A $5.1 million boost in funds will pay for more than 100 additional staff at the state’s Department of Human Services, which licenses and monitors residential juvenile programs, writes Lisa Gartner for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The hope is to improve the state’s oversight of the programs, following investigations of child abuse at the state’s oldest reform school, Glen Mills.

Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf described the funds as “critical because these are our frontline employees, the ones who need to be trained, the ones who need to be able to detect violations.”

The funds will help DHS conduct timely inspections of facilities for compliance, investigate complaints, and monitor corrective actions.

A juvenile justice task force has been created and more funding is promised.

A Philadelphia Inquirer investigation showed decades of physical abuse and cover-ups at the Glen Mills Schools.

“Outdated systems and regulations prevented anyone from piecing together the frequent and numerous allegations at Glen Mills Schools,” Wolf said then, “until a journalist put the pieces together.”

Glen Mills has remained closed since April. It filed an appeal to win back its licenses, but has yet to schedule a hearing with state officials.

Read more about proposed funding for state juvenile programs here.

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