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From YouTube: Committee on Children and Youth 3-13-2023
Description
The Committee on Children and Youth of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Monday, March 13, 2023 to hear testimony on the following items:
230037
Resolution authorizing the Committee on Children and Youth to conduct hearings to examine the state of Philadelphia’s child welfare workforce.
B
Good
morning,
Philadelphia
good
morning,
colleagues
and
good
morning
to
the
viewing
public
who
is
here
today
for
today's
Committee
hearing,
we
are
now
ready
to
begin
our
children
and
youth
Committee
hearing
in
which
I
am
the
chair
of
the
Philadelphia's
children,
youth
committee.
I
am
city
council,
member
Anthony,
Phillips
I,
understand
that
state
law
currently
requires
that
the
that
the
following
announcement
be
made
at
the
beginning
of
every
public
hearing
as
follows.
B
Due
to
Current
public
health
emergencies,
the
city
city
council
committees
are
currently
meeting
remotely.
We
are
using
Microsoft
teams
to
make
these
remote
hearings
possible
instructions
for
how
the
public
May,
View
and
offer
public
testimony
at
public
hearings
or
counseling
committees
are
included
in
the
public
hearing
notice,
notices
that
are
published
at
Daily,
News,
inquire
and
legal
intelligence
prior
to
the
hearings
and
can
be
found
on
phlcouncil.com.
B
B
C
B
Great
before
we
begin
to
hear
testimony
from
the
witnesses
who
we
have
for
today,
everyone
who
has
been
invited
to
the
meeting
to
testify
should
be
aware
that
this
public
appearing
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
are
consenting
to
being
recorded
additionally
prior
to
recognizing
members
for
the
questions
or
comments
they
have
for
Witnesses.
B
I
will
note
for
the
record
at
this
time
that
we
will
use
the
chat
feature
available
in
Microsoft
teams
to
allow
members
to
signify
that
they
wish
to
be
recognized
in
order
to
comply
with
the
sun
Sunshine
act.
The
chat
feature
must
only
be
used
for
this
purpose
before
I
asked
Rachel
to
call
the
first
panel
for
a
resolution.
B
23037
I
would
like
to
make
an
opening
comment
when
I
was
sworn
in
as
a
council
person
about
three
and
a
half
months
ago,
I
knew
that
children
and
youth
was
going
to
be
one
of
my
focus
areas.
My
background
is
as
an
educational
leader
and
I
have
worked
with
hundreds
of
teens
actually
well
over
a
thousand
teams
to
provide
them
with
opportunities
and
Leadership
College
and
Career
at
the
high
school.
That
is
why
I
was
excited
to
be
named
the
chair
of
the
city
council's
committee
on
Children
and
Youth.
B
This
is
our
first
Committee
hearing
with
me
serving
as
chair
and
I'm
delighted
to
be
here
today.
As
a
bit
of
a
background,
this
hearing
came
from
a
January
meeting
that
I
had
with
several
members
of
the
Philadelphia
child
welfare
Workforce
tax
Force.
At
this
meeting,
they
shared
with
me
their
November
2022
report
entitled
the
state
of
Philadelphia's
child
welfare,
Workforce
findings
and
recommendations.
B
During
our
meeting,
the
members
of
the
Philadelphia
child
welfare
Workforce
task
force
recounted
to
me
challenges
facing
our
child
welfare
providers,
including
the
community
umbrella
agencies
known
as
kuas.
Some
of
these
challenges
include
low
salaries,
High
case
loads
and
workloads,
a
high
turnover
rate,
poor
professional
development,
secondary
trauma
and
burnout.
B
The
Child
Welfare
industry
was
built
on
solid
foundations,
but
after
Decades
of
underfunding
and
due
to
Workforce
challenges
exacerbated
by
covid-19
pandemic,
the
foundations
are
cracking
we're
at
a
point
now,
where
the
system
is
is
so
stressed
that
we
are
failing
the
very
welfare
of
children,
the
families
that
it
was
created
to
protect
now
to
be
clear,
I
do
not
want
this
hearing
to
be
a
gotcha
hearing.
I'm,
very
pleased
that
the
commissioner
for
the
Department
of
Human
Services
is
here
today
and
I
want
to
stay
for
the
record.
B
That
city
council
wants
to
be
a
partner
for
DHS
in
addressing
these
problems.
However,
I
do
want
to
know
that
we
are
working
together
during
this
hearing,
because
this
is
a
very
important
for
our
children
and
our
families,
and
that
collaboration
is
going
to
be
incredibly
essential,
that
we
get
the
recommendations
right
so
that
we
can
have
a
better
support
for
these
families.
But
that
said,
do
any
of
my
colleagues
have
any
comments
they
would
like
to
make
before
the
clerk
calls
on
the
first
panel
to
testify.
B
D
Good
afternoon
city
council,
chairman
Phillips
Vice,
chairman
Thomas
and
members
of
the
council's
committee
on
Children
and
Youth
in
Philadelphia,
my
name
is
Kimberly
Ali
and
I.
Am
the
commissioner
of
the
city
of
Philadelphia
Department
of
Human
Services
known
as
DHS
with
me?
Today?
Is
Nadine
Parisi
Chief
Financial
Officer,
as
well
as
other
members
of
my
team.
Today,
DHS
has
been
asked
to
provide
testimony
on
Workforce
related
aspects
of
Philadelphia's
child
welfare
system
before
I
proceed
any
further.
D
Let
me
thank
DHS,
the
community
umbrella
agencies
and
the
provider
staff
for
their
dedication
and
commitment
to
the
children,
youth
and
families
of
Philadelphia.
Without
them,
DHS
would
not
have
experienced
the
following
gains:
two
thousand
children
and
their
families
receiving
services
in
their
own
home
to
stabilize
them
and
prevent
them
from
being
separated.
D
A
44
reduction
in
the
placement
of
children
from
a
high
of
6183
children
in
2017
to
a
low
of
3468
children
today
and
52
percent
of
children
being
placed
with
their
families
or
someone
that
they
know
to
reduce
the
trauma
that
is
caused
by
removing
them
from
their
homes.
Despite
these
gains
and
the
many
more
positive
outcomes
that
the
children,
youth
and
families
have
experienced,
the
turnover
of
Frontline
social
workers,
as
well
as
supervisory
management
and
administrative
staff,
is
a
major
concern
in
Philadelphia,
as
well
as
many
child
welfare
agencies
across
the
country.
D
Casey
Family
Programs
are
leading
National
child
welfare.
Foundation
estimates
that
for
the
15
years
prior
to
the
pandemic,
child
welfare
turnover
rates
were
between
20
and
40
percent.
In
the
spring
of
2022,
the
community
umbrella
agencies
or
coupers
reported
an
average
turnover
rate
of
Social
Work
staff
of
approximately
45
percent.
