information
reported
to
state
dhs
alone
between
2010
and
2018.
Children
in
residential
settings
were
physically
maltreated
156
times
exposed
to
inappropriate
sexual
contact
73
times
verbally
maltreated
43
times
and
of
92.
Incidents
of
inappropriate
restraints.
22
resulted
in
documented
injuries
to
children.
K
K
We
need
a
local
ombudsman
office
to
ensure
that
philadelphia,
children
who
will
return
to
our
communities,
our
homes
and
our
schools
are
free
from
harm
removed
from
harm
and
promptly
receive
the
supports
and
interventions
they
need.
While
in
placement
and
when
returning
to
our
communities,
philadelphia,
dhs
and
state
dhs
have
set
up
complaint
processes,
but
they
are
not
viable
options
for
our
youth
they're
difficult
to
find
hard
to
navigate
and,
most
importantly,
located
within
the
same
agencies.
They
are
seeking
to
hold
accountable
and
that
we
must
hold
accountable.
K
Youth
need
an
independent
office.
They
can
trust
where
their
voices
will
be
heard
and
their
voices
will
be
believed
and
children
are
not
only
unsafe.
They
also
fail
to
receive
the
educational
services
to
which
they
are
legally
entitled
and
desperately
need.
As
we
have
heard,
they
are
often
in
inferior
on-ground
schools
denied
the
right
to
public
education
and
where
the
institution
is
located
and
they
often
face
discrimination
based
on
race
and
disability.
K
On-Ground
schools
exist
largely
in
the
shadows,
with
little
oversight
of
any
local
or
state
education
agency.
They
are
not
required
to
follow
the
same
rigorous
state,
curriculum
standards
and
academic
requirements
of
public
schools.
Just
to
clarify
a
question
raised
by
council
member
helen
gim
most
on
ground.
Schools
are
private
academic
schools.
While
they
are
licensed
by
the
pennsylvania
department
of
education,
they
are
not
monitored
or
reviewed.
Pursuant
to
safe
state
policy.
These
school
programs
are
subject
to
on-site
cyclical
monitoring
only
once
every
six
years
and
then
only
with
regard
to
students
with
disabilities.
K
By
way
of
example,
if
a
school
like
glenn
mills,
radically
changes
its
program
from
in-person
classroom
instruction
to
an
online
credit
recovery
program,
the
pennsylvania
department
of
education
would
not
know
about
this
fundamental
change.
Moreover,
the
school
district
of
philadelphia
also
does
not
monitor
these
schools.
This
lack
of
monitoring
has
real
consequences
for
the
future
of
these
children
when
entering
residential
placement.
K
44
of
youth
are
behind
grade
level
as
depicted
in
slide
2
and
as
youth
have
reported,
the
education
with
you,
which
youth
receive
are
is
often
often
undermines
their
ability
to
actually
graduate
from
high
school.
They
earn
few
credits,
they're
taught
in
multi-grade
classrooms,
often
by
uncertified
or
improperly
certified
teachers.
They
frequently
receive
below
grade
level
coursework
and
they
fail
to
receive
the
educational
support
they
need.
This
prevents
them
from
developing
critical
skills,
building
knowledge
and
staying
on
track
to
graduate
52
percent
of
child
welfare
professionals.
K
Report
that
the
curriculum
at
on
ground
school
is
far
below
grade
level
limited
in
instruction
hours
relies
heavily
on
worksheets
and
fails
to
advan
advance
basic
skills.
These
schools
lack
essential
resources,
staff
and
services
that
are
required
to
effectively
educate
the
children
they
purport
to
serve
particularly
students
with
disabilities,
while
many
judges
court-ordered
youth
to
attend
on-ground
schools
in
a
misguided
attempt
to
solve
a
child's
truancy
problem,
these
children
often
find
themselves
even
further
behind
their
peers
when
returning
to
neighborhood
schools
and
they're
more
off
they're,
more
likely
to
drop
out.
K
In
addition,
parents
and
education
decision
makers
are
often
not
a
part
of
the
process
at
all.
Children
who
are
system
involved
are
two
and
a
half
to
three
and
a
half
times
more
likely
to
receive
special
education
services
than
non-system
involved.
Peers.
Students
with
disabilities
are
actually
more
likely
to
be
placed
in
residential
facilities,
and
they
are
particularly
harmed
by
a
one-size-fits-all
on-brand
schools
or
online
education.
They
are
routinely
denied
special
education
services
and
supports
and
deprived
of
their
federal
right
to
a
free,
appropriate
public
education.
K
K
This
mechanism
will
take
the
concerns
that
we
hear
about
far
too
late
out
of
the
shadows
and
into
the
light,
so
that
we
can
all
intervene
promptly.
We
need
to
hear
from
youth
and
families
who
are
directly
impacted.
I
urge
city
council
to
devote
the
resources
necessary
to
end
the
isolation
of
our
children
in
residential
placements
and
to
provide
them
with
a
youth
ombudsman
office
that
will
give
them
the
voice
that
they
have
been
denied
for
far
too
long.
Thank.
C
Q
Q
Thank
you
for
inviting
me
here
today
to
advocate
for
some
of
our
most
vulnerable
residents
of
philadelphia
children
who
have
entered
our
juvenile
justice
and
child
welfare
systems.
It
is
critical
that
philadelphia
create
a
youth
services
ombudsperson
office
to
receive
and
investigate
grievances
from
children
and
their
families
regarding
their
treatment
and
residential
placements.
Q
Our
city
has
an
obligation
to
protect
our
youth,
who
are
in
congregate,
care
or
delinquent
facilities.
The
defender
association
serves
as
the
public
defender
in
philadelphia.
It
is
an
independent
non-profit
corporation,
which
represents
approximately
70
percent
of
integer
criminal
defendants,
children
accused
of
delinquent
offenses
and
children
in
the
child
welfare
system.
Q
In
recent
years
annually,
the
defender
association
provided
legal
representation
in
over
three
thousand
child
welfare
cases
and
for
approximately
fifteen
hundred
child
defendants.
In
over
twenty
thousand
delinquent
hearings,
our
clients
are
disproportionately
poor
and
youth
of
color.
Many
have
disabilities
and
histories
of
trauma
and
abuse,
while
numbers
are
declining.
Q
Still
too
many
young
people
are
taken
away
from
their
own
communities
and
are
sent
to
residential
placements
across
rural
pennsylvania
and
the
united
states.
There
are
too
many
young
people
who
are
still
being
incarcerated
for
misdemeanor
charges.
Too
many
young
people
are
being
incarcerated
for
technical
violations
of
probation
and
behavioral
manifestations
of
disabilities.
