Testimony in Support of a Child Welfare Commission

Watch Keisha Hudson and Duane Price at the City Council Hearing on May 27, 2026:

Good morning Chairpersons Gilmore Richardson, Vice chairperson Brooks, and members of the Committee on Law and Government. My name is Keisha Hudson and I serve as Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia. On behalf of our staff and board of directors, I want to thank you and Councilmember Ahmad for the invitation to speak in favor Resolution of #26009400, creating a Philadelphia Child Welfare Commission.  

In addition to our criminal practice, the Defender Association represents children and youth involved in dependency proceedings in Philadelphia Family Court through our Child Advocacy Unit. Every day, our attorneys, social workers and peer advocates advocate for young people navigating some of the most difficult and consequential moments in their lives – separation from family, placement instability, unmet behavioral health needs, school disruption, and aging out of care. Last year we represented 1,406 children and youth in over 5,700 hearings. 

I stand in support of this resolution because Philadelphia requires a permanent and independent body, deeply rooted in the community, to investigate the impact of our child welfare system on local children and families. Too often the voices of the people most impacted by the system are left out of  the conversations shaping it. Families and youth experience the consequences of child welfare decisions every day. But they rarely get a meaningful say in whether or not the system is actually doing its job of keeping kids safe, keeping families together, and helping everyone thrive in the long run.

Simply put, this Commission is the permanent watchdog we need. It makes the system honest and transparent, guaranteeing that community feedback is heard and forcing agencies, advocates, and families across Philadelphia to work together. This is the kind of ongoing community oversight necessary if Philadelphia is serious about improving outcomes for children.

At the Defender Association, we have seen firsthand the value of partnering with young people who experienced the child welfare system in institutional decision making. The Defender Youth Advisory Board and Peer Advocate program work intentionally to ensure that young people with lived experience help shape our advocacy, training, resources and priorities. What they’ve seen and learned often pushes professionals to rethink what things like support, safety, trust, and a permanent home really mean to a young person.

Our peer advocates, many of whom have personally navigated the dependency system, build relationships with youth in ways traditional system stakeholders often cannot. Their lived experience brings credibility and connection that can’t be replicated by professional training alone. These programs have taught us that systems improve when impacted youth and families are treated not just as clients, but as partners in advocacy and reform. 

We thank the committee for considering the proposed amendment to the resolution which would provide compensation for commission members. Community participation should not depend on a person’s financial ability to volunteer unpaid time. Parents, caregivers, young adults, and youth with lived experience often face economic, transportation, childcare, and work challenges. Compensation and reimbursement are necessary to ensure genuine accessibility and equitable participation.

For this reason we respectfully urge this Committee to strengthen the proposal in several important ways.

First, youth themselves should be expressly included as Commission members. Young people with lived experience in foster care and dependency proceedings bring critical expertise that adults, even young adults with dependency system experience, cannot replace. If this body is intended to be community grounded, youth voices must be included. 

Second, we ask that the Commission explicitly include individuals who have experience as a youth or caregiver in both the dependency and delinquency systems. Over 25% of youth in the dependency system also become involved in the delinquency system. Consistently, around ⅓ of all children in the PJJSC have an active or closed dependency case. Our crossover youth and their families’ experiences reveal how challenges in the dependency system can compound harms in the delinquency system. Effective legislative or policy recommendations will require an understanding of how these systems interact.

Third, Commissioners’ training should include resources not only in trauma informed practice but also in trauma informed engagement so system partners, advocates, experts, and people with lived experience can respectfully partner together. Meaningful community collaboration requires intentional preparation and support. For the Commission to succeed, participation by impacted individuals cannot be symbolic–it must be explicitly and intentionally integrated into its decision making.

This proposal acknowledges a fundamental truth: child welfare systems are most effective when those directly impacted are not only heard and respected, but also empowered to lead policy and practice reform. In that spirit, I’d like to yield the balance of my time to Duane Price, one of our Peer Advocates at the Defender Association’s Child Advocacy Unit.