25Children 8 YEARS OF PROGRESS - 2014-2021 Years - NYC.gov
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25 Children
Years
8 YEARS OF
PROGRESS
2014-2021
25 Children
Years
Dear New Yorkers,
O
ver the past eight years, the NYC Administration for
Children’s Services (ACS) has implemented a wide
range of initiatives and reforms that have helped
strengthen New York City’s child welfare, juvenile justice and
early education systems. All of our work has been grounded
in the belief that the best way to keep children safe is to
ensure their families have the resources and supports that
they need to thrive.
Today, there are fewer than 7,200 children in New York City’s foster care system – a
dramatic reduction from the 11,000 children in foster care in 2015. This milestone
was achieved in large part due to the Administration’s steadfast commitment to, and
investment in, supportive services for families, also known as prevention services.
Prevention services aim to help connect families with resources to meet their needs,
enhance protective capacity and manage crises, maintain safety and stability within
the home, and strengthen their ability to thrive within their community. Today, more
than 20,000 families each year receive support like family therapy, mental health
counseling, substance misuse treatment, and domestic violence interventions, as well as
help accessing concrete supports, including food, diapers, cribs, benefits and housing
support. ACS’s newly redesigned prevention services system, launched in 2020, offers
universal access to a broad range of programs to families across the City, regardless of
where they live.
To complement these efforts, in 2017, ACS established a new division dedicated
to providing services, community support, and educational messages for all NYC
families, whether or not they are involved in the child welfare system, with the goal
of avoiding such involvement. ACS is on the forefront nationally in implementing this
“primary prevention” approach, and continues to invest in community-based support
services, like its Community Partnership Program, walk-in community centers known
as Family Enrichment Centers, child safety campaigns and more. The expansion of
Family Enrichment Centers, from 3 to 30 sites across the City over the next three
years, will ensure that communities facing equity burdens have inviting spaces co-
designed with community members to meet their needs. Furthermore, as part of
the work of this division, we have taken important steps to expand child care access
to low-income families in need, including those involved in the child welfare and
homeless services systems.
8 Years of Progress |2
For the dramatically reduced number of children who do need to enter foster care, ACS
has made major improvements: reducing length of stay in foster care; reducing the
use of residential/congregate care; placing a greater proportion of children in foster
care with family and friends (kinship care); increasing foster home recruitment; and
significantly expanding services for children, youth and families.
In 2018, building upon the Administration’s prior work to transform the juvenile justice
system in New York City, ACS began to implement the historic “Raise the Age” legislation,
under which 16- and 17- year old youth are no longer automatically prosecuted as
adults. Today, under Raise the Age, older adolescents in New York City have better
access to age-appropriate services and programs designed to promote rehabilitation,
positive behavior change and successful re-entry into the community all while preserving
the safety and security of youth and staff and protecting public safety.
Through training, oversight and retention of highly qualified and committed staff, we
have strengthened all of our child protective work. We have provided our frontline staff
with both the tools and the technology to enhance their work, and the access to services
and supports so that they can connect families to help when they need it. All of this
work continued uninterrupted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit with public
health protections in place. Even when New York City implemented widespread closures
and public health restrictions to help contain the COVID-19 virus, ACS staff continued
to carry out unabated the agency’s core mission of keeping children safe and families
supported.
And finally, all of our work has been done with a concerted focus on equity. ACS seeks to
establish an equitable child welfare and juvenile justice system in which a child or family’s
race, gender, sexual orientation or other identities does not predict how they fare. The
disparate impact of the pandemic, and the systemic racism that has plagued our society,
and impacted the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, has galvanized us to focus
on building the capacity of ACS staff at all levels to respond effectively to structural
racism and individual bias.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Mayor Bill de Blasio for his unwavering support of our
work and to my predecessor Commissioners, particularly my immediate predecessor,
Commissioner Gladys Carrión, for their leadership.
Together, we have done so much to keep NYC’s children safe and their families
supported. We are proud of this work, and committed to further progress.
With appreciation for your partnership,
David A. Hansell
Commissioner
8 Years of Progress |3
Administration Report 2014-2021
Chart will be updated
The number of children in care has dropped dramatically since 2010.