Q
Our
youth
continue
to
be
separated
from
their
families,
communities
and
support
networks,
and
often
placed
in
areas
where
facility
staff
are
unlikely
to
look
like
them
and
share
their
experiences
at
their
best.
These
placements
cannot
relate
to
our
youth
in
a
culturally
competent
manner
and
at
their
worst
they
are
interacting
with
our
youth
and
rape.
Youth
in
racially
influenced
abuse.
Q
I've
seen
a
lot.
I've
been
a
public
defender
in
philadelphia
for
over
23
years.
I
represented
adults
and
children
in
all
phases
of
criminal
proceedings
and
litigated
thousands
of
hearings
motions
trials.
Over
the
years
for
the
past
decade,
I
have
focused
on
juvenile
justice
as
a
senior
attorney
juvenile
policy
analyst
and
now,
chief
of
the
children,
the
youth
justice
unit.
Q
I
am
proud
to
be
a
defender,
I
believe,
as
that,
as
public
defenders,
we
must
not
only
be
zealous
advocates
in
the
courtroom,
but
also
work
towards
social
justice,
racial
justice,
equity
and
opportunity
for
young
people.
As
defenders.
We
also
must
continue
to
amplify
the
voices
of
our
most
vulnerable
clients,
children
and
shine
a
light
on
and
be
on
the
front
line
to
fight
against
the
trauma
and
humanity
and
atrocities
of
abuse
that
can
occur
in
residential
facilities.
Q
Transparency
and
accountability
are
critical
for
change
july
2018
glenn
mills,
one
of
our
social
service
advocates,
was
on
the
phone
with
her
client,
who
was
being
held
at
the
newly
opened
community
based
delinquent
holding
shelter
at
glenn
mills
in
preparation
for
his
court
hearing
the
next
day.
Our
advocate
heard
a
commotion
in
the
background
that
caused
her
alarm
when
she
asked
if
everything
was
okay,
a
vague
answer
was
returned,
a
response
which
is
not
unusual
from
kids
who
are
actively
in
placement
due
to
the
level
of
concern.
Q
The
next
day,
I
personally
went
to
speak
to
that
client
who'd
been
brought
down
to
family
court.
Admittedly,
the
answers
I
received
were
also
quite
vague,
but
later
that
day,
I
received
notification
that
a
mother
of
one
of
our
clients
had
reported
her
son
that
her
son
had
been
assaulted.
I
spoke
to
that
mother
immediately.
I
called
glenn
mills
immediately.
I
reached
out
to
have
our
client
brought
back
to
philadelphia
immediately,
instead
of
immediate
notification
of
what
happened,
transparency
and
accountability.
Q
Q
What
I
saw
that
day
will
be
burned
in
my
spirit
for
the
rest
of
my
life.
While
there
was
no
sound
to
the
video,
I
saw
a
child
who
was
in
a
group
session
with
about
15
other
boys.
I
saw
him
take
his
turn
to
stand
up
and
address
the
group
after
he
sat
down
a
glenn
mills
staff
person
who
was
across
the
room,
got
up
and
grabbed
this
child
from
behind
and
slammed
him
onto
the
floor.
Q
The
next
video
I
witnessed
staffers
dragging
the
boy
up
a
flight
of
stairs
it
looked
like
it
was
by
his
neck.
I
saw
staffers
trying
to
push
our
client
into
a
room
out
of
camera
range.
However,
the
youth
placed
both
of
his
hands
on
the
door
frame
and
they
were
unable
to
do
so.
They
sat
the
child
down
and
then
one
staff
member
placed
his
hands
on
the
child's
neck.
A
staff
member
threw
punches.
Q
Q
What
I
witnessed
that
day
was
a
criminal
assault
on
a
child.
We
immediately
petitioned
the
courts
to
release
our
children
who
are
being
held
in
glen
mills.
One
thing
that
struck
me
about
the
video
how
the
children
who
watched
at
least
part
of
the
abuse
occur,
reacted
or
should
I
say
how
they
did
not
react.
Just
like
the
young
witness
I
initially
spoke
to
about
what
happened.
The
abuse
was
somehow
normalized
or
perhaps
more
insidiously.
Q
There
was
fear.
Unfortunately,
I've
seen
other
videos.
In
fact,
our
office
shared
a
video
with
city
council.
At
a
hearing
on
may
2018
as
defenders,
we
regularly
visit
our
clients
who
are
in
placement.
We
secured
a
fellow
from
georgetown
university
to
do
exit
interviews
of
our
clients.
After
returning
from
placement,
we
request
incident
reports
and
videos
of
restraints
and
incidents
with
our
clients.
We
regularly
share
any
troubling
information
with
system
stakeholders,
while
in
some
instances
we
have
been
blocked.
Q
Q
We
must
have
a
permanent
infrastructure
in
philadelphia
to
safeguard
our
children
from
abuse
and
maltreatment.
We
believe
that
creating
the
office
of
the
philadelphia
ombuds
person
is
a
critical
first
step.
All
children
and
their
families
need
a
clear
path
to
address
abuses
and
grievances.
We
know
that
abuse
happens.
We
know
there
is
usually
a
reaction,
but
the
cycle
continues.
Q
Different
placement
different
child-
we
have
an
obligation
to
take
permanent
and
persistent
steps
to
make
is
unacceptable
for
context.
I
would
like
to
close
with
a
few
words
from
one
of
our
senior
attorneys
in
the
children
you
justice
unit
on
june,
2nd
2007
omega
leach
was
killed,
while
at
a
placement
at
chad
located
in
ashland
city
tennessee,
he
was
strangled
by
a
staff
member
and
died.
I
went
down
with
other
attorneys
from
the
juvenile
and
child
advocate
units.
Three
times
to
investigate.
Q
I
spoke
with
every
philadelphia
placed
at
chad,
including
kids,
represented
by
private
council.
With
their
lawyer's
permission,
the
reports
were
uniform
in
what
they
saw.
What
happened
to
omega
leach
was
not
a
restraint.
An
autopsy
later
was
released,
ruling
the
cause
of
death
as
homicide.
No
one
was
charged.
There
was
a
sea
change
and
philadelphia
stopped,
placing
children
out
of
state.
We
wanted
to
keep
our
kids
safe
and
make
sure
no
other
kids
were
hurt
or
died
in
placement,
but
then
october
13
2016
happened.
Q
Q
Q
B
B
We
certainly
do
this
work
in
their
names
and
the
names
of
young
people
who
spoke
today,
as
well
as
the
names
of
many
young
people
that
we
may
never
know,
and
you
know
I
had
a
few
questions
I
think
for
for
some
of
you.
First,
you
know
again
acknowledging
your
level
of
expertise
and
doing
this
work
for
such
a
long
period
of
time,
but
you
know
for
estelle
richmond.