We
recognize
the
urgency
by
which
this
High
turnover
rate
must
be
addressed
as
maintaining
a
stable
Workforce
is
key
to
our
system,
meeting
its
mandates
and
achieving
quality
outcomes
for
children,
youth
and
Families.
D
In
order
to
address
this
very
serious
issue,
we
have
employed
a
multi-layer
strategy,
including
increasing
salaries,
providing
focused
training
and
consultation
and
developing
peer
mentoring
programs.
We
know
that
this
problem
will
not
simply
be
solved
with
money
alone,
which
is
why
we
work
to
better,
educate
and
train
our
Workforce,
so
that
our
Kua
and
provider
staff
are
well
equipped
to
deal
with
the
incredible
challenges
and
stress
of
their
job.
We
recognize,
however,
that
increasing
salaries
to
compensate
for
the
heart
and
emotional
work
is
necessary
to
decrease
the
turnover
rate
amongst
child
welfare
staff.
D
For
this
reason,
the
administration
is
requesting
money
in
the
FY
24
budget
to
increase
wages
to
our
cooler
and
provider.
Partners,
specifically,
we
are
requesting
a
total
of
2.5
million
in
general
fund
dollars
which
will
allow
the
city
to
to
draw
down
an
additional
16.9
million
dollars
in
Commonwealth
funds.
This
brings
the
planned
investment
in
child
welfare
to
an
additional
19.4
million
dollars.
D
The
combination
of
general
fund
and
Commonwealth
support
are
detailed
in
the
planned
Investments
below
or
FY
24
budget
request
includes
additional
funding
to
support
a
higher
starting
salary
structure
for
seven
existing
cooler
positions
and
two
new
positions.
This
new
funding
will
support
significant
salary
increases
for
many
cooler
staff,
most
notably
caseworkers
increasing
the
average
caseworker
salary
from
48
000
to
60
000
annually.
These
salary
requests
were
reached
after
consultation
and
in
partnership
with
cool
leadership.
D
We
also
requested
funding
for
additional
Insurance
increases,
six
hundred
thousand
per
cooler
to
support
the
rising
cost
of
insurance.
The
salary
increases
described
above
and
the
increases
to
the
insurance
will
result
in
an
increase
of
11
point
million
dollars
a
cost
across
the
Kua
contracts
in
fy24.
The
department
also
requested
an
increase
to
the
kinship
and
Foster
Care
rates
by
six
dollars
per
child
per
day.
D
This
includes
a
two
dollars
increase
per
child
per
day
to
the
provider
for
administrative
costs
and
a
four
dollar
increase
per
child
per
day
to
the
kinship
and
foster
parents
to
care
for
the
child
or
youth.
This
increase
will
result
in
7.8
million
dollars
across
the
provider
contracts.
It
is
important
to
note
that
our
financial,
ask
and
commitment
to
raising
salaries
did
not
just
begin
for
FY
24..
In
fiscal
year
2022
we
supported
a
three
percent
increase
to
cool
salaries.
This
resulted
in
a
1.6
million
dollar
increase
across
the
cooler
contracts.
D
Additionally,
coolers
were
also
permitted
to
utilize
under
spending
to
increase
salaries
above
the
original
Three
percent
increase.
We
also
gave
staff
one
thousand
dollars
incentive
payments
to
support
staff
retention
and
fiscal
year
2023.
We
supported
another
three
percent
salary
increase,
as
well
as
additional
funding
to
coolers
for
increased
Insurance
costs.
These
increases
resulted
in
an
increase
of
3.5
million
dollars
across
the
Kua
contracts.
The
department
also
increased
the
kinship
and
Foster
Care
rates
paid
to
providers
by
two
dollars
per
day
per
child,
which
resulted
in
an
increase
of
2.6
million
dollars
across
across
provider
contracts.
D
Throughout
the
year
we
work
with
coolers
to
evaluate
the
workforce
performance
metrics
coolers,
receive
ongoing
consultation
with
DHS,
meet
biannually
to
review
data
and
share
best
practices.
This
collaboration
helps
us
to
understand
the
causes
and
impact
of
turnover.
It
is
also
helps
us
to
identify
and
Implement
strategies
to
mitigate
turnover
and
improve
retention.
Dhs
collaboration
collaborates
with
our
contractor
providers
and
with
our
state
Partners
to
develop
strategies
to
support
this
work
through
ongoing
partnership
and
extensive
training.
D
Dhs
University,
the
Department's
training
and
technical
assistance
division
plays
a
critical
role
within
our
child
welfare
operations
by
providing
the
onboarding
training
to
all
Cuba
new
hires.
Additionally,
DHS
University
also
provides
technical
assistance
that
supports
the
transfer
of
learning,
through
case
application
and
professional
development
to
support
the
ongoing
growth
of
Knowledge
and
Skills
of
DHS
and
coolest
staff,
as
I
have
shared
many
times
with
our
provider.
Partners
DHS
is
committed
to
collaboratively
working
alongside
them
to
support
our
providers
and
maintain
and
retaining
staff
to
improve
the
outcomes
of
the
city's
Children
and
Youth.
D
B
Thank
you,
commissioner.
Ali
for
your
testimony
and
I
wanted
to
see.
Are
there
any
questions
or
comments
from
members
of
our
committee
or
here
today,
just
to
let
you
know
to
know,
commissioner
Ali
is
joined
here
today
by
several
members
of
her
staff
who
are
available
to
also
answer
questions
as
well.
B
B
B
Thank
you
and
then
my
next
question
I'm,
not
sure
if
anyone
else
wants
to
jump
in
and
I'll
I'll
I'll
I'll
yield.
After
this
many
child
welfare
workers
have
identified
salary,
as
you
noted
as
the
most
fundamental
Factor.
You
know,
driving
The
Exodus
of
workers
for
the
workforce
simply
put
the
starting
salaries
for
cool
and
foster
care.
Workers
is
incredibly
low.
B
So
it's
not
competitive
with
some
of
the
public
sector,
such
as
social
worker
positions,
with
the
Department
of
Human,
Services
or
similar
positions
at
the
school
district
in
Philadelphia.
So
the
salaries
for
these
positions
are
even
less
competitive
with
other
fields
where
Social
Work
positions
is
this,
including
our
regional
medical
institutions
such
as
Jefferson,
L,
Penn,
Medicine,
chop
and
amerihealth.
D
So
I
could
certainly
certainly
to
the
coolers
as
well
as
DHS
I'm,
unable
able
to
the
the
medical
institutions,
but
I
can
tell
you
that
as
a
social
worker,
myself
and
I've
been
a
social
worker
for
over
30
years.
Is
that
typically,
the
salary
for
such
a
mission,
critical
child
welfare
worker
has
always
been
below
that
of
the
medical
professionals.
However,
we
work
to
try
to
increase
that.
D
So,
to
give
you
a
sense,
a
DHS
social
worker's
salary
ranges
from
forty
three
thousand
dollars
a
year
up
until
about
fifty
one
thousand
dollars
a
year.