therapeutic supports to families, Implemented the
S
increase parent voice and choice “Group Attached-Based
trengthened and in service delivery, and promote Intervention” (GABI)
increased services racial equity through mandated Program Citywide
and support for steps to address racial disparities
families, while safely in all programs. These new The GABI program, which first
reducing the number of programs build upon the agency’s launched in July 2017, helps
children in foster care existing prevention services caregivers build strong bonds
from over 11,000 (as of system, which was already with their young children and
January 2015) to under recognized as a national model. foster their healthy develop-
7,200 today ment. GABI serves families who
Expanded Mechanisms for have experienced significant
Structured Feedback from trauma, housing instability,
Launched a Redesigned Families to Support Prevention mental illness, domestic vio-
Prevention Services System Program Improvement lence, and other challenges that
make parenting a very young
In 2020, ACS launched a First released in 2020 and then child difficult. The program
redesigned prevention services again in 2021, ACS partnered with provides clinician-facilitated
system for the first time in ten service providers to develop and play therapy, allowing parents
years, offering universal access administer an annual “ACS Preven- to strengthen attachment with
to its full range of programs tion Family Experience Survey.” their children, which research
to all families across the City, Findings from the survey indicate demonstrates reduces the risks
regardless of where they live, and that a vast majority of survey of child maltreatment. The
expanding access to evidence- participants are pleased with program also provides parents
based and evidence-informed the quality of services received: individual support and peer
models that combine intensive 91 percent of participants agree support through parent groups.
case management supports services helped them achieve their As of today, there are six GABI
with clinical interventions so goals, and 93 percent of survey sites citywide: Staten Island,
that thousands of children each recipients said that they are happy Queens, Manhattan, South
year can remain safely at home. with the prevention services their Bronx, North Bronx
The 119 new programs expand families received. and Brooklyn.
8 Years of Progress |4
Launched Innovative Project
to Serve Families Experiencing
Domestic Violence
Safe Way Forward (SWF) is a
three year demonstration pilot
to provide child welfare preven-
tion services, including access to
clinical interventions, to families
experiencing intimate partner
violence and particularly those
receiving court-ordered supervi-
sion. Many other programs seek
to disrupt the cycle of intimate
partner violence by working exclu-
sively either with the survivor to
heal trauma and strengthen path-
ways to independence, or with
the person causing harm to build
awareness and accountability. In
contrast, SWF seeks to work with
the entire family system, offering Launched Family Enrichment
E
separate and simultaneous case Centers (FECs), with Citywide
planning and therapeutic services xpanded “primary Expansion Underway
to the survivor, child(ren), and prevention” efforts
person causing harm, whether the aimed at supporting First launched in 2017, there are
caregivers choose to remain to- families and children currently three FECs (in Hunts
gether in an intimate relationship in communities with Point, Highbridge and East New
or to separate, continuing solely as historically high child York). The FECs are warm, home-
co-parents. welfare involvement like walk-in community centers that
are co-designed with local families
Reduced Number of Youth and community members with the
Requiring Out-of-home goals of offering families a space to
Placement due to Family Established Primary strengthen ties to other community
Conflict Prevention as Core Component members and to access import-
of ACS Structure ant resources. The FECs work
The Family Assessment Program alongside community members
(FAP) provides support and inter- Rooted in the belief that all New to provide concrete resources and
ventions to families with youth who Yorkers should have access to other offerings responsive to their
are at risk of out-of-home place- quality resources and opportuni- needs and interests. Families and
ment and present with behavioral ties that enhance their capacity communities determine the activ-
challenges, such as truancy, antiso- to thrive and enjoy self-deter- ities, events and offerings of FECs.
cial or criminal activities, substance mination, ACS launched a new By providing families and children
misuse and other behavioral and division, called the Division of the resources they need, ACS aims
mental health challenges. FAP has Child and Family Well-Being, in to ultimately reduce the risks of
significantly reduced the number 2017. The new division focuses involvement with the child protec-
of youths entering foster care via on leveraging concrete resources, tion system. Some examples of
the Persons in Need of Supervision stakeholder relationships, and offerings at the FECs over the years
(PINS) process. In 2019, FAP pre- community and family strengths include: movie nights (for families
vented a PINS foster care placement to drive toward greater equity to meet in a safe space and allow
for 98% of the families served. and social justice, reduce dispari- children to make new friends), a
PINS placements fell 90%, from 188 ties and disproportionality in the senior caregivers connect group, a
youth in 2014 to 19 in 2021. In 2021, child welfare system, and create therapist-led Healing Through the
FAP programs were re-procured to conditions that foster well-being Arts offering for families recovering
further strengthen the program and for families and children across from community violence, cultural
services for families. New York City. activities (African Empowerment,
Latinas Talk, etc.), among many,
8 Years of Progress |5
many others Their success has led entirely to education, information future fires in New York City.
to the plan to expand from 3 to 30 and outreach to prevent accidents First, ACS distributes smoke and
FECs over the next 4 years, focused and injuries among children. carbon monoxide detectors to
on the communities that were hit The Office of Child Safety and families, and works with the
hardest by COVID-19. Injury Prevention will support American Red Cross who can
ongoing child safety campaigns install the detectors at no cost.