If,
if
estella
is
still
on
yes
great
to
see
you
estelle,
you
know
you
heard
the
testimony
earlier.
B
B
O
Well,
I
I
think
commissioner
ali
did
mention
at
the
end
that
if
there
is
if
they
find
an
abuse
or
find
something
wrong,
they
work
with
an
agency
and
they
do
have
the
right
to
pull
a
contract
that
takes
no
permission
from
anyone
except
the
commissioner
to
make
a
decision
that
an
agency
has
not
responded
to
feedback,
not
refunded
to
technical
assistance.
It's
continuing
to
put
children
at
risk
and
the
city
has
the
right
to
pull
that
contract.
O
Hopefully
we
get
to
hear
about
it.
Well
before
that
comes
and-
and
my
purpose
on
the
ombudsman
is
that
that
you
know,
when
an
agency's
in
trouble
that
lacking
and
staff
or
their
problems
occurring,
and
you
can
work
with
them
before
that
becomes
an
impact.
But
she
was
right.
She's
pulled
six
contracts
and
I
am
sure
before
they
pulled
back
those
contracts,
they
did
some
work
on
the
confidentiality
issue.
I'm
going
to
leave
that
mostly
to
frank
to
respond
to,
but
at
the
same
time
an
onbutzman
people
choose
to
go
to
an
ombudsman.
O
No
one
forces
it's
another
opportunity
for
people
to
to
make
a
choice
and
frequently-
and
I
think
you
brought
it
up
councilwoman.
Sometimes
they
don't
want
to
go
to
the
entity.
That
is
the
that
funds,
the
the
placement
and
whether
that
is
the
behavioral
system
or
whether
that
is
the
child
welfare
system
or
whether
that's
a
juvenile
justice
system.
O
They
may
choose
feel
more
comfortable,
look
more
willingly
at
an
independent
agency,
but
they
choose
to
go
there
and
children
can
a
youth
can
choose
to
call
the
ombudsman
and
when
you
choose
to
go
somewhere
you're,
not
violating
confidentiality.
It's
your
choice.
Now,
as
you
get
deeper
down
and
more
information
needs
to
be
available,
you
could
get
into
some
confidentiality
areas,
but
I
I
this
is
where
I'm
going
to
turn
it
over
to
frank.
I'm
not
a
lawyer.
O
I
have
in
all
of
my
dealings
at
various
levels.
I
have
found
that
confidentiality
usually
isn't
a
problem.
If
you
are,
if
you
are
knowledgeable
and
you're
willing
to
work
with
it,
that
you
can
find
ways
to
make
sure
people
are
protected,
but
confidentiality
is
a
tool
to
help
protect
people,
and
we
always
will
respect
that,
but
that
doesn't
protect
us
from
helping
we.
We
need
to
find
ways
to
be
open
and
transparent
enough
that,
when
a
parent,
a
child,
a
staff
member,
is
looking
for
ways
to
share
information.
P
You
know
we
think
the
regulations
state
regulations
allow
this
mechanism
you
know
simply
put.
I
also
would
find
it
hard
to
believe
that
that
we,
as
lawyers
and
in
a
sense
legislative
technicians,
could
not
develop
appropriate
workarounds
within
the
bounds
of
the
law,
but
in
the
main
right
on
their
face.
The
rules
that
apply
to
the
city
would
apply
to
the
state,
so
you
know
we
suggested
earlier
well.
The
state
should
do
this
because
they
have
some
greater
access
to
information.
P
It
really
isn't
the
case.
The
regulations
allow
for
government
officials
to
ask
quality
questions
to
ask
questions
related
to
quality.
It's
why
an
agency
like
dhs
can
probe
as
expansively,
as
does
through
deputy
commissioner
rodriguez,
the
evaluation
part
of
the
program.
It's
in
a
way.
It's
the
exact
same
pathway,
they're
probing
very
deeply.
B
If
you
can't
do
the
full
investigation,
letting
dhs
know
that
there
are
repeated
repeated
problems
at
a
particular
facility,
could
get
them
going
on
a
more
aggressive
investigation
and
that's
also
an
extremely
important
thing
to
to
get
when
we
did
the
after
the
homicide
of
david
hess,
they
went
out
and
proactively
visited
all
these
facilities
and
afterwards
found
that
they
had
to
close
intake
on
a
number
of
them,
while
they
reviewed
policies
and
procedures.
That
does
actually
need
to
happen.
I
think
we've
got
something
like
34
or
3
dozen
or
so
different
facilities.
B
O
O
They
felt
that
if
they
could
have
shared
their
information,
given
someone
a
neutral,
independent
person,
their
opinion,
it
could
have
made
a
difference.
I
I
think
we
have
to
listen
to
that.
They
didn't
say
they
wanted
us
to
have
someone
come
in
and
investigate
they
wanted
someone
to
talk
to
and
that's
a
big
difference.
An
ombudsman
to
me
is
another
set
of
eyes
and
ears.
It's
not
a
you
know.
We
can
use
it
as
an
investigatory
body,
but
that's
not
all
that
its
purpose.
B
That's
incredibly
helpful.
Thank
you
so
much
mara.
I
know
your
work
has
just
been
tremendous.
Over
many
years
you
heard
you
know
you
and
I
have
been
working
on
the
issue
around
state
oversight
and
that
this
issue
is
better
left
at
the
state
level.
You
and
I
have
also
been
in
multiple
meetings
with
different
state
officials.
Can
you
just
respond
a
little
bit
to
the
issue
about
why
local
oversight,
especially
around
the
schools
issue,
is
particularly
important
here.
K
Well,
I
think
that
something
we
have
to
focus
on
is
the
fact
that
children
will
go
to
residential
placements
and
often
there's
what
we
would
call
a
churn
rate
in
terms
of
children
go
to
one
residential
placement,
then
another
or
they
may
go
to
one
congregate
care
setting
and
go
to
different
schools
and
in
the
end
the
goal
is
that
the
child
will
be
in
their
community.
So
we
want
to
ensure
that
we're
providing
effective
supports
and
interventions
for
them,
while
they're
in
residential
placement
and
then
upon
their
return
to
the
community.
K
So
having
that
local
oversight
ensuring
that
a
curriculum
actually
aligns
with
the
school,
they
are
attending
in
the
school
district
of
philadelphia
that
they're
going
to
earn
credits
that
will
count
towards
graduation.
Ensuring
that
critical
connection
to
the
local
base
is
very,
very
important
for
students,
and
this
is
the
community
that
knows
the
child.
That
knows
what
the
child
needs
and
we
need
to
have
that
connection,
and
there
is
a
complete
absence
of
oversight
at
the
state
level
which
we've
discussed
there.
