Title
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.
Body
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 C...
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