(including those related to unsafe Second, FDNY now trains front-
sleep practices, hot car tragedies, line child welfare workers on
window guards, unsafe storage how to examine homes for fire
of prescription medications and hazards and better educate chil-
accidental ingestion of cannabis dren and families on the impor-
edibles) and develop new ones as tance of fire safety.
issues emerge.
Infant Safe Sleep Initiative Safe Medication and
Household Chemical
Each year, between 40 to 50 babies Storage Campaign
in New York City die from a prevent-
able, sleep-related injury. The New ACS educates parents and
York City Infant Safe Sleep Initiative caregivers on the importance of
encourages parents and caregivers making sure medications and
to learn the ABCs of safe sleep. potentially dangerous house-
In 2015, New York City created a hold items are stored out of
dedicated Safe Sleep Team with children’s reach.
outreach members focused in
neighborhoods in high risk areas. In
2017, ACS and DOHMH announced “Look Before You Lock”
a citywide campaign that directs Campaign
parents to “Put them to bed as if
their life depends on it. Because it The Look Before You Lock cam-
does.” The campaign was featured paign urges parents and caregiv-
in bus shelters, hair and nail salons, ers to always check for children
bodegas and laundromats in East in the backseat of the car before
and Central Harlem, throughout leaving and locking it. Vehicles
Brooklyn and the Bronx, parts of can heat up quickly, which can be
Queens and Staten Island. In 2018, extremely dangerous for children
ACS, the Department of Health, and as their bodies heat up three
NYC Health + Hospitals introduced times faster than an adult’s, ac-
the city’s first-ever ‘Safe Sleep Tool- cording to the American Academy
C
kit’, which is now provided to all new of Pediatrics.
reated an Office of parents and caregivers at public
Child Safety and hospitals across the city. The toolkit
Injury Prevention, provides safe sleep resources such Preventing Accidental
and launched child as a wearable blanket to keep Ingestion of Cannabis Edibles
safety initiatives to the baby warm, an infant onesie,
provide caregivers netting and educational materials ACS educates parents about the
with information and about best practices for infant safe importance of storing cannabis
resources to keep sleep. The toolkit includes a video edibles ‘up and away’ out of chil-
children safe to help debunk myths and miscon- dren’s reach and out of children’s
ceptions about sleep-related infant sight because of the health risks
safety practices. they present to young children.
Many of these products look
Launched Office of Child Safety Home Fire Safety identical to typical desserts,
and Injury Prevention Initiative candies and chocolate bars. ACS
is urging parents to place these
In 2021, ACS created a new office ACS launched a partnership with products in child proof contain-
within the agency dedicated the FDNY aimed at preventing ers and locked boxes.
8 Years of Progress |6
children spend in foster care to FY19. In FY20, ACS procured
each year by 27% from 2014 Binti, a software that streamlined
to 2020. the foster home certification pro-
cess for both foster parents and
z ACS reduced the number foster care agencies.
of children who are in
foster care for two years Implemented Critical
or more by more than 40% Initiatives to Reduce Length
since 2014. of Stay, Increase Family Voice
and Improve Permanency
z ACS increased the Outcomes
percentage of all foster
children living in kinship care Through our ‘No time to Wait’
(with relatives, close family initiatives and our highly success-
friends, or other people who ful federal Title IV-E waiver, ACS
are already in a child’s life) reduced length of stay in foster
from 31% in 2016 to 43% in care while providing children and
2021. families with more therapeutic
supports. We launched the ‘Par-
FOSTER CARE
z Since 2016, ACS increased ents Supporting Parents’ pilot,
STRATEGIC BLUEPRINT the percentage of children which incorporates Parent Ad-
PROGRESS REPORT
FY 2020 entering foster care vocates with lived experience of
because of abuse or neglect the child welfare system to help
who are placed with kin parents toward the goal of reuni-
from 25% to 51%. fication and improve permanen-
cy and race equity outcomes.
Improved Foster Care
Placements by Increasing Initiated Transformation
Proportion of Youth in Foster of Family Based Foster
January 2021
Care Placed With Family and Care and Residential Foster
Friends (“Kinship Care”) and Care Systems through New
S
Increasing Foster Parent Procurements
trengthened Recruitment and Support
foster care ACS released two Requests For
services for those Research has shown that chil- Proposals (RFPs) in 2021, with
children and youth dren in foster care who are contracts anticipated in the 2022.