Isn't
monitoring
of
these
schools,
their
private
academic
schools,
largely
treated
as
prep
schools?
B
R
R
I
received
my
master's
in
clinical
social
work
from
smith
school
for
social
work
and
I'm
currently,
just
weeks
weeks
away
from
graduating
from
drexel
university's,
thomas
r
klein
school
of
law
prior
to
law
school.
I
worked
as
a
social
worker
at
delaware,
county
juvenile
detention
center,
otherwise
known
as
lima.
R
I
saw
children
become
suicidal
and
have
to
be
hospitalized
when
faced
with
the
trauma
induced
by
our
juvenile
systems.
Here
in
the
state
I
got
to
know
and
care
for
children
that
were
terribly
abused
in
state
and
private
facilities
and
staff
and
children
alike
leave
those
facilities
suffering
from
mental
health
problems
such
as
post-traumatic
stress
disorders.
R
Unfortunately,
my
livelihood
and
my
job
depended
on
the
operation
of
a
facility
that
was
inherently
flawed
and
witnessing
those
violations
of
basic
human
rights
almost
daily
affected
me
at
my
core.
Each
day
I
went
to
work
at
lima.
I
could
feel
the
needle
on
my
own
moral
compass
being
pushed
off
course,
and
I
think,
what's
still
most
striking
to
me,
is
the
way
that
my
mind
tried
to
justify
what
I
saw
in
front
of
me.
R
I
knew
it
was
wrong,
but
because
I
was
unable
to
stop
it,
I
worried
that
I
would
begin
to
accept
it,
and
so
I
had
to
get
out
as
a
social
worker.
I
witnessed
firsthand
how
difficult
it
is
for
an
individual
person,
whether
that
is
a
child,
a
clinician
or
a
family
member
to
report
abuses
providers
would
at
times
encourage
a
lack
of
reporting
or
informally,
punish
those
reports,
and
I
don't
know
how
we
can
expect
people
to
come
forward
in
the
face
of
potential
backlash.
R
Even
if
a
child
or
a
mandated
person
or
a
mandated
reporter
managed
to
overcome
the
hurdle
and
report
something
dhs
would
often
and
too
often
invalidate
those
reports.
We
need
someone
who
will
listen
to
children
and
their
caretakers
children
deserve
so
much
more.
The
state
has
continually
failed
to
protect
our
kids.
R
It
is
imperative
that
philadelphia
act
both
to
protect
our
children
in
facility
in
facilities
across
the
state,
but
also
to
set
example
for
the
state
and
other
counties.
This
is
where
I
see
the
value
of
an
ombud
person.
Reporting
becomes
easier
because
it
can
remain
completely
confidential.
They
don't
risk
the
backlash.
R
The
offer
the
office's
ability
to
make
their
findings
about
facilities
public
is
essential
for
keeping
those
agencies
accountable.
Like
marcia
said
before
the
harm
happens,
the
office
can
stand
up
for
what's
right,
to
work,
to
put
an
end
to
abuse
and
facilities
and
to
protect
the
support
of
our
most
vulnerable
populations.
C
S
Hear
me:
okay,
yes
great!
Thank
you.
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
come
forward
and
testify
in
support
of
this
very
important
proposal,
and
I
do
have
to
stop
and
echo
my
gratitude
to
the
young
people
who
spoke
today
every
time
I
testify
at
a
hearing
like
this,
where
we
are
considering
opening
another
child
protection.
Ombudsman
office,
I
sit
in
awe
at
their
bravery,
my
office
and
others
like
it
wouldn't
exist
without
theirs.
So
I
think
it's
really
important
to
acknowledge
their
role
in
advancing
these
systems
as
well.
S
My
name
is
jordan
steffen
and
I
serve
as
the
deputy
director
for
colorado's
child
protection.
Ombudsman
office.
We
call
it
the
cpo
the
cpo
is
roughly
is
part
of
excuse.
Me
is
one
of
roughly
30
different
agencies
across
the
country
that
serves
as
a
child
protection
ombudsman
office
that
focuses
specifically
on
child
protection
issues
or
has
a
dedicated
department
for
child
protection
issues.
S
In
fact,
child
protection.
Ombudsman
offices
are
one
of
the
fastest
growing
growing
government
entities
in
the
country,
and
that
is
because
our
services
are
becoming
widely
recognized
as
being
unique
and
an
invaluable
resources
for
the
communities
that
we
serve
and
that's
for
a
couple
of
different
reasons.
S
You
have
all
today
heard
about
the
independent
and
objective
lens
that
we
can
bring
to
cases
that
come
to
our
agencies,
as
well
as
our
ability
to
bring
to
the
surface
the
issues
that
we
are
seeing
in
the
child
protection
system,
so
that
these
issues
aren't
dealt
with
behind
closed
doors
and
so
that
we
do
not
have
to
rely
on
the
press
to
bring
these
issues
forward.
Surprisingly,
ombudsman
practice
is
not
new.
S
S
Like
the
proposal
for
you,
the
cpo
was
born
out
of
tragedy.
In
2007
we
had
12
children
die
in
the
care
of
the
state
of
colorado.
A
task
force
was
formed
to
study
those
deaths,
and
one
of
the
recommendations
that
was
developed
was
to
form
an
ombudsman
office.
Our
office
was
originally
founded
in
2010
through
legislation.
S
If
they're
not
established
properly
enough
they're,
not
given
the
breath,
they
need
to
do
the
work
independently.
Luckily,
the
need
for
independence
was
quickly
recognized
in
colorado
and
a
second
piece
of
legislation
created
us.
As
an
independent
state
agency.
We
are
overseen
by
an
advisory
board,
the
first
of
its
kind,
with
members
appointed
by
each
branch
of
government
since
becoming
an
independent
state
agency.
We
have
just
blossomed
and
grown.
We
have
tripled
in
the
size
of
our
employees.
Excuse
me,
our
budget
has
kept
up
and
the
demand
for
our
services
has
not
slowed
down.
S
S
And
I
think
it's
important
to
know,
as
as
was
previously
stated
in
the
state
of
philadelphia,
that
I
do
believe
our
numbers
and
congregate
care
are
going
down,
but
just
want
to
counter
that
with
with,
even
though
we're
seeing
those
reductions
in
those
populations,
the
number
of
calls
coming
into
our
office
about
children
and
youth
in
those
placements
continues
to
go
up.
It
is
a
growing
area
of
our
practice
that
we
are
having
to
dedicate
more
and
more
resources
to.
S
In
fact,
just
this
morning,
I
spent
four
hours
on
a
case
involving
a
child
in
a
residential
treatment
facility.
You
know,
I
think,
I'd
like
to
address
a
little
bit,
how
our
practice
intersects.