That's
the
starting
salary
for
trainees.
If
you
look
at
a
more
experienced
social
worker,
which
is
considered
our
social
worker
to
their
salary
range
is
about
56
000
and
it
can
go
up
to
about
seventy
two
thousand
dollars
a
year.
D
B
B
G
Good
afternoon
my
name
is
Samia
Kim,
chairman
Phillips
members
of
the
city,
council,
Children
and
Youth
committee.
Thank
you
so
much
for
the
opportunity
to
present
testimony
on
the
important
topic
of
child
welfare
Workforce
in
Philadelphia.
The
Philadelphia
child
welfare
Workforce
task
force
is
a
collaboration
of
providers,
Community
umbrella
agencies
and
Advocates
that
convene
last
year
to
reevaluate
Workforce
related
aspects
of
Philadelphia's,
Health
welfare
system
and
I
identify
opportunities
for
system
improvements.
G
G
G
So
that
tells
us
that,
despite
minimal
investment,
despite
minimal
compensation,
despite
the
challenges
of
working
with
extremely
traumatized
families
and
children,
these
individuals
are
here
because
they
want
to
make
a
difference
in
the
trajectory
of
Philadelphia's
future
and
Philadelphia's
young
people.
These
results
also
told
us
that
these
individuals
remain
in
this
field
because
of
their
own
internal
drive
and
altruism,
but
they
also
very
strongly
communicated
that
we're
at
a
Tipping
Point,
where
the
work
is
getting
harder
and
the
trend
lines
on
salaries,
compensation,
workload,
excessive
documentation,
they're
all
going
in
the
wrong
direction.
G
The
survey
confirmed
for
us
that
salary
was
the
primary
factor
driving
The
Exodus
of
workers
from
this
field.
When
asked
for
the
top
five
factors
that
made
workers
consider
leaving
over
80
percent
cited
inadequate
pay.
What
we
found
most
alarming
is
that
44
of
Kua
and
foster
care
provider
respondents
also
reported
having
a
second
job
to
supplement
their
income,
and
even
on
top
of
that
for
those
that
that
opted
not
to
have
a
second
job.
It
wasn't
because
they
were
satisfied
with
their
pay.
G
A
lot
of
them
indicated
that
they,
their
work,
was
too
demanding
and
they
just
couldn't
find
the
availability
to
support
a
second
job.
I
want
to
be
clear,
though,
that
workers
were
not
citing
a
need
for
increased
salary
out
of
personal
gain.
After
surveying
provider,
agencies
average
salaries,
the
task
force
found
that
a
foster
care
provider,
resource
parent
support
worker
earned
almost
six
thousand
dollars
less
than
its
Kua
caseworker
counterpart
and
even
less
than
a
Philadelphia
DHS
training
position.
G
The
second
most
common
reason,
child
welfare
workers
cited
for
considering
leaving
the
profession,
was
high
case
load
and
workload
with
a
response
rate
of
45
percent
workers
reported
High,
average
Kua
case
loads
as
high
as
an
agency-wide
18.
Families
per
worker
for
one
Kua
and
generally
high
levels
across
the
system.
So
when
we
talk
about
a
caseload
when
an
average
Pennsylvania
family
consists
of
approximately
2.4
children,
a
single
Kua
caseworker,
that's
struggling
with
an
18
family
caseload
could
also
be
supporting
upwards
of
43
children
at
any.
Given
time.
G
A
family
when
you're
an
overworked
caseworker
with
dozens
of
children
or
families
on
your
caseload.
You
can
only
imagine
what
running
through
a
list
of
that
many
items
during
a
visit
will
lead
to.
It
doesn't
mean
that
the
resource
parent
is
the
one
driving
the
conversation
with
The
Young
Person's
needs.
Instead,
the
workers
running
through
a
checklist
of
questions
to
make
sure
they're
meeting
audit
requirements,
ndhs
agreed
when
we
shared
with
them
these
findings.
G
They
agreed
to
look
at
areas
in
which
the
tool
exceeds
state
or
city
requirements,
and
that
workers
do
the
social
work
that
they
were
trained
to
do.
The
Philadelphia
DHS
per
diem,
though,
should
also
be
inclusive
of
strategies
to
alleviate
challenges
that
overburden
workers.
When
we're
in
crisis
positions,
we
our
paper,
refers
to
a
bullpen
of
caseworkers
to
be
readily
available
when
Workforce
challenges
or
an
increase
of
cases
inevitably
arise.
G
We
also
ask
for
a
better
caseload,
onboarding
ratio
so
that
when
a
newly
hired
worker
comes
in
they're,
not
completely
inundated
with
a
full
caseload,
but
has
the
ability
to
transition
to
a
full
case
load
over
time,
an
overnight
shift
is
critical,
because
agencies
are
required
to
sustain
24-hour
coverage.
Over
the
last
couple
of
months,
agencies
have
reported
increased
cases
coming
in
at
overnight
hours
and
while
DHS
has
two
shifts
covering
the
full
24-hour
coverage,
our
providers
do
not
currently
have
the
same.
G
Overall,
these
per
diems
should
be
reviewed
and
adjusted
on
an
annual
basis.
Every
day
we
hear
news
of
a
new
product
shortage,
and
all
of
us
know
that
our
own
bills
are
not
what
they
were
one
year
ago.
The
same
goes
for
these
provider
agencies.
Similarly,
throughout
the
year,
there
should
be
a
clear
and
defined
process
for
agencies
to
request
additional
funding
when
significant
and
unanticipated
needs
occur.
The
report
outlines
a
number
of
priorities
that
we
have
asked
DHS
and
other
partners
to
consider
to
help
us
stabilize
our
Workforce.
G
Under
the
leadership
of
commissioner
Ali
DHS
has
made
a
commitment
to
many
of
the
strategies
that
we've
proposed.
The
task
force
plans
to
continue
to
meet
on
an
ongoing
basis
to
evaluate
how
and
whether
the
reforms
we're
advocating
for
have
been
put
in
place
and,
if
so,
what
their
impact
has
been
on
our
systems,
workers
when
DHS
talks
about
increased
kinship
homes,
the
need
to
improve
the
pool
of
resource
homes,
the
ongoing
and
consistent
improvements
of
kuas
through
their
scorecards.
G
It
feels
almost
impossible
that
the
field
did
all
of
this
with
a
45
turnover
rate,
but
they
did
and
they've
remained
committed
throughout
this
time.
Imagine
the
impact
that
these
agencies
and
workers
could
have
made
if
they
were
fully
funded
to
be
fully
staffed.
We
believe
that
city
council
holds
an
important
role
in
elevating
The
Narrative
of
our
workers
and
families,
as
well
as
providing
overall
accountability
for
the
system.
G
As
we
continue
our
work,
we
ask
that
you
would
look
at
the
initiatives
that
are
happening
through
the
child
welfare
system
through
this
lens
of
an
incredible
Workforce
crisis.