who need foster care placed with family members or The vision for the redesigned
friends experience less trauma, foster care system builds upon
have greater overall well-being, the significant progress already
and are more likely to be reuni- made to strengthen New York
Our Accomplishments fied with their parents, be adopt- City’s foster care system, and
by the Numbers ed into new homes, or achieve includes significant additional
long-term guardianship. ACS has funding and resources to make
z ACS reduced the number successfully implemented mul- transformational change in three
of children in foster care by tiple strategies to increase the critical areas: increasing supports
39%, from 11,737 in January proportion of youth placed with for parents; increasing therapeu-
2014 to 7,136 in August 2021. kin, including establishing new tic and evidence-based services
Kinship Specialist positions with- for children and youth; and
z ACS decreased the number in the ACS Division of Child Pro- scaling proven practices across
of children in residential tection. Overall, ACS increased the system in order to further
foster care by 32%, from the proportion of children placed improve the safety, well-being
940 in January 2014 to 641 with kin from 31% in 2016 to 43% and permanency outcomes of
in August 2021. in 2021. Through our “Home youth in foster care. The new
Away From Home” initiative, system will include a first-ever
z ACS reduced the total ACS increased new foster home workforce of 150 parent advo-
number of days that NYC recruitment by 50% from FY17 cates with lived experience of the
8 Years of Progress |7
child welfare system, working with In 2019, ACS launched the Fair support, engagement activities,
parents of children currently in Futures Initiative (in partnership and a residential experience on
care to improve reunification and with youth, philanthropy, foster a college campus. The program
race equity outcomes; increased care agencies and advocates) successfully graduated a four-year
staffing for kinship placement and to enhance education, employ- cohort in partnership with the Col-
recruitment, training and support ment, housing, and permanency lege of Staten Island in 2021 and
for foster parents, a new outcomes for youth in care ages will soon be enrolling a new cohort
Enhanced Family Foster Care 11-21. Hundreds of new coaches, in collaboration with Manhattan
system to provide additional tutors, education, employment College. In the summer of 2016,
therapeutic staffing and resourc- and housing specialists are help- ACS launched a partnership with
es for children, new funding to ing thousands of young people the City University of New York
lower staffing ratios and enhance to set and achieve academic, (CUNY) to establish the Fostering
staffing in residential care, and career and permanency goals, and College Success Initiative (“ACS/
support for evidence-based mod- planning for successful transitions CUNY Dorm Project) to provide
els of care to be implemented in from foster care. year-round housing and aca-
all residential programs. To ensure demic supports to foster youth
the highest quality of care and ser- attending CUNY schools. ACS has
vices for children, youth and fami- Expanded Programming connected thousands of ACS-in-
lies, ACS is also implementing new for Older Youth volved youth annually to paid
accountability and fiscal structures internships within the agency and
that support improved safety, per- ACS’s Office of Education and outside. In partnership with Co-
manency and well-being outcomes Employment Initiatives, with lumbia University, ACS sponsors
for children and families. multiple partners, has significantly the Young Adult Work Opportu-
nities for Rewarding Careers (YA
WORC) program, which provides
career readiness programming
for older youth in care. ACS offers
Driver’s Education instruction to
support youth in foster care in re-
ceiving their driver’s licenses, and
partners with Google, Hopeland
and New Yorker’s for Children to
develop a pipeline of youth for
careers in technology through the
Google’s Code Next Lab.
Enhanced Commitment to
Ensuring Youth Are Connected
to Safe and Affordable Housing
ACS is committed to ensuring
that all youth leaving foster
care have appropriate housing
resources. Since 2016, ACS and
its contracted foster care agen-
E
cies have significantly increased
xpanded and increased specialized education housing staff to assist young
strengthened and employment programming people, secured permanent
supports for and opportunities for youth in housing for nearly 1,000 youth
youth in foster care foster care to explore careers, in public housing, supportive
pursue vocational training, and housing, and other housing
Became First Jurisdiction be connected with paid job and programs; and partnered with
in the Nation to Provide internship opportunities. Through the Corporation for Supportive
Universal Coaches to Youth the First Star Academy, high school Housing to expand supportive
in Foster Care students in care learn about and housing options for ACS involved
prepare for college with academic youth and families. In 2021,
8 Years of Progress |8
ACS collaborated with the NYC clined. The average daily popu- skills and behaviors. Moreover, the
Department of Social Services lation in detention fell 31% from YDS title offers a more competitive
to create a City FHEPS housing 198 in Calendar Year 2014 to 136 compensation package and career-
voucher program to help youth in 2021 (January-October 2021). step-pay ladder.