With
these
particular
cases.
One
area
is
confidentiality
by
law.
We
are
prohibited
from
releasing
the
identity
of
any
complaint
who
comes
to
office,
whether
it's
a
parent,
whether
it
is
a
youth,
whether
it
is
a
stakeholder
partner,
we
are
prohibited
from
releasing
their
name.
Now
we
have
independent
access
to
all
records
we
want.
S
S
If
we
do
feel,
we
need
to
make
contact
with
an
agency
to
further
our
case,
we
will
offer
to
our
client
if
they
want
us
to
move
forward.
With
that
case,
of
course,
there's
always
the
potential
people
connect
the
dots,
but
we
do
offer
that
to
our
client,
and
that
is
how
we
handle
confidentiality
largely
and
have
been
very
successful
with
that.
Our
analysts
have
scripts
on
how
we
advise
our
clients
of
confidentiality
rights
with
our
office.
S
Secondly,
there
has
been
a
question
of
authority,
and
I
just
would
like
to
point
out.
Our
office
has
no
mandated
authority
whatsoever
other
than
guaranteed
access
to
information
and
documents.
We
cannot
require
other
state
agencies
to
follow
our
recommendations
or
work
with
us
in
my
time
here
and
in
the
10
years
here,
we've
never
had
a
problem
getting
agencies
to
work
with
us,
and
that
is
largely
because
of
the
public
facing
factor
of
our
office
and
our
ability
to
publish
reports
to
proactively
go
to
our
stakeholder
partners
and
say
hey.
S
So
it's
always
interesting
as
a
tenant
of
ombudsman
practice
that
a
lot
of
us
don't
have
that
mandated
authority
and
still
remain
as
very
very
effective
government
entities
and
I'd
like
to
just
share
a
little
bit
on
what
some
of
our
cases
in
this
area
look
like
on
a
day-to-day
basis,
because
they
really
do
transcend
from
individual
cases
to
systemic
work.
We
receive
calls
from
use
themselves.
In
fact,
we
have
placed
phones
and
all
10
of
our
dys
facilities
across
the
state
so
that
you
can
call
our
office
directly
and
file.
S
A
complaint
with
us
a
few
weeks
ago
received
a
call
from
a
youth
currently
residing
in
a
resident
eggs
youth
in
a
division
of
services
center,
who
was
concerned
that
he
was
not
getting
medical
treatment.
He
knew
he
needed
his
health
was
deteriorating.
He
knew
he
needed
these
appointments
and
no
one
had
communicated
to
him
if
he
was
going
to
get
his
medications
or
his
evaluations
anytime.
S
Soon
that
day
we
were
on
the
phone
with
that
youth
center,
as
well
as
the
colorado
department
of
human
services,
human
services,
to
figure
out
what
was
going
on
with
that
youth
care
and
by
the
end
of
the
day,
we
were
able
to
confirm
all
that
was
going
to
happen
and,
more
importantly,
communicate
that
back
to
that
youth.
So
he
had
some
idea
of
the
care
that
was
going
to
be
provided
to
him.
S
We
heard
from
a
parent
last
month
who
was
concerned
that
her
child,
who
had
been
removed
and
placed
into
a
foster
home,
was
being
abused
in
that
foster
home.
This
mother's
rights
remained
intact
for
that
child
and
she
had
not
heard
about
the
care
of
her
child.
In
weeks
we
were
able
to
that
day
confirmed.
There
was
an
open
investigation
regarding
that
foster
home,
and
there
were
concerns
that,
in
fact,
that
child
was
being
burned
and
abused.
S
Additionally,
we
work
very
closely
with
stakeholder
partners.
The
very
agencies
were
charged
with
reviewing
and
monitoring,
including
caseworkers
hospital
staff
staff
at
these
facilities
that
we
work
with,
who
call
us
frequently
who
say
this
just
doesn't
feel
right.
Can
you
look
into
this?
For
example,
we
recently
heard
from
a
facility
staff
member
who
called
us
and
said
there
is
a
youth
who
has
been
residing
in
an
emergency
room
for
three
days
and
no
one
will
go
pick
them
up
because
they're
not
claiming
custody
of
that
child.
S
Additionally,
in
terms
of
policy
setting,
we
are
very,
very
active,
we're
currently
discussing
with
our
division
of
youth
services,
an
overhaul
to
how
we
promulgate
rules
and
regulations
for
that
very
program,
so
that,
instead
of
just
handling
a
case-by-case
basis,
maybe
we
can
get
to
the
underwriting
problems
and
the
rules
and
regulations
that
guide
those
programs
in
general.
So
I
don't
want
to
take
up
too
much
more
of
your
time.
I'm
happy
to
answer
questions
if
it's
helpful,
but
I
just
want
to
thank
you
all
again
for
having
me
today.
B
T
All
right
there
we
go.
Everyone
hear
me
all
right,
hi
everyone,
I'm
megan
folkson.
I
am
not
from
philadelphia,
I'm
actually
from
michigan,
but
I
was
asked
to
come
and
speak
with
you
guys,
as
I
was
formerly
working
at
sql,
youth
and
family
services
in
kalamazoo
michigan
at
lakeside
academy.
So
I
was
asked
to
kind
of
share
my
experience
of
what
really
was
happening
behind
closed
doors.
T
T
So
a
little
bit
about
myself,
I
received
my
bachelor's
of
science
in
psychology
from
western
michigan
university,
and
I
am
currently
studying
in
the
masters
of
social
work
program
that
is
specializing
in
trauma-focused,
cognitive,
behavioral
therapy
and
trauma
with
youth
prior
to
sql.
I
worked
at
a
local,
nonprofit
catholic
charities
for
about
four
and
a
half
years.
I
was
a
caseworker
at
our
youth
shelter,
working
with
about
11
to
17
year
olds,
with
crisis
intakes.
T
So
I
did
leave
catholic
charities
to
go
work
for
sql
youth
and
family
services
at
lakeside,
and
I
worked
in
all
the
units.
Really.
We
have
different
programs
but
ultimately
ended
up
working
on
the
mental
health
unit,
which
is
the
best
abuse
to
neglect
so
students
that
were
placed
by
the
state
and
then
we
also
had
our
general
residential
units,
which
a
lot
of
times
we
call
our
california
units
because
most
of
the
youth
there
were
from
out
of
state
and
from
california.
T
I
started
as
a
case
manager
and
was
later
promoted
to
director
of
case
management,
which
I
had
overseeing
10
case
managers
and
all
of
126
students
at
the
residence
we
had
seven
or
eight
therapists
that
also
made
up
our
student
services
team.
So
I
worked
at
lakeside
for
just
about
two
years
before
the
death
of
cornelius
frederick.