We
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
present
testimony
and
thank
you
for
prioritizing
the
needs
of
our
young
people
and
the
individuals
who
make
great
sacrifices
by
supporting
their
needs.
B
Thank
you
Samia
and
I
and
I
just
want
to
quickly
note
before
we
get
to
the
next
person
is
one
of
the
things
that
did
stand
out
to
me
in
the
report.
Recommendation
was
around
you
all.
Have
you
know
some
random
or
sometimes
you
know
planned.
You
know,
funding
support
that
you
need
every
year
and
I
didn't.
We
didn't
recognize
that
there
was
a
lack
of
a
process
to
request
additional
resources
or
funding.
B
I
Good
afternoon,
thank
you
very
much
for
the
opportunity
to
speak
with
you
today.
My
name
is
David.
Fair
and
I.
Am
the
deputy
chief
executive
officer
of
turning
points
for
children.
Turning
points
currently
operates:
the
largest
community
umbrella
agency
and
Foster
Care
programs
in
the
Philadelphia
area,
serving
almost
3
000
children
daily
and
primarily,
as
a
result
of
the
inadequate
funding
we
received.
We
have
experienced
significant
Staffing
challenges
in
both
programs
in
recent
years.
We
have
and
will
hear
of
the
details
and
numbers
which
show
the
crisis
in
child
welfare.
I
The
Chronic
underfunding
has
wrought
for
both
DHS
and
for
its
providers,
but
what
you
might
not
hear
is
hear
of
is
the
extraordinary
stress
and
Trauma
related
to
the
provision
of
child
welfare
services
and
of
the
tolls
such
stressors.
Take
on
those
remarkable
people
who
choose
to
do
this
work
every
day.
Turning
points
is
honor
to
employ
over
600
of
these
amazing
people
who
go
through
incredible
lengths,
every
minute
and
every
hour
to
reach
our
overarching
goals
that
every
child
be
safe
and
that
every
child
be
with
their
family.
I
I
But
the
report
makes
clear
what
anyone
in
child
welfare
has
known
for
a
very
long
time
that
our
lack
of
support
for
those
on
the
front
lines
of
caring
for
our
most
at-risk
children
feeds
child
abuse
and
neglect,
rather
than
reducing
it
to
be
clear
by
failing
to
pay
a
living
wage
to
child
welfare
workers
at
all
levels.
By
overwhelming
those
workers
with
unnecessarily
burdens
and
paperwork
which
often
drains
them
of
their
energy
and
often
has
little
relationship
to
the
safety
and
well-being
of
the
child.
I
By
thinking
that
it
makes
sense
to
assign
caseloads
of
up
to
30
or
more
children
at
one
time
by
creating
a
system
that
is
destined
to
fail.
So
many
families
we
as
a
community
of
caring
philadelphians,
simply
are
not
doing
the
best
we
can
for
the
children
and
families
who
come
to
us
for
help
as
the
largest
community-based
child
welfare
organization.
In
the
region,
turning
points
therefore
has
both
the
largest
child
welfare
and
Workforce
in
the
system
outside
of
DHS
and
the
biggest
challenges
to
finding
and
maintaining
those
workers.
I
This
is
not
because
of
lack
of
effort
on
the
part
of
turning
points
or
its
funders
at
state
and
city
DHS.
Earlier
in
this
hearing,
commissioner
Ali,
he
tailed
the
extraordinary
efforts
that
DHS
is
making
for
fiscal
year,
2024
to
improve
compensation
for
child
welfare
workers.
That
is
very
important
progress,
but
it
is
not
enough.
I
The
bottom
line
is
that
we,
as
a
community
as
represented
on
the
council
and
the
legislatures
in
the
State
national
levels,
have
been
unwilling
to
make
the
necessary
investment
of
energy
and
dollars
that
is
required
to
reduce
child
abuse
and
neglect
in
our
communities.
This
is
not
about
funding
for
agencies.
I,
say
it
again.
We,
the
people
of
Philadelphia
and
Pennsylvania,
have
been
unwilling
to
spend
what
it
takes
to
keep
our
children
safe.
I
That
failure
is
what
leads
to
a
45
staff
turnover
rate
in
our
system,
significantly
higher.
That
is
experienced
another
public
and
private
systems.
It's
what
leads
to
60
and
70
hour
work
weeks,
because
we
are
unwilling
to
pay
for
on-call
and
overnight
workers
to
respond
to
the
24
7
nature
of
child
welfare
crises.
I
It's
what
creates
extraordinarily
High
caseloads,
which
results
in
lower
quality
work
for
more
and
more
children
and
families.
Every
day
it
even
undermines
the
ability
of
child
welfare
workers
to
care
for
their
own
children,
as
the
urgencies
of
constant
crises,
often
prevent
them
from
being
there
for
their
own
families
when
needed.
There
is
a
simple
solution:
pay
a
living
wage,
provide
the
kind
of
training
and
technology
that
supports
good
Social
Work,
rather
than
just
good
paperwork.
I
I
The
challenges
facing
children,
families
and
workers
involved
in
child
welfare,
as
detailed
in
the
workforce
report,
are
many
ways
complex,
but
in
some
ways
they
are
simple
to
understand.
If
we
invest
in
the
Safety
and
Security
of
our
children
and
then
the
livelihoods
of
the
courageous
Heroes
who
go
out
every
day
to
assure
that
Safety
and
Security
more
children
will
Thrive
more
families
will
remain
whole
more
communities
will
be
safer.
I
B
Thank
you.
Thank
you
David
for
your
testimony,
and
this
is
actually
what
you
said
about
this
investment
not
being
enough
and
how
we,
how
important
it
is
for
us
to
have
not
only
City
support
but
State
and
State
support
is
a
really
important
I.
Don't
think
people
really
understand
the
death
of
what
goes
on
with
our
with
our
workers
and
and
social
workers
with
children
I
mean,
but
I'm
gonna
stop
right.
There,
I'm
gonna
hold
my
comments.
We're
going
to
go
over
to
to
Frank.
H
Thank
you,
Mr
chair,
I'm,
Frank,
cervone
executive
director
of
the
support
center
for
child
Advocates.
Child
Advocates
is
Philadelphia's
pro
bono
lawyer
program
for
abuse
and
neglected
children.
We
offer
the
skills
and
dedication
of
lawyer
social
worker
teams
to
represent
a
thousand
or
more
children
each
year
and
we
train
5,
000
plus
child
serving
Professionals
in
live
virtual
and
online
curricula
for
more
than
45
years.
We
have
served
as
a
resource
to
this
community
and
to
this
Council
and
I.
Thank
you
for
the
invitation
to
serve
in
this
role.
H
Once
again,
I've
been
honored
to
serve
with
Regan
Kelly,
the
CEO
of
Northeast
treatment
centers
as
co-chair
of
the
workforce
crisis.
