Page: 4 of 4 View All
Serious questions about DHS care
SPECIAL REPORT: Private contractors that provide services to children get little oversight by the agency, a review finds.
Last year, when former Councilman Michael Nutter proposed legislation requiring all city contracts to be put out for competitive bids, Cheryl Ransom-Garner, then the DHS commissioner, fought for and won an exemption under the law for existing services.
At the time, top DHS officials argued that if private providers were forced to compete there would be a lapse of service to families during the bidding process and the system would collapse.
National experts who have helped other states privatize their child-welfare systems said large cities should solicit bids for contracts and evaluate providers by looking at the results of their work. Child welfare systems should not rely on a review of documents to make sure children are safe.
"Agencies that have put in place sound accountability do not behave that way," said Mark Courtney, who teaches in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago.
He said one reason cities privatize social services is to make departments more nimble.
"If you don't have a good accountability system that measures outcomes and you're not willing to fire poor performers, then you're not nimble," Courtney said. "You're a hostage."
Read The Inquirer investigation and coverage of resulting reforms at http://go.philly.com/dhs
Contact staff writer John Sullivan at 215-854-2473 or johnsullivan@phillynews.com.
Inquirer staff writers Craig R. McCoy and Nancy Phillips and former Inquirer staff writer Wendy Ruderman contributed to this article.