T
He
was
placed
with
us
through
the
foster
care
system.
His
mother
was
deceased,
his
father
was
incarcerated
and
there
was
no
other
family
willing
to
take
him
in
which
is
not.
You
know,
an
uncommon
story.
Unfortunately,
for
so
many
of
our
youth,
so
he's
placed
with
us-
and
I
was
his
case
manager
for
about
the
first
eight
months-
he
was
there
and
then
oversaw
him.
When
I
became
a
director.
T
T
These
restraints
were
not
uncommon.
I
came
into
the
lunchroom.
The
director
of
nursing
was
present.
There
were
two
other
supervisors,
there
were
other
staff
and
there
were
still
children
in
the
lunchroom.
So
in
my
mind
I
just
unfortunately
was
kind
of
used
to
those
situations
and
figured
oh.
There
was
a
restraint,
you
know
and
was
letting
him
take
time
to
get
up
until
I
walked
over
and
realized
that
this
situation
was
was
different.
T
T
That's
when
I
attempted
to
find
a
pulse
on
cornelius,
to
which
I
couldn't
so.
I
did
clear
out
this,
the
cafeteria
of
all
the
other
students,
so
they
didn't
have
to
witness
this
and
then
went
to
get
the
aed
to
start
compressions,
and
it
wasn't
until
that
point
that
someone
had
finally
called
this
was
12
minutes
past
before
anyone
had
called
9-1-1.
T
I
didn't
know
that
at
the
time,
but
I
found
that
out
later
so
when
the
emts
arrived,
they
were
able
to
find
a
pulse
again.
They
took
it
in
the
hospital,
but
ultimately,
two
days
later
he
passed
so
unfortunately,
another
downfall
was
the
students
found
out
through
staff.
We
didn't
have
therapists
present
to
handle
the
situation.
T
I
don't
blame
them,
you
know,
but
police
were
then
called
to
campus,
and
that
already
is
a
trigger
for
so
many
of
our
students.
But
on
top
of
that
police,
we're
pepper
spraying,
our
students,
pepper
spraying,
our
staff,
a
couple
students
were
arrested
and
it
just
started
to
compile
and
was
not
not
a
good
day
or
a
good
week
at
all.
T
T
T
We
didn't
have
students
who
had
severe
behavioral
concerns
or
serious
charges,
but
at
the
end
of
2019
we
were
accepting
children
who
didn't
necessarily
meet
our
criteria
because
contracts
with
the
states
were
offering
more
money,
mostly
california.
So
our
general
residential
population
became
more
delinquent,
had
a
lot
of
harsher
allegations
and
charges.
T
T
So
there's
all
these
moving
pieces,
all
these
causes
of
concerns
and
no
one
felt
like
there
was
anyone
that
would
listen.
You
know
lakeside
was
deemed
as
one
of
the
greatest
ones
in
sequel
and
all
these
things
were
great
and
we
did
have
a
beautiful
campus
and
everything
looked
great
on
paper
and
the
states
would
come
and
they
would
visit
their
kids
and
their
oh
everything's,
fine,
but
it
it
wasn't.
T
T
There
were
policies
put
in
place
about
reporting.
So
if
a
youth
had
told
me
something
happened,
I
had
no
way
to
go.
Look
at
videos.
I
had
no
way
to
report
it
without
management
knowing,
and
that
alone
was
causing
a
lot
of
issues
same
with
staff
on
the
floor,
who
might
have
been
seeing
these
things,
there
was
nowhere
for
them
to
turn
to.
T
T
T
So
these
these
places
they
know
exactly
how
to
say
things
publicly
but
know
what's
going
on
in
the
background,
and
so
many
people
are
like
well,
why
don't
you
leave,
or
you
know
this
or
that?
And
you
can't,
because
you
you
have
this
feeling
of
well,
if
I'm
not
here,
then
who
is
for
these
kids
and
that's?
T
T
But
if
there's
not
on
paper,
there's
no
notifications,
so
incidents
weren't
always
being
brought
up
there.
You
know
on
the
weekends
and
things
if
I
wasn't
there
and
there
wasn't
a
report-
I
didn't
know
if
something
had
happened
with
a
student
and
if
that
student
didn't
come
forward,
we
might
not
have
ever
known.
So
there
were
times
where
I
would
find
out
a
week
two
week.
T
We
had
one
incident
where
a
student
was
injured
over
the
weekend.
There
was
no
incident
report
and
I
get
there
and
he's
covered
in
bruises,
and
we
tell
this.
You
know
the
staff
that
the
incident
reports
are
also
to
protect
them.
You
know
a
student
might
have
some
allegations
and
the
incident
force
could
help
us
determine
what
was
true.
The
video
is
there
to
protect
them
as
well,
and
at
that
point
in
time
I
did.
T
He
was
you
know,
you're
a
snitch
you're
this
you're
this
and
it
was
scary
I
can't
imagine,
being
a
teenager,
especially
out
of
state
and
you're
being
threatened,
and
you
had
already
been
physically
hurt
and
you
have
no
one
to
report
to
your
parents
can't
come
and
get
you.
Your
worker
only
comes
once
a
month.
You
know
what
do
you
do?
Who
do
you
call,
and
some
of
these
staff
are
younger.
You
know
18
19,
20
years
old.
T
So
with
that
you
know,
children
are
not
believed.
When
these
incidents
are
reported,
the
staff
were
always
given
more
precedence
than
the
children
were
and
compliance
was
bought.
You
know
some
of
the
kids
that
were
good
and
compliant
would
have
playstations
and
xboxes
and
tvs,
because,
oh
you
didn't
talk
and
other
students
who
would
you
know
basically
didn't
have
those
type
of
of
privileges.
T
T
T
You
know,
but
we're
so
short
staffed.
So
then
they
can't
send
someone
home,
so
they
just
move
people
around,
but
on
a
campus
you're
going
to
see
everyone
so
you're
really
still
not
keeping
your
children
safe
and
staff
got
away
with.
I
mean
this
kept
happening
because
they
were
so
protected.
They
got
away
with
this
for
so
long,
and
so
when
asking
the
licenser,
what
should
we
be
doing?
How
do
we
fix
these
things?
There
was
guidance,
but
never
any
follow-up.
T
T
And
it
wasn't
until
january
that
there
have
been
enough.
I
guess,
complaints
about
our
licenser,
that
we
got
a
new
one,
and
that
is
when
there
finally
started
being
some
action.
Any
allegations
that
were
brought
up
were
taken
seriously.
I
really
do
appreciate,
you
know
the
work
that
dhs
and
you
know
puts
in,
but
I
also
know
how
tiring
it
is
and
there
needs
to
be
oversight.
