PHILADELPHIA (February 11, 2021) – As champions for all children, especially the most vulnerable who enter our foster care, juvenile justice, and behavioral health systems, we applaud Councilwoman Helen Gym, and her fellow Children and Youth Committee members Isaiah Thomas, Kendra Brooks, Kenyatta Johnson, and Jamie Gauthier, who are introducing a resolution to hold a hearing focused on improving the safety of youth in institutions and exploring the possibility of creating an independent Youth Ombudsman’s Office. The Ombudsman would receive and investigate cases of child physical, sexual, or mental abuse by or in institutions responsible for protecting children and youth while they are in foster care, juvenile detention, or treatment.
“City Council is putting the words of concern for institutionalized children into action by beginning the process of creating an independent Youth Ombudsman Office. Youth who are institutionalized and experience abuse or fear for their lives or personal safety must have a trusted place to call for help,” said Donna Cooper, Executive Director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth.
“This office can give us our voices back. A lot of times, our voices are ripped out of us when we enter the system and youth who dare to speak up are muted. I hope this begins to change that,” said Speedy, Youth Advocate, Juvenile Law Center.
“This office could be a safe place for youth to go, to report things that happen when they don’t feel safe in placement,” added Anahi, Youth Advocate, Juvenile Law Center.
Over 5,500 youth from Philadelphia are required to live in privately- or state-run institutions while they are adjudicated delinquent and remanded to a facility by the court, or in the custody of the Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS), or in the care of the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS) or Community Behavioral Health (CBH). In the last 11 years, at just one of these facilities, one child has been killed, and staff have been charged for 12 rapes, two cases of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, seven reports of indecent exposure, four cases of corruption of the morals of a minor, and one case of child endangerment. There were also 23 reports of sexual abuse and six reports of physical abuse against children. Another facility was found to have inflicted decades of abuse where youth were subjected to physical assaults, intimidation, and retaliation for reporting abuses, sexual abuse, and six reports of physical abuse including broken bones. At another facility there were 53 cases of abusing youth who were being treated for behavioral health needs.
City Council required that key agencies and outside stakeholders convene and identify specific policies to increase the protection of these children in care. (June 21, 2018, Ordinance 1807190). Those parties identified the need to address the diffuse state and county system of licensure and oversight by creating of an independent Youth Ombudsman’s Office where youth or family members could report abuse and, with certainty, it would be investigated.
“I commend City Council for using its prerogative to increase the protections for these youth because they are clearly the most vulnerable of all the children in the city,” said Frank Cervone, Executive Director, Support Center for Child Advocates. “The harms perpetrated on youth at these facilities are not idiosyncratic,” said Christina Sorenson of the Juvenile Law Center. “Institutional placements are disempowering and dangerous. Youth navigating these systems have little to no meaningful participation or autonomy in decisions that affect them. We commend Council members Gym, Thomas, Brooks, Johnson, and Gauthier for actively empowering and listening to the voices of youth and families.”
Juveniles for Justice (J4J) is an advocacy group of youth with experience in the juvenile justice system who are working to improve it. Each year, youth pick an issue to work on based on their experiences, select an area of focus, identify a strategy to address it, and implement advocacy efforts with the support of the Juvenile Law Center staff. J4J advocates for reform through strategic communications, policy advocacy, storytelling, and creating publications, trainings, tools, and reports. Juveniles for Justice, JUVENILE LAW CENTER, https://jlc.org/juveniles-justice
PCCY is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to improve the lives of children in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties by developing initiatives and advocating for quality health care, child care, public education, and family stability. Learn more on our website (www.pccy.org), Twitter (@pccyteam), and Facebook page (PCCYPage).
The Support Center for Child Advocates serves victims of child abuse and neglect with the goal of securing safety, justice, well-being and a permanent, nurturing environment for every child. https://sccalaw.org/