‘They’re not getting the protection that they deserve.’ The city’s new Youth Ombudsperson is looking out for Philly’s most vulnerable kids.

Imagine that your boss has been mistreating or even abusing you at work. But if you filed a complaint to make it stop, the investigation into that abuse would be overseen by the very same boss.

Would you feel comfortable making that complaint, or confident that any change would come from it?

In essence, this is the system that Philadelphia youths in residential facilities, such as juvenile justice centers and group homes, have been living under for years. Meanwhile, abuse at many of these facilities in and around Philadelphia has been extensive and horrific.

» READ MORE: Hope Help Harm — At the nation’s leading behavioral health nonprofit for youth, Devereux staff abused children in their care for years — while red flags were dismissed.

But now, that system is gaining a new mechanism for oversight. Last month, the city announced the creation of the Office of the Youth Ombudsperson (OYO), whose primary duties under ombudsperson Tracie Johnson will be to investigate claims of mistreatment and abuse at residential placements, and to evaluate the quality of care that these youths receive.

The OYO will be housed under the Office of the Inspector General and be completely independent of the Department of Human Services (DHS). DHS operates juvenile justice programming and contracts with agencies running residential placements. Traditionally, children and their families go through it to report abuse.

“Sometimes, young people will file a grievance, and then in the two weeks it takes for them to investigate it, these young people still have to be under the same employees, have to still be within the same facility,” said Anthony Simpson, a former foster care youth from West Philly.

“Now you’re talking about [a] young person who has been outed, essentially, right?” he said. “There’s so much room for retaliation, intimidation tactics, punitive and carceral measures.”

Simpson was one of numerous young people who were instrumental in the OYO being created.

In 2018 and 2019, the city convened a Youth Residential Placement Task Force, made up of youth advocates, city leaders, and individuals who experienced these issues. Their focus was to make recommendations to improve the conditions within the residential placement system, which included the creation of a youth ombudsperson.

Then, in 2020 and 2021, the Juvenile Law Center and its Youth Advocates called further attention to the need for the OYO by presenting their testimonials to City Council and DHS. In December 2022, Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order, officially creating the office.

“I didn’t file any grievances because I didn’t believe that anything would actually be done.”

Marcía Hopkins, the director of youth advocacy at the JLC, said youths were instrumental in providing reflections and feedback on what the office should be doing.

“[They] were very adamant that they did not want the office to be housed within our local Department of Human Services,” she said.

Hopkins added that beyond investigations of abuse, she hopes the OYO’s evaluations provide valuable insight into the residential placement system, including more data.

“What are some of the outcomes with our kids who are in these types of placements?” she said. “I think there’s a lot of good that can come from this office and a lot of weight that this office will have in pushing all of us, including DHS, including our city, including our justice system, to really look at what’s happening to kids and [whether] we actually [are] providing the care that kids need.”

» READ MORE: New version of troubled Glen Mills reform school gets licensed to care for 20 youth with extra oversight

Simpson was part of the group of young JLC advocates who testified to their experiences. One JLC youth advocate, Ange, who like several others didn’t want to use a full name for fear of retaliation, testified about her experience in a residential facility and how reporting abuse always had a cost.

“You would also know when [staff members] were mad at you or had an attitude if you complained about them. An ombudsperson should be everywhere. If kids don’t have a safe way to share a concern, things are going to escalate for that child in placement,” she said.

Another JLC advocate, Bre, didn’t think her complaints would lead to any change. “Being in placement showed me that nowhere was safe,” she said. “I didn’t file any grievances because I didn’t believe that anything would actually be done.”

Although the OYO will not be investigating abuse in foster care placements, Simpson still wanted to share his story, too.

“I already understood that dynamic of being a young person, having to deal with the justice system and how little you can feel in that moment. ... Sometimes they use language that’s above your head or they talk about you. You’re in the room, but they’re not talking to you, they’re just talking about you,” he said.

“I want things to be more responsive, I want them to be more reactive.”

“We’re removing young people from their communities, from their families, putting them in live-in, out-of-home placements, where basically they’re hidden away and things are happening and we are not hearing about it,” Johnson told The Inquirer.

“We’re not learning about it and they’re not getting the protection that they deserve.”

“The young people who are in [residential] placement are our most vulnerable young people.”

Before she started with the OYO last month, Johnson worked for Community Legal Services and its Youth Justice Project as a staff attorney. While she was in law school at Temple University, Johnson worked for the JLC, learning about what it means to be an advocate for young people.

“On the one hand, you want to recognize young people as worthy of respect and dignity and integrity and who should be listened to,” she said. “And then on the other side, recognizing [that they] are impressionable [people], who have room for growth and who deserve to be protected.”

Her office will not only investigate claims of abuse, but also create reports and recommendations regarding the quality of life youth experience at residential placements. She wants those in the care of these facilities to believe that they matter, and that someone is looking out for them.

“The young people who are in [residential] placement are our most vulnerable young people,” she said. “I think it’s important to say, ‘no matter what you have done as a young person, I believe that with the proper support, you can still have a great, bright future.’”