secure independent housing, and
worked to connect 200 youth in
care with federal pandemic-relief Strengthened the Close
W
Emergency Housing Vouchers. to Home Juvenile Justice
Placement System for Juvenile
orked in
Delinquents
partnership
Enhanced Programming at
the Nicholas A. Scoppetta Close to Home remains a national
with other City
Children’s Center model that realigns the traditional agencies to ensure
juvenile justice experience with children across New
In an effort to engage and nur- evidence-based best practice to York City had access
ture youth in ACS’ temporary improve outcomes for youth. In to child care services,
“pre-placement” setting, the Chil- partnership with the Department especially low-income
dren’s Center expanded its array of Probation, ACS adopted a and vulnerable
of meaningful, age and develop- Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) New Yorkers
mentally appropriate program- framework and an evidence-based
ming opportunities and activities assessment tool—the Youth
for youth in our care. Through Level of Services (YLS)—to guide
partnership with local NYC Parks, our interventions and ensure Successfully transitioned
the 13th Precinct – NYPD, and we reduce youth likelihood to Child Care Center System to
many nonprofit partners, a wide recidivate. Despite moving 16- Department of Education
variety of programs were offered and 17-year olds into the juvenile
both in house, and in the commu- justice system under Raise the As part of the Mayor’s com-
nity, to ensure youth have an out- Age, ACS saw a record 73% mitment to early education,
let for their energy, creativity, and percent reduction in the Close ACS’ EarlyLearn NYC contracts
a safe place to spend time while to Home census from 2014 to were transferred to the DOE’s
awaiting placement. ACS also 2021. ACS also worked to expand Division of Early Childhood
enhanced our health and mental educational and vocational Education in 2019, to create
health services at the Children’s programming for youth and a unified birth-to-grade 12
Center to better meet the needs of create a more seamless aftercare program. The successful tran-
the children and youth. program for youth transitioning sition helped build upon the
from placement to the community. important work done by Ear-
lyLearn programs, strength-
ening birth-to-five care and
Created a new job title, Youth education in New York City
I
Development Specialist, to and creating a more seamless
mplemented historic provide safety and support for experience for children, fami-
Raise the Age the youth in detention lies, and educators.
legislation, ensuring
that youth aged 16 and Working with the Department of
17 who are involved in Citywide Administrative Services, Child Care Vouchers
the justice system are the Office of Labor Relations and
treated as juveniles the Office of Management and Developed and initiated a plan
Budget, and through negotiation to expand child care vouchers
with Local 371 of District Coun- and create more equity in the
Decreased the Number of NYC cil 37, ACS finalized the YDS civil child care system by ensuring
Juveniles in Detention service title, which replaced the those most in need are able
Juvenile Counselor title. It was the to receive vouchers, including
Despite raising the age of criminal first time in forty years that the families transitioning out
responsibility to include 16 and Juvenile Counselor title had been of the child welfare system,
17-year old youth in the juvenile updated. The new YDS title better homeless families, and families
justice system, the number of encompasses the hard work that is receiving in-patient substance
youth in the justice system de- involved in helping youth learn new misuse treatment.
8 Years of Progress |9
abuse and neglect more quickly,
ACS implemented a multi-faceted
transportation approach, includ-
ing access to ZipCars that autho-
rized staff can pick up and drop
off at locations across the city.
Expanded the “Emergency
Children’s Services” Unit
ACS expanded the Emergency
Children’s Services Unit, which
responds to reports of abuse or
neglect at night, and on week-
ends and holidays. In addition to
doubling the size of the unit, ACS
implemented the ECS Applica-
tion Unit, which includes a more
robust system to assign State-
wide Central Register reports
in a timely fashion, and request
background information on each
case before the CPS meet with
S
families.
