DHS Accountability Hearing Families Testifying
Channel: Alicia Dorsey
Date: 2019-02-15

Philadelphia DHS Accountability Hearing

February 12, 2019 the transformation that DHS was ordered to commence was called into room 400 for the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services, Resolution No. 180787. City Council members David Oh and Cindy Bass are seeking accountability for the new family support services DHS is to be providing the families of Philadelphia after hearing numerous concerns from their constituents. I myself held a Table Talk November 8th 2018 and made family service accountability a point of concern with my City Councilwoman Cindy Bass. Who felt a bit of backlash during the hearing from lack of follow up with a family traumatized by the removal of her daughter, whom we know is being molested in foster care. 

The hearing was perfect example of the disconnected governing family services in Philadelphia. Our city officials are beginning to hear our concerns because we have been pounding the pavements of DHS and Family court. We were successful in having Judge Lyris Young removed from the bench of family court. Created www.pavotercourtwatch.com to inform voters about judicial elections, court conduct and reform. Put the pressure on city officials to present Resolution No. 180787 due to the continuous neglect of DHS to provide our families with support services that prevent traumatized family separation. 

The Testimony of Commissioner Cynthia F. Figueroa “We are here today, regarding Resolution 180787 which calls for hearings to discuss the possibility of lowering the threshold of reporting suspected child abuse and for Philadelphia to develop its own guidelines. The Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) is licensed by the State Department of Human Services and is required to follow the state Child Protective Services Law which governs the reporting and investigation of child abuse reports. Philadelphia county cannot have its own guidelines. Only the state legislature can make changes.”  “Our mandate is child safety. There is perhaps no other time in our nation’s history that it has been more critical to listen to the children. Nearly 160 victims testified against the former U.S. Gymnastics’ doctor, Nassar, who was sentenced to 175 years in jail….

Resolution 180787
Resolution authorizing Council’s Committee on Health and Human Services to hold
Hearings to examine the possibility of the Department of Human Services creating objective guidelines and uniform reporting standards for personnel who are tasked with protecting children in Philadelphia from abuse while preventing the tragedy of unjustified family separations.


The hearing for Resolution No. 180787 ended with Councilman David Oh having to extend the hearing to continue to put on record the numerous accounts of neglect Philadelphia families are facing under the new DHS. Commissioner Figueroa statement clearly supports the stand off mind your business we are going to do whatever we want to do mentality that has plague DHS and support part of my testimony. “im Alicia Dorsey, family/community advocate. I have been advocating with families and these families don’t get the family handbook to know how to get through this system or their rights. All families should receive the family handbook when first contact with DHS. The children don’t know their rights either. DHS has community oversight meetings, but nobody knows about these meetings. These meetings should be made public and the public needs to be in attendance. I use to go to these meetings and have recorded them. Theses agencies are not working together. I was supposed to do a mental health training to offer to the families I advocate with. But the families felt that if they took the class that would be held against them and I don’t want to make families vulnerable to DHS. I have been advocating to help DHS get it right. I went to their “Quality Parenting Imitative” where the focus was on foster care nothing on family reunification. I joined a committee that I volunteered to help with a training and was told because I wasn’t DHS that I could not help. I asked what am I here for? These agencies were given a survey by DHS only four of the agencies responded. DHS was mad and demanded that the other agencies respond to the survey on their intake policies and procedures. CBH was advocating for a family and DHS was blocking CBH. We need accountability for DHS.”