"She said this child needs to see a doctor now," said Evans, the acting commissioner of human services. "She saved a life."
The hiring of four nurses - two are in place, two more are coming soon - is just one part of what Evans described as a sweeping overhaul undertaken by the Department of Human Services since an Inquirer investigation last fall raised questions about the deaths of 25 children in its care over three years.
What will eventually emerge, he said, is a tighter, more efficient agency that does a better job deciding who it can help and how it can keep children safe.
Workers, he said, will respond immediately to the youngest, most vulnerable children. Field workers, for the first time, will get a practice guide to help them interpret what they see and hear in a home. More powerful computer hardware and software will help manage cases.
"We have not been sitting on our hands," Evans said in an interview Tuesday, as workers began training on a new safety assessment form that helps them decide whether a child is in danger.
The training marks the beginning of the second phase of the agency's reform plan: two dozen initiatives ranging from developing an e-mail system to alert DHS when an independent field worker learns that the parent of an abused child is pregnant again, to computers that keep on top of court orders.
Meanwhile, the state is beefing up its own oversight in Southeastern Pennsylvania, adding eight staff members and stiffening the licensing process for contractors.
"We're really working hard to support DHS and keep children safe," said Roberta Trombetta, regional director for the state Department of Public Welfare.
A self-assessment by the city agency found many of the same problems detailed in Inquirer articles, including shortcomings in how the agency investigates neglect and abuse complaints, oversees contractors and handles parents and children with disabilities.