T
B
Focusing
out
that
you
know
I
wanted
just
to
say
there
may
be
a
few
questions
at
the
end,
so
we
had
one
more
testifier
that
we're
hoping
to
get
in
before
the
five
o'clock
hours.
So
would
it
be
okay
to
hold
some
of
your
testimony
for
a
little
bit,
and
then
I
know
that
some
I
know
you
may
have
submitted
some,
and
maybe
we
could
just
come
back
to
you.
T
B
C
N
Good
afternoon
it
was,
it's
been
a
pleasure
to
listen
to
such
powerful
testimony
all
afternoon.
My
name
is
christina
sorensen
and
I
am
an
attorney
at
juvenile
law
center
and
thank
you
so
much
for
the
opportunity
to
speak
today
about
the
immediate
need
to
establish
a
local,
independent,
ombuds
office,
juvenile
law,
center's
senior
attorney
karen
lindell
was
a
member
of
the
residential
placement
task
force.
N
At
the
time
karen
was
my
supervisor
and
I
had
the
honor
of
attending
several
and
participating
in
one
task
force
meeting.
My
current
project
is
an
in-depth
historical
analysis
of
youth
residential
placement
and
a
national
research
study
on
youth.
Grievance
production
philadelphia
played
a
historic
role
in
the
development
of
youth
incarceration.
N
N
In
pennsylvania,
all
private
facilities
are
governed
under
the
3
800
regulations
and
state
facilities
are
trusted
to
voluntarily
comply.
The
state
level
grievance
protections
provided
to
our
philadelphia.
Children
are
self-regulated
by
the
facility,
a
horrifyingly
common
practice
throughout
the
country
facilities
develop
their
own
grievance
processes.
N
They
then
evaluate,
review
and
review
the
grievances
filed
against
them,
facilities
that
are
trusted
to
elevate
and
self-report
instances
of
abuse.
In
effect,
this
traps
the
youth
and
family
complaints
in
an
echo
chamber,
with
facilities
as
the
gatekeeper,
thus
silencing
our
youth
and
affected
community
members
that
need
to
be
heard.
The
most
the
act
of
reporting
takes
tremendous
courage
at
times
requiring
individuals
to
risk
their
own
physical
safety.
N
One
staff
member
was
quoted
as
saying.
If
these
kids
reported
it,
they
would
be
physically
beaten.
This
needs
our
youth
without
any
place
to
go
when
they
need
help,
as
one
person
shared
at
one
youth
shared
at
the
may
hearing.
Why
would
I
think
anyone
will
help
me
if
they're
sitting
there
harming
me?
N
N
N
N
B
B
Institutions
accountable:
this
is
not
a
uniquely
pennsylvania
problem,
not
a
uniquely
philadelphia
problem.
It
becomes
a
problem
when
we
don't
act,
and
I
think
that
that's
one
of
the
clear
things
that
we
heard
today
whether
people
are
here
in
philadelphia
or
around
in
other
parts
of
the
country
I
just
wanted.
You
know
to
especially
acknowledge
ms
stefan
from
colorado
the
the
deputy
ombuds
person
from
the
state
of
colorado.
So
thank
you
so
much
for
you
know
for
your
work.
B
One
of
the
young
people,
some
of
the
young
people
that
you
heard
from,
for
example,
talked
about
not
having
school
records.
You
know,
like
literally
no
credits.
I
think
mara
mcinerney
said
that
a
number
of
young
people
never
even
get
credits.
Some
young
people
talked
about
the
struggle
to
get
vital
documentation.
You
know
they
lead
these
facilities.
Some
of
them
are
in
foster
care
from
a
very
young
age.
Some
can
be,
you
know
almost
from
birth
and
it's
almost
impossible
for
them
to
find
the
documents
that
they
need.
B
S
And-
and
I
really
appreciate
the
question-
I
think
I'll
approach
it
in
two
parts:
if
that's
okay,
you
know
the
first
is
our
role
outside
of
that
that
very
in-depth
investigatory
entity
you
know
of
those
725
cases
I
mentioned
we
closed.
The
majority
of
those
is
what
we
call
like
lower
level
resolution
assist.
S
The
majority
of
our
cases
are
often
serving
as
a
translator
between
our
client
and
the
entity
that
is
trying
to
serve
them,
and
in
this
case
it
can
be
much
like
the
youth
I've
described
who
they
need
to
call.
They
need
someone
to
listen.
They
need
to
know
that
someone
is
hearing
us.
We
make
phone
contact
with
every
client
who
calls
up
calls
our
agency
within
48
hours
of
getting
their
call.
It's
not
an
email
for
youth
who
are
in
facilities.
S
We
actually
set
up
zoom
calls
within
48
hours,
so
we
can
talk
to
them.
So
a
lot
of
our
work
is
really
translating
the
services
both
ways.
Maybe
this
entity
just
can't
hear
what
the
youth
is
trying
to
say
that
day
or
as
we've
heard
here,
you
know-
maybe
you
need
to
hear
it
from
someone
else
and
sometimes
just
hearing
it
from
our
agency
makes
a
big
difference
and
the
response
that
we
get
so
a
lot
of
the
response
we
get
from
all
of
our
clients
is
just
thank
you
for
listening.
S
I
needed
someone
to
hear
me.
I
needed
someone
to
take
my
complaint
elsewhere.
That's
very
true
for
parents
with
children
living
in
these
facilities
who
can't
get
a
hold
of
anyone.
They
go
through
the
state
grievance
process,
that's
available.
They
go
through
the
internal
grievance
processes
that
are
available
and
they
really
get
silenced
or
they
often
get
sent
to
our
agency
at
this
point,
so
we
we
serve
as
that
baseline.
I
think
for
a
lot
of
people
in
our
state
in
terms
of
beyond
kind
of
that
case-by-case
investigatory
the
records
issue.
S
S
How
do
you
access
these
records
once
you
leave
these
systems
and
those
conversations
we
have
at
the
high
level
with
the
state
department
and
they
can
be
friendly,
they
can
be.
Should
we
consider
a
rule
resolution
here?
It's
it's
not
so
much
we're
going
deep
into
these
cases
and
we're
writing
very
public
reports,
but
we're
spurring
those
conversations
so
that
the
people
who
can
make
changes
to
those
regulations
and
to
those
processes
can
start
moving.
S
Sometimes
we
stay
deeply
involved,
and
sometimes
we
don't
one
of
our
strengths
is
an
agency
again,
sometimes
just
putting
those
phone
calls
in
and
asking
people
to
start
looking
at
it,
and
often
that's
enough
of
a
nudge
to
get
the
powers
that
be
to
to
start
working
on
those
issues.
Does
that
address
your
question?
I
feel
like
I'm
rambling.