Task
Force
at
the
Pennsylvania
Council
of
children,
Youth
and
Family
Services
I
acknowledge
the
outstanding
service
of
my
colleague,
Samia
Kim,
whom
you've
heard
moments
ago,
and
my
own
colleague
child
advocate
social
worker
Laura
McNeil
here
at
child
advocates.
H
This
is
a
crisis
that
is
years
in
the
making.
Workforce
problems
have
been
documented
in
the
DHS
Kua
scorecard
since
the
very
beginning
of
the
reform
initiative,
improving
outcomes
for
children
or
ioc
10
years
ago.
It's
just
about
always
the
lowest
scoring
field
in
the
five
Bells
scoring
rubric
of
the
scorecard,
with
agencies
receiving
often
receiving
just
one
or
two
bills,
that
is
quote
unsatisfactory
or
even
critical.
H
Dhs's
2021
foster
care
report
shows
that
more
than
one-third
of
the
provider
agencies
quote
needed
Improvement
part
of
me.
Unfortunately,
the
needs
of
this
Workforce,
the
Child
Welfare
Workforce,
have
been
ignored
for
just
as
long
importantly,
we
should
not
be
criticizing
and,
as
you
may
hear
in
the
marketplace,
we
shouldn't
be
criticizing
the
Kua
and
provider
agents
for
these
deficits,
as
if
it's
a
management
problem,
I
hope
you
can
see
it
in
the
very
presentation
of
this
study
as
being
from
providers
and
Advocates
that
we
share
these
concerns.
H
These
are
structural
deficits,
related
to
compensation,
funding,
formulas
and
limitations,
commitment
to
outcomes
and
a
need
for
new
solutions
to
Old
problems.
As
commissioner
Ali
cited,
the
national
Foundation
Casey
Family
Programs
notes
the
phenomenon
when
families
come
in
contact
with
the
child
welfare
system,
nothing
has
the
power
to
impact
them
more
than
the
professionals
who
serve
them.
Maintaining
a
high
performing
engaged
and
committed
Workforce
is
vital
to
improving
to
providing
families
with
the
quality
supports
they
need
to
stabilize
reunify
and
Thrive
research
and
practice.
H
Wisdom
suggests
that
positive
child
welfare
outcomes
depend
largely
on
the
capacity
and
competence
of
the
Child
Welfare
Workforce.
However,
recruitment,
hiring
and
retention
of
dedicated
staff
remain
persistent
challenges
for
child
protection
agencies
across
the
country.
For
the
past
15
years,
child
welfare
turnover
rates
have
been
estimated
between
20
and
40
percent.
H
So
what
does
unsatisfactory
and
needs
Improvement
and
critical?
Look
like
in
our
case
as
a
child
Advocates,
we
are
seeing
tremendous
levels
of
Staff
vacancy
and
turnover
among
case
managers
like
cool
workers,
foster
care
and
resource
parents,
social
workers
therapists
just
about
everywhere.
A
professional
has
some
contact
point
with
a
child
or
a
family.
A
child
might
have
three
or
more
persons
in
the
same
role
over
their
time
and
care
with
weeks
or
months
of
no
worker
assigned
or
quote
supervised
recovery.
H
These
gaps
result
in
loss
of
case
history,
of
referrals,
of
loss
of
continuity
of
care
and
a
host
of
other
problems
case.
History
means
what
happened
to
me.
How
am
I
doing
where's
this
going,
both
the
positive
advances
and
the
negative
slides,
get
missed
or
get
lost
when
there's
a
gap
in
Staffing
like
a
child
healing
an
or
trauma
treatment,
or
perhaps
waiting
months
for
sessions
to
start
or
a
parent
participating
in
visits
or
not
showing
up.
H
H
Delays
are
not
measured
in
hours
or
days,
but
in
weeks
and
months
and
years
their
lives
are
put
on
hold,
which
means,
of
course,
that
their
development
is
interrupted
and
stymied.
This
is
dangerous.
Its
impact
is
lasting.
This
is
the
face
of
the
Child
Welfare
Workforce
crisis
in
Philadelphia,
our
own
office
staff's
cases
with
child
advocate
social
workers,
Master's
level
social
workers
teamed
with
volunteer
attorneys
and
staff
attorneys,
but
we
are
having
to
do
the
job
that
others
are
supposed
to
be
doing,
and
that
contributes
all
sorts
of
problems
case.
H
Managers
and
other
workers
are
supposed
to
set
up
medical
exams
and
psychological
evaluations.
My
colleague,
child
advocate
social
workers
are
making
those
appointments
because
someone
else
is
not
doing
so.
Our
bilingual
staff
are
doing
translations
for
caregiver
visits
and
service
planning
meetings,
because
there
are
so
few
bilingual
case
managers
and
providers.
H
We
all
know
what
this
looks
like
when
you
have
to
do
someone
else's
job
on
top
of
your
own
tasks,
do
not
get
done,
quality
is
compromised
and
clients
suffer,
and
it's
a
crisis
that
everyone
in
our
work
knows
about.
The
pattern
has
been
studied
for
more
than
a
decade
like
similar
patterns
among
teachers,
child
care,
workers,
therapists,
prison
guards,
and
so
many
other
fields.
Scholars
have
highlighted
deep
challenges,
including
the
20th
century
version
of
one's
own
personal
sense
of
mission
and
the
community-wide
need
to
affirm
the
role
of
child
welfare
and
Human
Services
work.
H
H
H
In
a
similar
study,
researchers
examined
youth
voices
and
outcomes
and
found
that
turnover
had
a
direct
impact
in
three
main
domains.
Loss
of
trust
instability
and
having
second
chances
turnover
in
the
workforce
not
only
leads
to
financial
hardship
for
agencies,
as
you've
heard
so
eloquently
from
my
colleagues
as
they
work
to
replace
exiting
caseworkers.
It
also
directly
impacts
children,
youth
and
Families.
H
H
Philadelphia
DHS
should
be
commended
for
its
continued
transparency
of
data
and
performance
with
the
skua
cork,
with
the
coup
with
the
with
the
Kua
scorecard,
say
that
three
times
fast
and
other
reports,
but
that
transparency
only
works
if
it
leads
to
identifying
strengths
and
weaknesses
and
then
real
change
in
the
right
direction.
These
include
numbers
and
timing
of
uncovered
cases,
Kua
and
provider
staff
turnover
waiting
lists,
delays
in
treatment,
placement
and
family
permanency.
You
ought
to
know
that
data
we
ought
to
be
talking
about
it.
What
gets
studied
gets
improved?
H
We
all
have
to
call
out
the
crisis
and
what
it
means
and
the
lived
experience
of
children,
families
and
workers.
Second,
we
commend
commissioner
Ali's
budget
requests.
Salaries
of
the
private
provider.