trengthened our Created Safe Measures
work by giving Dashboard
staff the tools they Launched New Employee
need to do their jobs ACS launched the Safe Measures Support and Wellness
most effectively and Dashboard, which transforms Programs and Activities
case data into actionable informa-
efficiently, enhancing
tion and gives CPS, supervisors, In 2018, ACS kicked off the first
policies and practices, and their managers a streamlined annual “CPS Appreciation Week,”
and improving staff overview of case details. For an opportunity to recognize
morale instance, Safe Measures provides the work of our child protec-
a calendar of tasks and deadlines tive specialists. Additional staff
for cases, tracks completion of appreciation events include the
Deployed Mobile Technology to casework contacts with all family agency wide Distinguished Service
Frontline Staff members on a case, and helps to Awards, FCLS Appreciation Week
prioritize workloads. Safe Mea- and Detention Appreciation. In
For the first time, ACS provided sures also allows supervisors June 2020, ACS implemented the
all frontline child protection to view caseworkers’ workload first-ever CPS Peer Mentorship
staff with tablets, equipped and progress, and enables ACS program where more expe-
with high-speed internet and data-driven performance mon- rienced child protective staff
advanced features, allowing itoring across the child welfare mentor newer CPS staff. In part-
child protection specialists to system. Safe Measures has also nership with NYC Mayor’s Office
type case notes, electronically been expanded to foster care and of Labor Relations/WorkWell NYC,
handwrite notes and use speech prevention case planners and ACS established the agency’s first
to text options, and access the their supervisors. office devoted solely to employee
state’s child welfare database wellness in 2017. An Employee
while out in the community. Wellness Director was placed
In addition to child protection Expanded Transportation at ACS to support high-priority
workers, all family court attor- Options for Frontline Staff wellness and continue supporting
neys were provided with laptops and advancing workplace health
to better access information To help frontline staff make and wellness initiatives. The ACS
while in court and to promote initial home visits more quickly Employee Wellness Program aims
efficiency. and respond to reports of child to develop a holistic approach to
8 Years of Progress | 10health promotion, fitness, and cated LGBTQAI+ Committee as Infused More Parent & Youth
healthy living to support ACS em- part of the ACS Youth Leadership Voice Into Policies, Procedures
ployees as they endeavor to help Council; expanding recruitment and Service Arrays
children and families of NYC. targeting foster parents interest-
ed in fostering LGBTQAI+ youth; ACS created the new role of Parent
revising and strengthening staff Engagement Specialist to increase
training on LGBTQAI+ issues; the voice of parents with lived
S
increasing services and supports experiences in all aspects of ACS’s
for LGBTQAI+ youth in foster work around practice, policy and
trengthened care; and more. programming. The Parent Engage-
agencywide ment Specialist supports the Par-
commitment to ent Advocacy Council, which meets
addressing race equity, Created Mandatory Implicit and shares recommendations with
and combatting racial Bias Training for All ACS Staff ACS leadership regularly. ACS also
disproportionality in has a Youth Leadership Council
the child welfare and In October 2018, the Workforce that includes youth who have expe-
juvenile justice systems Institute launched its Under- rienced the foster care and/or juve-
standing and Undoing Implicit nile justice systems. ACS launched
Bias eLearning and instructor-led a new Parent Advocate Initiative,
training. The eLearning teaches called “Parents Supporting Par-
Created the Office of Equity participants about implicit bias ents,” to improve reunification and
Strategies and specific strategies to address racial equity outcomes.
it and is required for all ACS staff,
In 2017, ACS created an Office of regardless of division and title,
Equity Strategies to provide focus and prevention agency direct
L
and direction to our equity work. The service staff and supervisors. In
Office leads ACS’s efforts to develop the instructor-led training, partic-
aunched
and advance specific policies and ipants deepen their understand-
practices that reduce disparities in ing and discuss the influences
initiatives focused
outcomes for children and families of implicit bias on institutional on continuous
that are the result of bias based on racism and structural inequity. To quality improvement
race, ethnicity, gender and gender ex- date, 10,376 learners have com- to better guide critical
pression, and/or sexual orientation. pleted the eLearning and 3,939 decision points and
learners have completed the better serve families
instructor-led/virtual training.
Implemented an Equity
Action Plan to Address Racial
Disparities in Child Welfare Expanded Utilization of Implemented a Quality
and Juvenile Justice Non-Investigative Response Assurance unit within the
to SCR Reports Division of Child Protection
The Equity Action Plan was devel-
oped as part of the agency’s com- ACS has significantly expanded The unit aims to continuously im-
mitment to confront and address its Family Assessment Response prove the quality of investigations
racial disparities at key stages in (FAR) program, now known as involving high-risk families. The
the child welfare system. The Plan the Collaborative Assessment, Accelerated Safety Assessment
includes concrete strategies to Response, Engagement and Protocol (ASAP) uses predictive
reduce disparities at each stage of Support (CARES) – this allows ACS analytics to identify children at
a child or family's involvement with to divert many low-risk reports high risk of harm, and ensures
the child welfare system. to a non-investigative, service-fo- that those investigations receive
cused response. The pilot began enhanced Quality Assurance
Created LGBTQAI+ Action Plan in 2013 in Queens. By 2016, the review. The ASAP team provides
to Strengthen Services and program expanded to Brooklyn frontline child protection staff
Supports for LGBTQAI+ Youth and in 2018, it expanded to the with real-time feedback on safety
in Foster Care Bronx. The first Staten Island assessments, decision-making
and Manhattan units launched and service provision to better
The multi-pronged action plan in 2021, bringing the program guide critical decision points and
includes the creation of a dedi- citywide. better serve families.
