The Office of the Youth Ombudsperson (OYO) works to improve the safety and quality of services for youth in residential placements. To do this, we oversee the systems involved in congregate care for youth in Philadelphia. This includes operations of the child welfare, juvenile justice, and behavioral health systems.

As part of our work, we:

• Receive questions and complaints about the care of youth in residential placements.
• Evaluate the quality of care, treatment, and education provided to these youth.
• Review policies and procedures for investigating and addressing issues with residential facilities.
• Monitor complaint, incident, grievance, and other data.
• Liaise with youth advocates and conduct public meetings at least once each year.
• Publish information about the residential placement process, youth rights and resources, and more.