Workforce
need
to
improve,
in
some
cases
dramatically
when
identifying
per
diem
rates.
Philadelphia
DHS
should
calculate
and
advocate
for
one
that
is
inclusive
of
a
living,
competitive
salary.
H
Third,
they
need
to
create
mechanisms
for
additional
funding
resources
when
significant
and
pressing
needs
occur.
Fourth,
they
need
to
create
a
funding
mechanism
for
a
bullpen
of
caseworkers
to
be
readily
available
so
that
we
don't
have
six
weeks
of
waiting
with
a
case
uncovered
when
we
know
that
people
are
leaving.
H
Lastly,
the
improved
condition
and
stability
of
child
welfare
and
Human
Services
Workers
must
be
high
priorities
for
the
new
administrations
of
Governor
Shapiro
of
the
new
city
of
Philadelphia
mayor
and
for
current
budget
operations
by
this
Council.
In
the
end,
I
call
your
attention
to
the
title
of
one
of
the
articles
I
cited
in
my
written
remarks.
It
reveals
a
kind
of
a
measure
quote
if
you
can't
be
with
this
client
for
some
years.
Don't
do
it
if
you're
not
committed
to
stay
with
this
work,
don't
even
come
now.
H
That's
a
pretty
high
bar,
but
that's
what
we
should
be
striving
for.
Our
Workforce
colleagues
are
often
with
a
child
or
a
family
for
just
months
and
rarely
for
the
full
time
of
their
service.
We
need
to
create
the
conditions
that
will
allow
and
encourage
staff
to
be
with
their
clients
for
all
the
years
that
their
clients
need
them.
Thank
you.
B
J
Good
afternoon,
chairman
Phillips
and
members
of
the
Philadelphia
city,
council,
Children
and
Youth
committee,
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
for
me
to
speak
with
you
today
about
our
foster
care
program.
My
name
is
Melissa
Harvey
and
I
am
the
vice
president
of
community-based
programs
at
Gemma
services.
J
Gemma
Services
provides
vital,
Behavioral,
Health,
special
education,
child
welfare
and
Prevention
Services
for
more
than
4
000,
Youth
and
families.
Each
year
at
gem
Services,
we
believe
every
child
deserves
the
Safety
and
Security
associated
with
residing
in
a
nurturing
stable
home
environment
every
day.
I
am
amazed
by
the
dedication
from
our
staff
and
foster
parents
who
help
our
kids
in
so
many
ways.
I
am
truly
humbled
by
their
passion
and
commitment
to
our
youth
and
Families.
J
What
we're
experiencing
here
is
a
Workforce
crisis
in
the
child
welfare
system
at
record
rates
that
is
directly
impacting
a
child's
right
to
safety.
This
Workforce
crisis
significantly
stresses
and
impacts
A
system.
That
is
already
fragile.
That
many
of
my
other
colleagues
spoke
about
here
today
and
has
been
for
many
years
and
without
a
stable
Workforce.
Our
most
vulnerable
children
are
at
risk.
For
example,
when
a
cool
case
manager
leaves
we
as
a
foster
care
agency,
then
directly
experience
that
domino
effect
of
that
impact
and
Frank
shared
about
this
too.
J
The
child's
history,
the
next
steps
of
their
case,
they
get
lost.
A
follow-up
on
medication
may
get
missed
a
medical
appointment
that
needed
to
be
rescheduled
falls
through
the
cracks.
We
then
receive
phone
calls
from
our
foster
parents
inquiring
about
where
things
stand.
Our
foster
parents
may
say
to
us
that
they're
trying
to
get
in
touch
with
their
Kua
worker,
but
they
can't
because
the
old
caseworker
left
and
now
someone
else
is
trying
to
cover
the
case,
and
we
don't
know
who
that
is.
J
Our
amazing
staff
are
often
trying
to
fill
in
those
gaps,
even
when
we
are
short
staffed
too
and
I
want
to
be
clear
this
this
isn't
about
casting
blame
on
kuo
or
any
one
entity.
This
is
about
how
these
Workforce
stressors
are
impacting
our
entire
child
welfare
system,
because
this
doesn't
happen
in
a
vacuum.
As
a
result,
child
safety
is
at
risk
of
being
compromised
and
is
already
being
compromised,
and
we
can
start
by
addressing
this
problem
with
a
well-funded
system.
J
Inadequate
daily
rates
for
foster
care
are
directly
linked
to
inadequate
payments
to
our
foster
parents
and
to
our
employees.
So
I
ask
that
we
join
together
in
our
commitment
to
the
Safety
and
Security
of
our
foster
children
by
taking
immediate
steps
of
increasing
the
daily
rate
to
our
foster
care
providers.
J
B
I
would
like
to
thank
David
Fair,
Frank
Savon,
as
well
as
Mr
Harvey
and
Kim
Samia
cam,
for
their
testimony
today.
I
hope
for
our
viewing
public.
This
was
informative
and
for
some
this
was
also
a
resolve.
That
of
something
that
you
already
knew,
and
now
you
want
our
city
council
members,
as
well
as
other
leaders
in
the
city
and
state
to
really
get
get
a
hold
of
this
right
and
take
and
take
some
sort
of
action,
so
I'm,
hoping
that
this
was
something
that
was
you
know,
energizing
for
all
of
us.
F
G
G
Indeed
type
of
comparison,
we
found
that
Jefferson
Health,
the
annual
average
salary
of
a
medical
social
worker,
was
around
62
000
Penn
Medicine
around
63
000..
We
looked
at
chop,
which
was
in
the
70s
and
amerihealth
was
around
60
000
and
we
even
looked
at
comparable
Social
Work
positions
in
the
school
district,
which
you
know
is
another
area
where
we
talk
a
lot
about
Recruitment
and
Retention
challenges
and
their
they're
social
workers
with
a
bachelor's
degree,
will
begin
earning
fifty
thousand
dollars.
G
So
that's
a
minimum
of
ten
thousand
dollars
more
than
the
social
worker
than
the
social
work
field
there.
They
have.
These
sort
of
annual
increases
on
an
ongoing
basis,
and
one
thing
I
want
to
note-
is
that
when
the
Philadelphia
foster
care
rate
doesn't
increase,
providers
are
unable
to
also
offer
cost
of
living
adjustments
for
their
own
employees.
F
You
know
if
they
say
in
order,
a
single
person
with
a
child
would
have
to
make
at
least
38
dollars
an
hour
to
be
able
to
afford
to
live
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
and
yet
we
mandate
our
employees
live
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia,
but
we're
not
paying
them
a
wage
to
live
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia.
And
that
really
irritates
me.
So
thank
you.
F
E
Yeah,
this
is
a
kind
of
a
follow-up.
So
just
for
clarity,
you
said,
regardless
of
the
qualifications,
that
some
of
them
hit
a
wall
and
there's
no
room
to
grow,
because
we
don't
fund
High
Enough.