8 Years of Progress | 11Enhanced Safety Review oped and implemented a new psy-
S
Protocols chiatric medications consent policy to
trengthened reduce the prescription of such med-
ACS Implemented a “Heightened accountability and ication for children in foster care, and
Oversight Protocol” on certain oversight through secured access to the New York State
SCR reports involving a fatality or enhanced management PSYCKES database to better track
alleged physical or sexual abuse children’s medications. In addition,
of a child under the age of three. the unit oversees ACS’s provision of
These high-priority cases receive Strengthened Internal services for parents with intellectual
enhanced review and coordination Oversight and Accountability and developmental disabilities, and
between child protective teams and oversaw the implementation of
Investigative Consultants who assist In 2017, Commissioner Hansell cre- Medicaid Redesign through which all
with investigative strategy. ated the Office of Agency Account- children in foster care now partici-
ability to centralize the agency’s pate in Medicaid Managed care.
internal oversight functions, stream-
Restructured and relaunched line responses to external oversight
ChildStat Continuous Quality inquiries and support management
Improvement program reforms within the agency. ACS also
created a new specialized account-
ChildStat was relaunched in the ability unit to conduct audits of case
first three months of Commis- practices of ACS employees working
sioner Hansell’s tenure. ChildStat with the Division of Child Protection.
combines quantitative data and
qualitative case practice in a man-
ner designed to support Continu- Implemented a Comprehensive
ous Quality Improvement in child Quality Management System
protective practice. It involves the that Supports Continuous Im-
regular participation and lead- provements in DCP and Provider
ership of senior agency officials, Agency Practice
including the commissioner; and
generates recommendations for ACS expanded and strengthened
both practice improvement within its monitoring and quality man-
local child protective offices, and agement oversight of DCP and its
system-wide improvement to sup- contracted prevention and foster
E
port child protective work across care agencies, leading to substan-
the City. tial, measurable performance nhanced training
improvements. Using outcomes
for ACS and
data and findings from thousands
provider staff
Built a Safety Culture of case reviews annually, ACS
Framework tracks performance and establishes
through the Workforce
annual improvement plans with all Institute and James
Under the Safety Culture frame- provider child welfare programs Satterwhite Academy
work, ACS promotes inquiry and and DCP zones, and then supports
learning to help us shift our focus and monitors implementation.
in analyzing critical incidents from These improvement efforts are core Onboarded and Trained
individual blame to system ac- to a culture of learning that drives Thousands of New Child Welfare
countability and improvement. ACS system-wide improvements. and Juvenile Justice Staff
formally began implementing Safe-
ty Culture in 2018 with a redesign Created the Position of Chief The James Satterwhite Academy
of our Child Fatality Reviews. Our Medical Officer provides intensive and thorough
new Systemic Child Fatality Review onboarding programs, facilitated
process guides us in learning about The Chief Medical Officer oversees by expert trainers, which combine
the underlying systemic factors the Office of Children and Family classroom training with on-the-job
that impact our work, so we can Health, which manages health care experiences. Each year, the James
better understand when improve- issues throughout the agency. This Satterwhite Academy provides
ments are necessary. includes creating a Psychiatry and onboarding training to record num-
Behavioral Health Unit that devel- bers of new Child Protective Special-
8 Years of Progress | 12ists, Youth Development Specialists,
and Supervisors, in addition to pro-
viding other specialized coursework.
Programs range from four days to
41 days. Since 2015, ACS onboarded
1,355 new YDS, 2,704 new CPS, and
682 new Supervisors.
Trained Thousands of NYC and
Provider Direct Service Staff and
Supervisors
The ACS Workforce Institute is a
collaboration with CUNY, launched in
2016, and provides ongoing profes-
sional skills development for direct
S
service staff and supervisors at ACS
and its many provider agencies.
Trainings provide direct service staff
upported and Raise the Age
and supervisors with the knowledge advanced key
and skills to enhance their case pieces of state ACS successfully implemented
practice and improve outcomes legislation to promote Raise the Age, the state law that
for children and families. Learning more equitable changed the law so that all 16-
programs focus on a variety of skills, outcomes for children and 17-year olds are now treated
including strengths-based engage- and families as juveniles by the justice system.
ment, coaching, safety and risk By all October 1, 2018, all 16- and
assessment, implicit bias, differential 17-year olds were moved off of
response, intimate partner violence, SCR Reform Rikers Island. ACS created a new
on-boarding new provider agency job title, Youth Development Spe-
child welfare staff, as well as other ACS successfully advocated for cialist (YDS), and hired hundreds
specialized coursework. The Institute statewide legislation to help ad- of new staff to provide care and
has also developed and implement- dress the collateral consequences supervision to youth in detention.
ed new, comprehensive and uniform of being reported to the SCR. As Youth now have better access to
onboarding trainings for newly hired a result, beginning with investiga- age-appropriate services, educa-
prevention and foster care case plan- tions starting January 2022, New tion and programs designed to
ning staff. The institute trains more York State will raise the standard of promoted rehabilitation, positive
than 20,000 learners each year, in indication from ‘some credible ev- behavior change and successful
more than 40 course offerings. idence’ to ‘a fair preponderance of re-entry into the community, all
evidence’, which is more consistent while preserving the safety and
with the standards for indication security of youth and staff and
Launched the City’s First-Ever used throughout the country. The preserving public safety.
