The establishment of a new advisory committee on family policies that would host quarterly public meetings, publish an annual report and collect feedback from parents, caregivers and youths is being considered by the city.
Councilmember Nina Ahmad (D-At-Large) introduced legislation Thursday to establish the Philadelphia Child Welfare Commission. If the bill is approved by City Council, it would create a ballot question for the November elections that would put the formation of the panel up to voters.
MORE: Philly’s collar counties are backing the city’s legal fight to restore the Presidents House exhibit
“Basically, (the commission is) sort of the eyes and ears to see what’s going on and report out to the broader public who don’t always know what’s happening in these spaces and actually should know what’s happen in these spaces,” Ahmad said.
The 15-member body would include six parents, caregivers or adults who went through the child welfare system; a youth ombudsperson; a representative from the school district; mayoral appointees from the the health services, behavioral health and intellectual disability, and public health departments; and experts in child welfare advocacy, research or legal work.
Ahmad said a similar oversight board existed during former Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration, but it fell off after he left office at the end of 2023. She wanted to codify the committee in the city’s Home Rule Charter to protect it from administration changes.
She said people are sometimes unaware of some of the resources and protections in place that can keep children out of the child welfare and foster care systems and often only find out about them when a complaint is lodged against them. She hopes that the commission can help connect people with resources that help keep families together before the Department of Human Services gets involved, as that can be a lengthy and difficult process.
“If somebody comes to those meetings, they will know we have these other resources to help you before you go down a path that is really difficult for you to keep your children, so we are trying in every which way to empower our families,” Ahmad said.
The legislation now heads to committee and will have two hearings before it goes back to the full council for a vote.