Throughout the day, in two sessions at the Convention Center and one at the Youth Study Center, the mayor fielded sharp questions, repeatedly thanked DHS workers for the dangerous work they do, and pledged to offer greater support to the agency's reform efforts.

It wasn't always smooth. An hour into Nutter's final meeting of the day, city Inspector General Amy Kurland wandered out of the session and said, "They're giving him a tough time in there."

But Nutter appeared eventually to make some headway. He was given a standing ovation as the session ended.

"My primary purpose was to say, 'Thank you for the work that you've done,' to provide additional encouragement and support," Nutter said after the meeting, held less than a week after the release of a Philadelphia grand jury's investigation into Kelly's death.

"I respect them. I appreciate them. I want them to be safe in doing their jobs. I want them to be respected by the public," Nutter said. "Just because a couple people did some really bad things, some horrible things, some outrageous things, the rest of our DHS workers should not be painted with a negative brush."

Nevertheless, the grand jury's report resulted in the indictment of two DHS workers, the suspension of seven others, and the forced resignation of onetime acting Health Commissioner Carmen Paris.

The grisly details of Danieal Kelly's case were first published in The Inquirer in October 2006, after a series of stories that examined the deaths of more than 20 children whose families were known to DHS.

Yesterday, dozens of DHS workers declined to speak with a reporter after the day's final meeting.

One who rushed past shouted over his shoulder that "the job is hard enough already" when asked what he made of Nutter's tough remarks on Monday.

During a news conference Monday, Nutter had condemned the agency's failings - saying he was "completely pissed off," and adding that if a city worker had neglected his child the way Kelly had been, "I would kick their ass myself."

Yesterday, a number of DHS employees told Nutter that some Philadelphians might take him literally and try to assault child-welfare workers.

Nutter said he apologized if his comments gave the impression that "it's OK to be disrespectful to DHS workers."

But he did not apologize for the emotions that fueled his remarks, telling employees that he uttered the words less as mayor than as the "parent of a child in Philadelphia."

That was OK with Lynn Collins, a supervisor at the Youth Study Center.

"Maybe the language was a little vivid. But as a parent, and as a city worker, and as a worker at DHS, I feel the same way," she said. "You want to see the passion from the person in charge. Under no circumstances should someone die on your watch."

Those department employees who were willing to talk said reactions among their colleagues to Nutter's appearances yesterday were mixed.

Some were encouraged that he had turned up at all. Others were still fuming over his comments Monday. A few agency veterans doubted he would succeed in changing anything.

"Compassion. Empathy. Sympathy," said social worker Dawn Johnson, ticking off what she needs to see from the mayor. "He needs to see us as the professionals we are. He needs to see that we're risk takers. We risk our lives every day. We go places where police won't go."

Yvonne Hellams, a DHS accountant, said people used the sessions to remind Nutter that the agency had improved since Danieal Kelly's death two years ago.

"I think he's willing to help us become a better agency, I think he knows we've made a lot of strides," Hellams said. "This isn't the same place it was in 2006."

But not all DHS workers were so optimistic.

"Every time a mayor comes in and there's a scandal, they say they will fix things," said one. "Nothing ever changes."

Inquirer staff writer Craig McCoy contributed to this article.