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Authorizing the Committee on People with Disabilities and Special Needs to hold hearings examining Philadelphia's Community Umbrella Agency system, its failure to significantly reduce child fatalities and near-fatalities, and the oversight of child-welfare case management and foster-care placement within the Department of Human Services, especially as it pertains to children with disabilities and special needs.
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WHEREAS, In 2006, 14-year-old Danieal Kelly, a Philadelphia child with cerebral palsy, died following failures by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and a contracted social-service provider to protect her. Her death prompted a sweeping review of Philadelphia's child-welfare system and a commitment to prevent similar tragedies; and
WHEREAS, In the years following Danieal Kelly's death, Philadelphia established the Community Umbrella Agency (CUA) system, transferring responsibility for ongoing child-welfare case management, including the coordination and monitoring of foster-care placements, from DHS to private nonprofit contractors. The restructuring was intended to improve child safety, strengthen accountability, and better serve children and families; and
WHEREAS, Nearly two decades after Danieal Kelly's death, Philadelphia's children continue to die or experience near-fatal harm while involved in the child-welfare system. An April 2025 investigation by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Resolve Philly found that child fatalities and near-fatalities remained at levels similar to those before the CUA system was established; and
WHEREAS, The same investigation identified nearly 70 lawsuits against CUAs, including nearly 14 involving child deaths, with at least 50 cases reportedly resulting in settlements or verdicts of $1 million or more; and
WHEREAS, These cases include the deaths of Hope Jones and Su'Layah Williams, whose cases involved Northeast Treatment Centers; Sy'Vir Hill, whose death resulted in a lawsuit naming Northeast Treatment Centers and Tabor Children's Services; and Malayshia Alford, whose death in 2026 exposed serious questions about how foster-care agencies investigate, document, and share information about prior abuse allegations; and
WHEREAS, Other cases have resulted in substantial financial settlements, including $8 million involving Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha and Pradera Corporation, $11 million involving Tabor Community Partners, and $6 million involving Turning Points for Children; and
WHEREAS, Despite these outcomes, DHS's annual CUA scorecards have reported increasingly favorable performance ratings. Child fatalities and near-fatalities were explicitly excluded from the original 2017 ratings and are not separately reported or scored in the published 2025 methodology; and
WHEREAS, The withdrawal of Turning Points for Children and Tabor Community Partners, together with high staff turnover and rising insurance costs, has raised further questions about the financial stability and accountability of the CUA model; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia has historically removed children from their families at rates that exceed many comparable jurisdictions, and DHS data indicates that 1,291 children were removed from their parents during Fiscal Year 2024, underscoring the importance of evaluating whether Community Umbrella Agencies and the broader child welfare system are effectively supporting family preservation and preventing unnecessary family separation; and
WHEREAS, Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to failures in placement, medical care, educational services, and coordination among agencies, while parents with disabilities face additional barriers to accessing appropriate family supports; and
WHEREAS, Child protection is a fundamental public responsibility. The City remains accountable for the safety of children in its care even when it contracts with private organizations to perform essential services; and
WHEREAS, This hearing needs to evaluate the independent oversight of the CUAs and monitor the contracting, financing, compliance, and performance metric that extends beyond the current CUA scorecard evaluation; and
WHEREAS, With the creation of CUAs, a Community Advisory Board (CAB) was established to provide community and neighborhood accountability and feedback. Over the last three years it has been reported that these meetings have not been held and therefore lack the opportunity for individuals most impacted to have open communication with CUA networks; and
WHEREAS, Remunicipalization, the return of outsourced services to direct public administration, warrants examination as Philadelphia considers the future of its child-welfare system; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on People with Disabilities and Special Needs is hereby authorized to hold hearings examining the performance of Philadelphia's Community Umbrella Agency system and the feasibility of ending private CUA case-management contracts and returning these responsibilities to publicly employed staff within the Department of Human Services.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the hearings shall examine child fatalities and near-fatalities, CUA performance ratings, litigation and settlement costs, staffing and caseloads, the experiences of children and parents with disabilities, and the legal, financial, and administrative steps necessary to return child-welfare case management and foster-care placement oversight to direct public administration
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