All youth need families and supportive networks to thrive and make a successful transition to adulthood. Philadelphia must act now to guarantee that all youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems have connections to family and community—including when they exit care. Adolescence is a critical developmental period, and funneling in and out of residential treatment facilities, secure detention centers or other institutional placements can stymie the creation of relationships and other experiences youth need to grow into healthy adults. Far too often youth in these settings fall victim to maltreatment and abuse, as well as harmful practices such as strip searches or solitary confinement.

In February 2018, Congress passed the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). Among other things, FFPSA limits federal funding for child welfare placements housing more than than six residents to no more than two weeks, subject to some specific exceptions. The two-week funding limit is designed to force state and county agencies, such as our state and local Departments of Human Services, to limit use of congregate care in favor of family placements. Reform is desperately needed in our commonwealth: According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation Report, Fostering Youth Transitions, 47 percent of Pennsylvania’s children ages 14 to 21 in foster care are placed in group homes and institutional settings. The fact that just over half of these foster youth are placed with families is shocking and a call to action.