So
if
we
had
a
entry-level
social
worker
coming
in,
how
much
is
the
max
out
at
that
particular
at
the
entry-level
social
worker,
for
these
agencies.
G
So
we
what
we
did
was
when
we
looked
at
that
40
000
number
that
was
sort
of
the
average
of
of
foster
care
providers
across
the
system.
They
as
private
agencies,
they
they
sort
of
set
their
own
salary
rates.
I
know
that
for
the
community
umbrella
agencies,
they
have
specified
salary
ranges
that
are
Universal
for
all
kuas,
regardless
of
whether
you're
akua
from
turning
points
or
whether
you're
a
Kua
from
net
I.
G
So
the
the
rate
is
uniform.
The
rate
that
they're
paid
is
uniform
across
specialized
Behavioral
Health
foster
care
providers
and
General
Foster
Care
Providers,
but
the
way
that
it's
distributed
has
varied
because
different
agencies
have
different
expenses.
What
we
have
found
is
that
foster
care
agencies
in
general
spend
an
average
of
59
on
their
compensation,
but
because
they
might
have
different
expenses
related
to
their
utilities,
their
rent,
their
liability
insurance.
All
of
that
sort
of
can
vary
and
isn't
isn't
applied
uniformly.
B
D
I
can
I
can
answer
that
I,
don't
I,
don't
believe,
I,
don't
see
on
my
side,
education
requirement
that
will
limit
the
hiring
of
social
workers
because
it
is
a
profession,
social
worker.
So,
whether
you're
talking
about
a
resource,
parent,
social
worker,
a
DHS
social
worker
or
a
cooler
case
manager,
they
all
have
to
have
a
bachelor's
degree
in
social
work
or
related
field,
so
their
related
field
can
be
criminal
justice
that
related
field
can
be
psychology,
there's
a
whole
list
of
related
fields.
B
D
D
B
I
I
am
I,
am
one
100
with
this
idea
of
increasing
salaries
only
because
I
do
recognize
what
age
of
of
what
generation
that
we're
in
right.
There
are
there's
so
many
employment
opportunities
in
this
and
at
the
it
they
would.
If,
if
what
they
would
say,
the
bag
is
not
there
ultimately
eat,
they
don't
sometimes
follow
their
heart,
but
then
people
who
do
follow
their
heart
right
and
get
into
this
profession
they're
excited
about
it.
B
But
then
because
they're
struggling
at
home
they're
and
then
the
work
is
just
so
overwhelming
in
itself.
They're,
like
I,
just
can't
do
this
no
more
as
much
as
I
love
the
mission
and
the
work.
It's
because
not
it's
taking
a
toll
on
my
myself
right,
because
I
personally,
don't
have
the
funds
and
then
not
only
that
is
mental.
B
You
know
mentally
draining
predominance,
so
I
I
get
it
and
that's
why
I
think
the
funding
for
salary
increases
will
help
us
number
one
find
better
reverse
and
also
make
sure
we
increase
the
number
of
workers,
and
so
what
I'm
more
interested
in
seeing
is,
if
I'm
hoping
that.
Commissioner,
from
this
conversation,
we
can
get
together
with
all
of
the
cool
Representatives
today
and
really
come
up
with
the
best
line
item
that
the
city
can
produce.
B
You
know
for,
for
this
particular
increase
in
salaries
and
hope
that
we
will
see
an
increase
of
of
workers.
You
know
for
the
for
this
because
our
children
need
it
now.
Here's
the
other
thing
all
our
workers
are
they
receiving
free
mental
health
support
you
know
for
for
them
like
is
that
is
that
part
of
the
package,
because
Lord
do
they
need
it
too.
So.
D
E
G
So
I
do
think
that
paperwork
is
an
issue
that
really
requires
a
lot
of
balance
right,
because
when
we
also
surveyed
our
social
workers
over
80
of
them
expressed
that
like,
yes,
the
documentation
is
excessive.
It
really
takes
a
toll
on
our
ability
to
engage
Children
and
Families.
It's
not
in
direct
proportion
to
our
work
with
our
families.
B
It
was
a
lot
of
work
there,
but
this
social
work
thing
is
on
another
another
level,
so
so
I
I
get
it,
and
that's
why
this
is
a
important
for
me.
I
do
want
to
ask
this
and
I'll
I'll
stop
here
and
if
there's
any
other
this
to
see,
if
there's
any
other
questions,
but
I
am
I'm
very
I'm,
very
curious
about
how
do
we?
B
How
do
we
make
sure
that
we
we
do
once
we
if
this
funding
is
approved
and
we
find
money
to
to
to
to
increase
the
so
increase
the
funds
for
well
increase
the
salaries
of
our
social
workers
and
so
forth?
Commissioner,
as
well
as
you
know,
others
who
are
on
this
panel
are
we
ensure
that
there's
a
plan
to
make
sure
that
we
are
getting
getting
the
social
workers
in
place
like
do
as
as
Frank
mentioned,
we
don't
have
a
bullpen,
yet
right,
I
mean
so
we're
gonna
have
to
be
very.
B
D
So
I
can
actually
start
in
terms
of
the
plan
around
Recruitment
and
we
work
with
you
know
our
core
providers,
in
particular
around
their
recruitment
strategies,
and
so
the
first
thing,
which
is
extremely
important
that
we
talked
about
today,
is
really
around
increasing
the
salaries
and
also
paying
incentives
for
the
social
work
staff.
The
other
thing
in
terms
of
recruitment
is
ensuring
that
DHS
have
Mo
uses
with
at
least
five
major
universities.
We
also
encourage
internships
for
our
coupers
and
provider
staff
as
well,
so
we
need
to
get
further
Upstream.
D
You
know
in
order
to
make
child
protective
services
and
child
welfare
attractive
to
individuals
coming
out
of
college.
I
would
also
say
also
offering
we
used
to
do
internships
as
well,
for
young
people
in
high
school
that
needed
to
do
their
senior
projects,
and
so
we
have
done
some
Outreach
to
high
schools
as
well,
so
that
individuals,
high
schoolers,
who
want
to
do
their
senior
projects,
they
can
certainly
Shadow.
You
know
DHS
employees
as
well.
I
D
D
D
Of
what
are
the
Kua
responsibilities?
What
are
the
responsibilities
to
our
provider
staff?
To
determine
again
is
the
city
exceeding
expectations
and,
if
so,
and
requirements
of
the
city
of
the
state
and
federal
government,
then
we
are
willing
to
take
a
second
look
at
that
as
long
as
it
doesn't
compromise
the
safety
and
the
well-being
of
young
people.
We
have
done
that
in
the
past.
A
D
Alongside
the
cooler
case,
managers
and
the
core
leadership,
so
we
can
certainly
do
that
again.
