Despite Wimes case, Philadelphia mayor says Department of Human Services doing better

A report looking into how a young child under the care of Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services could die of starvation and beatings has been released.

 Six-year-old Khalil Wimes died in March and his parents have been charged with murder.  A report on the incident, known as an Act 33 review, shows one of the boy’s social workers did not record concerns over his condition until after his death.

Mayor Michael Nutter said the death is unfortunate, but maintains the Department of Human Services is getting better.

“There were any number of errors, missteps by a number of people across a variety of systems,” said Nutter.  “I think the overall Department of Human Services today is a very, very different place than it was four to six years ago.”

Nutters said even an improving department won’t be perfect.

“Unfortunately some mistakes were made, and we continue to utilize recommendations from the community oversight board,” he said. “Anything we learn from an Act 33 review, whether it’s a near-fatal or fatality involved, we will continue to utilize those recommendations to improve this system,” he said.

The mayor says he sees reports of horrific things that happen in many cases even before DHS has a chance to intervene.