Information for public release from the Department of Human Services.
| Name | Description | Released | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHS Press Release 2019 -Adoption Day PDF | On Friday, November 15 at 10:00 a.m. the Philadelphia Department of Human Services and Philadelphia Family Court honors National Adoption Month with a celebration, following the finalization of ten adoptions earlier that morning. | November 15, 2019 | |
| Philadelphia County selected for Statewide Initiative supporting abused and neglected children PDF | Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court recently announced that Philadelphia County has been selected as one of three counties to participate in the Pennsylvania State Roundtable’s Family Engagement Initiative. | September 17, 2019 | |
| Press Release Nelson Walker named Deputy Commissioner for Juvenile Justice Services. PDF | DHS Commissioner Cynthia Figueroa announced the appointment of Nelson Walker as Deputy Commissioner for Juvenile Justice Services. | September 12, 2019 | |
| Press Release Out-of-School Time (OST) Award Announcement PDF | The City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) announced awardees for the city’s $23 million investment into Out-of-School Time (OST) programming. | August 12, 2019 | |
| Press Release Backpack Challenge 2019 PDF | DHS and Valley Youth House (VYH) held a Kickoff for the Backpack Challenge on June 19th at 2:00pm at The Achieving Independence Center, North Broad Street, Philadelphia PA 19122 | June 19, 2019 | |
| DHS Media Advisory 2019 – Backpack challenge PDF | The Backpack Challenge raises funds and collects essential back-to-school items for youth in foster care at the Achieving Independence Center (AIC) and across the Philadelphia area. | June 19, 2019 | |
| DHS Press Release Summer Jobs for Youth 2019 PDF | City and Partners Celebrate New $1 Million City Investment for Summer Jobs for Youth. | June 17, 2019 | |
| DHS Media Advisory Summer Jobs 2019 PDF | The City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Youth Network celebrate the start of summer jobs on behalf of WorkReady which helps youth and young adults engage in meaningful summer employment. | June 14, 2019 | |
| Philadelphia announces William Penn Quality Grant for Children’s Out-of-School Programming PDF | The $1.5M grant, which is managed jointly by the Citywide Out-of-School Time Initiative and DHS, began in 2018 to kickstart work for creating a framework to measure and improve quality in Out-of-School Time programs (after school, summer and weekend programs for children and youth). DHS has been leading the work for quality improvement within their network of 100-plus, DHS-funded OST program providers. | May 31, 2019 | |
| DHS Announces Use of Youth Court Card PDF | Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services (DHS) announced this month that it will begin using a youth-created tool to help older youth in foster care participate in their court hearing. | May 29, 2019 | |
| 2019 Quality Parenting Initiative National Conference PDF | Mayor Jim Kenney and Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Cynthia Figueroa to speak at Quality Parenting Initiative National Conference | April 29, 2019 | |
| Request for Proposals for Out of School Time Programs PDF | April 5, 2019, Philadelphia, PA. Mayor Jim Kenney and Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite joined Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner, Cynthia Figueroa on Thursday at Alain Locke (a community school) to announce the competitive DHS Request for Proposals (RFP) for Out of School Time funding. A total of $19 million is available through this funding opportunity. | April 5, 2019 | |
| HBO Documentary Film FOSTER Comes to Pennsylvania As Part of 10-State Social Impact Screening Tour Hosted by Participant Media PDF | The upcoming documentary FOSTER, presented by Participant Media and Emerson Collective, in association with HBO Documentary Films, is coming to Philadelphia on April 11, 2019, as part of a special 10-state social impact tour that aims to change perceptions about youth living in foster care and accelerate solutions for children and families in the foster care system. | April 15, 2019 | |
| Family Empowerment Centers Press Release PDF | The Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) announces the funding of two Family Empowerment Centers, a new child abuse prevention service for at-risk families. | March 25, 2019 | |
| Testimony of Commissioner Cynthia F. Figueroa – City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services PDF | Resolution 180707 calls for hearings to discuss lowering the threshold of reporting suspected child abuse and for Philadelphia to develop its own guidelines. | February 12, 2019 | |
| DHS and the Stoneleigh Foundation Announce Fellowship for the Educational Outcomes for Youth in Congregate Care Project PDF | The Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Stoneleigh Foundation are pleased to announce the awarding of a Stoneleigh Fellowship to conduct the Improving Educational Outcomes for Youth in Congregate Care Project. The Fellowship was recently awarded to Kasey Thompson. | January 7, 2019 | |
| DHS Rapid Rehousing Press Release PDF | The City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS), in partnership with the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) announces its new pilot program, Rapid Rehousing for Reunification. This program provides housing support to help families who are DHSinvolved get back together. | May 24, 2018 | |
| DHS calls for more foster parents press release PDF | The call for more resource parents is part of the department’s campaign to meet the needs of the more than 6,000 Philadelphia children and youth who have been placed with the department due to abuse or neglect. | February 26, 2018 | |
| DHS honors crusaders for children press release PDF | Highlighting the work of police officer La’Tonya Bey-Gore in the nationally modeled diversion initiative between the Police Department, the Department of Human Services and the School District. | April 18, 2017 | |
| DHS child support press release PDF | DHS announces that it will take action to end child support collection for youth in detention and delinquent placement. | March 03, 2017 |