Simulated Training Sites for new law also reduces the length of
Child Welfare and Juvenile time an ‘indicated’ case for mal-
Justice Staff treatment would be accessible to Successful Budget Advocacy
potential employers.
The new ACS simulation centers (in Through collaborative advocacy
Jamaica and Harlem) allow child wel- with colleagues, ACS was able to
fare workers, including CPS, YDS, fos- Implicit bias training for successfully prevent state fund-
ter care and prevention case work- mandated reporters ing reductions to ACS services,
ers and attorneys, the opportunity including child welfare prevention
to train in mock apartments, a mock After being suggested by a Child services. At the federal level, ACS
courtroom, and a mock detention Protective Specialist, ACS devel- successfully advocated for two
center. The sites can accommodate oped, advanced and advocated for years of federal funding for locali-
the training of more than 11,000 a successful state legislative propos- ties transitioning from federal child
staff throughout the child welfare al to require all mandated reporters welfare waivers to the Family First
and juvenile justice sectors. to receive implicit bias training. Prevention Services Act.
8 Years of Progress | 13Redoubled Efforts to Connect visits in the newly constructed
Families With Concrete Goods video conferencing booths.
and Financial Resources Additionally, ACS deployed
laptops and smartphones to all
Through existing partnerships staff working remotely.
and programs, ACS was able to
quickly mobilize its network to
reach families hit hardest by the Access to Telehealth
pandemic. Its programs helped
deliver food, clothing and diapers Telehealth services have been
to families; helped families an important resource for
enroll in public benefits; offered children and families during the
transportation and more. In 2020, pandemic. ACS collaborated with
New Yorkers For Children and City partners, families and service
M
ACS established the COVID-19 providers to create “Telehealth
Emergency Response Fund to Tips,” a website with tips to
aintained
address urgent needs arising guide and support families and
core mission from the COVID-19 pandemic providers on the use of telehealth
of keeping among children, youth and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
children safe and families involved with ACS. The
families supported Fund’s strategic partnership with
throughout the philanthropy and individuals Leveraging
COVID-19 pandemic helped raise and disperse more Pandemic Funding
than $1.5 million in support of
vulnerable youth and families, ACS utilized pandemic-driven
reaching more than 3,000 youth, emergency funding sources to
Expedited Family Reunification parents, foster parents, and other provide financial assistance to
Despite Limited Family Court caregivers. ACS also collected non-profit provider partners,
Operations more than $3 million in in-kind including funds for additional
donations to distribute to families indirect costs; food and other
In April 2020, with the onset and youth, including clothing, necessities for children and
of the pandemic, as a result winter coats, diapers and wipes, families; technology supports
of the Family Court’s restrict- essential care items, backpacks, to maintain family engagement
ed operations the number of and more. and programming; additional
reunifications approved by the nursing and tutoring in detention;
Family Courts dropped by more enhanced cleaning in ACS
than half. ACS developed new Technology for Staff facilities; and to provide Personal
protocols to review cases of Protective Equipment for ACS
children in foster care in order ACS’s investment in mobile staff, providers, and families.
to identify those that could safe- technology for frontline workers
ly progress toward reunification positioned the agency well
through agreement among when the pandemic hit. With Coping Through COVID
the parties. Since the onset of mobile technology, frontline
the pandemic, ACS conducted staff could carry out their core During the pandemic, ACS
almost 5,000 of these reviews responsibilities for child welfare launched two new campaigns
and worked with legal advo- while protecting public health that better connect families to
cates and the Court to progress by minimizing in person contact. resources they need. “Coping
cases as appropriate. These Similarly, attorneys were able to Through COVID” is a resource
efforts contributed to a signif- continue to file cases in court, page aimed at supporting
icant increase in the number participate in hearings and families through the pandemic,
of children reunified with their obtain necessary protective and “Teens Take on COVID,”
parents by mid-summer 2020 orders even as the court went is aimed at supporting teens,
and throughout the pandemic. virtual. Technology was also many of whom are struggling
More than 3500 children were critical in detention, where youth with social isolation and some
reunified with their families, in had access to tablets and wi-fi of whom may be experiencing
FY20 and FY21 combined. for school and programming, as violence at home, and need to
well as court hearing and family know where to turn.
8 Years of Progress | 14You can also read
