Editorial: New DHS Commissioner Protecting the children

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, June, 2008

After a national search, Mayor Nutter made an excellent choice in tapping an experienced child advocate to lead the troubled city Department of Human Services. Ann Marie Ambrose will fill one of the last major open slots in the Nutter administration, and one of the most vital positions. She faces a daunting task to turn around a dysfunctional agency.

A panel of national experts concluded that the $600 million agency had failed in its most basic mission and that 25 children had died needlessly over three years because of "significant system failures." The department hasn't had a permanent leader since late 2006, when Mayor Street cleaned house after The Inquirer reported shocking cases of child abuse and neglect. Acting Commissioner Arthur C. Evans Jr. has led DHS while a...