Mayor Parker signs executive order to review Philadelphia's foster care system after Malayshia Alford's death

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Tuesday signed an executive order to review the city's foster care system after the death of 10-year-old Malayshia Alford . Malayshia's foster mother, Carpirce Williams , has been charged with murder in the 10-year-old's death. "This is a crisis of unimaginable proportions. The death of Malayshia Alford has shaken me and our city to its core," Parker said in a statement in part. "The review required by law must take place, but I am requiring the city to do more." Parker's executive order establishes a Child Welfare Review Committee (CWRC) to "examine our foster care system thoroughly and independently, identify where it must improve and act to better protect our children." According to the executive order, the 15-person CWRC will be appointed by Parker. It will include national experts and leaders in the field of child welfare, foster care, child advocacy groups, among others. Two chairs of the CWRC will also be designated by Parker. The CWRC will focus on the process of placing children in and selecting foster homes, the city and Pennsylvania's oversight of the foster homes and more, a news release from the mayor's office said. Within 120 days after convening, the CWRC will have to submit a report to Parker, unless she extended it for good cause, according to the executive order. The report is set to include recommendations for improving oversight from the Department of Human Services and coordination with Community Umbrella Agencies (CUAs) and local foster care agencies. It should also include ways that the Philadelphia foster care system can work toward the "elimination of child abuse-related fatalities, near fatalities, and injuries, and better ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children in foster care." The CWRC will be separate from Philadelphia's Act 33 team interdisciplinary review of Malayshia's death, according to the mayor's office. "We will leave no stone unturned as we seek answers for what happened in this case, to understand more fully how it happened, and to make any changes necessary to ensure that it never happens again," Parker said in a statement. "We grieve Malayshia Alford's loss. Every child matters in Philadelphia." Williams, who was a Philadelphia public school teacher, was investigated over child abuse claims in 2021 before she was Malayshia's foster mom, sources said. She was never criminally charged. Malayshia was last seen alive on Oct. 22. She wasn't reported missing until four days later. Her body wasn't found until Nov. 5 in the trunk of a car near the Stonington Court Apartments in Lindenwold, New Jersey, officials said. In: Cherelle Parker Philadelphia Featured Local Savings