We
have
also
currently
doing
that
with
our
supervised
Independent
Living
providers
and
we'll
continue
to
do
that
with
other
providers,
because
the
needs
of
the
providers
and
the
expectations
are
a
little
different
and
so
you're
talking
about
a
series
of
smaller
work
groups
in
order
to
get
ahead
of
this
issue
of
work,
glue.
B
I
We
have
a
emphasis
lately
on
older
youth,
we're
doing
some
work
with
the
va's
office,
as
well
as
with
DHS
around
helping
the
many
youth
who
age
out
of
the
foster
care
system
who
are
unstable
and
need
to
continue
to
be
supported
even
after
they
are
no
longer
of
the
age
to
be
able
to
stay
in
the
DHS
system.
So
we
expect
to
be
a
vibrant
participant
in
the
Child
Welfare
landscape.
We
wish
we
could
we
wish.
B
Yeah
and
and
so,
and
just
sort
of
record
everyone.
We
have
a
view
in
public
here.
It's
just
cool
us
again,
Community
umbrella
agencies
that
are
in
partnership
with
DHS,
just
in
case
anyone
didn't
know,
commissionally,
what's
going
to
happen
to
their
cases,
who's
taking
them
over
who's,
going
to
manage
their
cases
and,
what's
going
to
happen
to
those
children.
D
The
review
process
not
only
consists
of
reviewing
the
proposal,
but
also
a
presentation
done
by
the
potential
applicants,
as
well
as
site
visits,
part
of
The
Proposal
included
for
the
new
applicant
to
take
on
the
workforce
of
turning
points
for
children,
and
so
those
work
plans
have
been
submitted
by
all
of
the
applicants.
Turning
points
for
children
will
continue
to
provide
transition,
support
to
the
new
providers
up
until
December
of
2023.
B
Thank
you
and
I
promise.
This
is
my
final
commenting
question
recently.
I've
also
heard
a
recommendation
around
the
following
that
perhaps
the
best
solution.
This
is
something
that's
really
important
as
we
go
into
budget
hearings
and
also
this
could
be
countered
by
other
council
members
and
I.
Think
it's
important
to
have
this
discussed
by
OU.
The
best
solution
is
to
not
have
kuas
altogether
and
just
go
back
to
focusing
on
having
DHS
deal
with
all
of
the
you
know,
funding
DHS
that
were
all
the
cases
in
general.
Why
is
that
not?
D
D
Managing
the
hotline
is
that
we
wanted
to
ensure
that
there
was
one
provider
or
one
case
manager
working
with
the
families,
because
at
that
particular
time
before
improving
outcomes
for
children,
families
had
both
a
DHS
social
worker,
as
well
as
a
provider
social
worker
that
was
going
out
to
their
home,
which
was
causing
a
great
deal
of
confusion
for
for
families.
And
so,
after
a
few
years
of
research
and
engagement,
we
decided
to
move
to
a
single
case
management
system,
hence
Improvement
outcomes
for
children,
and
so
we
believe
that
that
is
the
right
model.
D
D
It
depends
so
I
would
say.
I
would
not
know
that
council
member
Phillips,
the
new
provider
agency,
was
certainly
be
responsible
for
getting
their
own
insurance.
I
do
want
to
state
that
oftentimes,
the
insurance
premiums
increase
as
a
result
of
claims,
and
so
this
will
possibly
be
a
new
provider.
Certainly
they
wouldn't
have
the
claims
that
were
associated
by
attorney
points
for
children,
but
I
would
not
be
able
to
speak
to
whether
or
not
they
would
have
a
10
million
dollar
insurance
premium
or
not.
I
All
right,
I
think
it's
important
councilman
to
remember
that
turning
points
have
four
couples,
not
just
one
cooler
and
I
think
we've
learned
something
about
the
size
of
a
cure
and
what
and
how
that
impacts.
Things
like
overhead
costs
and
insurance
and
I
think
recently
we're
too
large
to
be
able
to
get
a
reasonable
Insurance
coverage.
B
Yeah,
no,
that's
good.
That's
I
mean
it
every
time.
I
think
I've
done
I
always
say:
go
to
some
some
other
things,
but
I'm
probably
going
to
wrap
it
up
now,
but
I,
one
of
the
things
I
just
I
am
curious
about.
Is
it
true
that
we
have
two
that
sometimes
families
have
two
social
workers
or
one
student
as
opposed
to
one
social
worker?
Would
that
be
helpful?
If
we
just
go
back
to
getting,
we
do
the
salary
increase
and
we
get
one
social
worker
on
one
on
one
particular
student
and
family.
H
G
H
H
If
you,
if
you
were
to
study
the
chart
on
the
the
chart
of
assigned
staff
on
a
particular
case
for
a
particular
child
for
a
particular
family,
sometimes
you'll
see
eight
or
ten
professionals
on
the
page
right,
it's
an
extraordinary
and
complicated
array.
That's
that's
really
problematic.
Now
part
of
that
came
with.
H
You
know
you
let
it
out
to
the
marketplace,
and
so
commissioner
Ali
and
our
colleagues
will
solicit
proposals
for
this
service
solicit
proposals
for
that
service.
So
me,
as
colleagues,
are
going
to
come
forward
with
a
variety
of
proposals,
there
are
dozens
of
providers
in
the
world.
We
like
that
in
one
sense,
but
without
testing
it
against,
in
a
sense,
a
standard
of,
in
a
sense,
a
numerical
standard.
How
many
professionals
do
you
think
it's
reasonable
for
the
average
family
to
engage?
There's
no
data
on
that
right
now
there
ought
to
be.
H
H
B
B
Okay,
so
I
just
want
to
say
that
thank
I
wanted
to
say
thank
you.
This
conversation
is
long
overdue
and
so
I'm
happy
that
we're
having
it
and
I
want
to
thank
the
task
force
for
coming
to
me
and
enlightening
us
on
this.
Encouraging
us
to
talk
about
this
I
want
to
thank
our
oh
councilman
Brooks.
Did
you
have
anything
that
you
want
that?
B
Okay
I
want
to
thank
councilwoman
Brooks
I
want
to
thank
councilman
Thomas
I
want
to
thank
councilman,
Johnson
and
councilman
Gautier
councilman
Harrity
for
all
joining
us
today
and
all
of
you
interviewing
public
Rachel,
thanks
for
helping
to
put
us
to
put
this
together.
Thank
you
for
listening
and
just
know
that
we're
not
only
listening
that
we're
going
to
be
working
on
something.
That's
why
we
call
this
hearing
today,
because
our
social
workers
are
in
need,
because
our
children
are
most
importantly
in
need
in
the
city
of
Philadelphia.
B
Thank
you
there
being
no,
no
one
else
here
to
testify
on
his
resolution.
This
concludes
the
business
of
the
Children
and
Youth
committee.
For
today,
there's
a
public
hearing
or
resolution
number
23037
is
recess
to
the
call
of
the
chair.
Thank
you
all
very
much.
Thank
you.
Philadelphia
we'll
get
to
work.