Philadelphia's Child Welfare Agency Loses Its State Certification
by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- State welfare officials has revoked the Philadelphia Department of Human Services' certificate of compliance and, instead, issued a provisional license to provide services to children.
Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas says the state's annual licensing inspection in January found numerous violations from missing paperwork to inadequate placements, including in DHS's own offices.
"There's a room at 1515 Arch Street where kids are sometimes kept overnight when they don't have placement for them. That is completely unacceptable," said Dallas.
In all the city received 70 citations. It returned a plan of correction, which the state rejected as inadequate.
"We do not have an acceptable plan of correction from them now. We are continuing to work with them and hoping to get to one," Dallas said.
He says the state is working with the Kenney administration since the problems pre-date it, and deputy managing director Eva Gladstein says improvements are coming.
"I'm not saying we're turning everything around over night but there have been a number of steps taken since January," said Gladstein.
She says the city is reducing the use of the child care room in its office for overnight stays, and has done a better job of finding children permanent homes.