B
S
Yeah
it
it's
that
every
tricky
answer
of
it
depends.
So
our
statute
requires
us
to
educate
the
public
and
stakeholders
about
issues
we
deem
necessary.
So
if,
in
the
course
of
completing
an
individual
case
or
a
large
systemic
investigation
we
deem
that
is,
we
just
need
to
make
a
public
report
we
can
we
can
do
that.
S
We
do
that
in
a
number
of
ways
on
an
individual
case
basis,
if
we
have
serious
concerns
about
the
practice
that
was
involved
and
I'm
speaking
broadly
now
for
all
of
our
jurisdiction,
including
child
welfare
services,
and
not
necessarily
congregate
care.
But
we
can
write
a
letter
to
the
specific
agency
or
provider
that
we're
concerned.
Your
practice
may
not
be
in
compliance
with
state
law
or
state
rule.
We're
writing
you
a
letter
to
notify
you
of
our
concerns
of
your
practice
and
we're
also
notifying
your
supervising
entity.
S
Colorado
is
a
local
control
state,
so
the
state
department
regulates
our
accounting
departments
and
we
ask
the
state
department
to
make
a
determination
about
that
practice
and
those
letters
are
available
to
the
public.
Secondarily,
we
write
issue
briefs
on
those
trends
and
those
systemic
issues
we're
seeing
that
may
not
be
investigatory
right
now.
For
example,
you
know
we've
announced
that
we're
working
on
a
brief
that
examines
very
closely
how
we
review
child
fatalities
in
our
state,
including
fatalities
for
children
who
are
in
residential
care.
S
You
know
we
received
multiple
complaints
about
a
facility
that
had
its
license
revoked
prior
to
its
closure
and
the
conditions
that
existed
at
that
facility
prior
to
its
closure,
and
we
did
an
in-depth
17-month
investigation
of
that
facility
and
really
highlighted
our
work
on
the
gaps
between
the
licensing
mechanisms
for
that
facility
and
the
entities
that
are
supposed
to
be
maintaining
child
safety
and
well-being
and
the
gaps
between
those.
So
it
depends
that's
kind
of
the
beauty
of
the
ombudsman
work.
You
have
the
ability
to
make
that
determination.
B
B
Do
you
feel
like
that?
You
know
this
accountability
and
particularly,
I
think
you
said
at
least
twice.
You
know
you
have
an
external
facing
role.
You
know
a
public
accountability
for
it.
It's
not
just
all
internal
reports
that
people
put
away,
you
know
and
may
never
see,
but
that
they
can
be
external.
B
S
It's
a
great
question:
I
just
want
to
over
speak
first
facilities,
specifically,
our
jurisdiction
is
very
very
broad-
includes
any
public
entity
that
has
public
funds
for
the
same
team
protection
approach.
So
I'm
speaking
a
little
bit
more
broadly
about
our
practice
in
general,
as
we've
just
really
started
to
hit
our
facility
response,
but
I
do
think
it
plays
a
factor.
I
think
that
we
issue
public
reports
and
recommendations
that
we
then
ask
the
agencies
that
are
the
center
of
those
recommendations
to
issue
public
responses
to,
and
then
we
stay
on
them.
S
We
go
back
and
we
ask:
where
are
you
on
this
recommendation?
I've
been
deeply
involved
in
adoption
assistance
regulations
for
three
years
now,
because
we
made
a
recommendation
to
overhaul
the
legislature
and
all
the
rules
involved,
because
we
keep
coming
back
to
those
recommendations
and
I
do
think
it
is
widely
known
one.
We
have
access
to
records,
so
it's
not
rare
that
we
may
get
a
call
from
a
guardian
of
item
or
an
attorney
saying
I'm
not
asking
you
for
the
records.
S
I
know
you
can't
give
them
to
me,
but
you
need
to
look
at
my
client's
case.
Can
you
go
see
if
there
was
compliance
here?
So
I
do
think
it's
a
factor
that
people
do
respond
to
us
because
they
know
it's
public-facing.
We
certainly
don't
use
it
as
a
threat,
but
I
think
they're,
aware
of
the
fact
it's
our
model
and
we
are
required
to
publicly
educate
not
only
through
public
reports
but
through
testimony
at
the
state
legislature,
which
we
do
frequently.
S
S
We
facilitated
a
piece
of
legislation
a
couple
years
ago
with
40
hours
of
stakeholder,
calls
and
40
different
agencies
on
a
law
that
hadn't
been
touched
in
30
years.
So
I
do
think
that
public
facing
ability
that
ability
to
bring
issues
forward
does
get
a
bit
of
a
response
and
it
helps
us
to
act
as
a
facilitator
for
some
really
technical
issues.
B
B
B
Hearing
none.
I
want
to
thank
all
the
panels
and
witnesses
for
your
participation
today
and
just
offer
a
few
concluding
remarks.
This
was
a
long
hearing
we
chose.
I
chose
not
to
limit
it,
because
I
want
the
testimony
on
the
record,
because
I
think
the
individuals
who
came
forth
today
offered
particularly
powerful
testimony
from
a
wide
variety
of
perspectives.
B
Today,
we
not
only
heard
from
youth
advocates
people
in
the
justice
system.
We
heard
from
young
people
themselves.
We
heard
from
people
outside
of
the
state
of
pennsylvania.
We
heard
from
the
esteemed
chair
of
the
youth
residential
placement
task
force
from
task
force
members.
You
know
from
people
who
have
served
at
all
levels
of
government,
but
particularly
at
the
state
level
and
they've
all
said
the
same
thing
that
these
are
our
children.
B
B
B
It's
that
somebody
has
to
be
an
advocate
for
young
people
when
we
commit
them
into
the
care
of
facilities
and
lacking
the
oversight,
knowing
that
we
have
seen
abuses
happen
time
and
time
again
and
knowing
that
since
2008
as
frank
cervone
documented
that
the
consequences
have
resulted
in
people
calling
for
a
youth
ombudsman
at
the
local
level,
at
the
local
level,
a
youth
ombuds
person
to
take
action
to
take
responsibility
and
to
do
something
on
behalf
of
young
people
in
our
care.
We
cannot
fail
to
act
now.
B
I
want
to
thank
everybody
who
came
forward
to
testify.
I
especially
want
to
thank
our
young
people,
whose
testimony
whose
names
and
whose
future
we
are
here
for
and
we
will
do
better
bye.
So
I
want
to
thank
everybody
for
staying
with
us.
If
you
stayed
with
us
this
long
and
we
look
forward
to
taking
action
on
this
issue
on
behalf
of
our
entire
committee,
I
will
say
we
will
not
wait
to
take
action.
We
will
not
have
another
child
being
continue
to
be
harmed.