Stoneleigh Fellow Steve Volk authors an article in Billy Penn highlighting community concerns ahead of Philadelphia City Council hearings on the child welfare system.
Community members are lobbying ahead of a City Council hearing this week for long-sought reforms to Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services, citing years of systemic problems.
The hearing, the second convened by City Council members Nina Ahmad and Cindy Bass, was sparked by a Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative investigation, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which exposed chronic understaffing, turnover in the workforce and the needless separation of families. Advocates had offered a list of concerns early this past summer.
Ahmad, in preparation for Tuesday’s hearing, listened to community concerns this August at the city’s main library in a two-plus hour event at which participants offered several key criticisms.
