Tempers flared at a crowded Philadelphia City Council meeting Thursday when the majority of its members voted against creating a committee to investigate the rate and methods of child removal from family homes to foster care.
The council voted 10-7 against the resolution, introduced by Councilmembers David Oh and Cindy Bass, which called for the authorization of a “‘special committee on child separation in Philadelphia’ to investigate child separation in Philadelphia’s child welfare system and develop recommendations to ensure compliance with state State Child Protective Services Law to protect children and due process rights of families and prevent the unnecessary break-up of families.”