Mayor Parker orders independent review of Philadelphia foster care after death of 10-year-old

Mayor Cherelle Parker on Tuesday created a new panel by executive order to scrutinize Philadelphia's foster care system, after a 10-year-old girl died and her foster mother was charged with murder.

According to CBS Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer and 6abc, the Child Welfare Review Committee will have as many as 15 members chosen by Parker, among them national specialists and figures from child welfare and advocacy. The mayor will also pick two people to lead it. "This is a crisis of unimaginable proportions," Parker said in a statement cited by CBS Philadelphia and the Inquirer.

The outlets reported that the panel will look at placement decisions, how foster homes are selected, oversight by the city and state, licensing and visit rules, and the terms of city agreements with foster care contractors. Its report is due 120 days after it convenes, though CBS Philadelphia said Parker may grant more time for good cause.

This effort is distinct from the legally mandated Act 33 review of the death. 6abc reported that the Act 33 team will assess how both the city and Pennsylvania human services agencies performed.

Per city officials quoted by the Inquirer and 6abc, the girl was legally a ward of the city's Department of Human Services. Catholic Community Services, operating as Community Umbrella Agency No. 4, managed her case, and Pennsylvania MENTOR had certified the foster home.

The accused, Carprice Williams, 36, taught in the Philadelphia School District and faces murder and related charges. CBS Philadelphia spelled her first name differently. The Inquirer and 6abc reported that police allege she abused the child and later tried to conceal the death, in part by faking a text exchange. Both outlets said a medical examiner ruled the cause blunt-force trauma. CBS Philadelphia reported that the body was discovered Nov. 5 in a car trunk in Lindenwold, New Jersey, roughly two weeks after the girl was last seen.

An earlier case has drawn attention. A lawsuit described by the Inquirer and a state report described by 6abc say a different young child living with Williams was hospitalized with bleeding in the brain and malnutrition, and state reviewers advised that she be barred from fostering. The accounts differ on timing: 6abc placed the investigation in 2021, while the Inquirer said the hospitalization happened the year after a 2021 placement. Williams appealed, and a state spokesperson told the Inquirer the finding was expunged. No criminal charges resulted, the outlets said.

At a West Philadelphia community meeting Tuesday, Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. said he intends to hold a hearing on the human services department and urged hiring more caseworkers, 6abc reported. "We want more social workers so that there isn't 55 cases in a 30-day period," Jones said.

Compiled by True News from reporting by CBS Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer and 6abc Action News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/953