Perhaps the most invigorating aspect of writing for this space is the opportunity to speak truth to power: Shout it from the rooftops whenever administrations get things wrong, and provide a very public pat on the back during those times when they seem to get it right.
The City Administration for Children’s Services knows this all too well. It has experienced more than its fair share of time in the barrel on editorial pages, op-ed pages, and columns in every Big Apple publication.
God knows we have put the target on the crucial agency’s back in this space a time or 12.
And rightly so.
However, this week is a time for kudos and well-earned pats on the back.
On Monday, ACS Commissioner David Hansell on Monday announced increased efforts to help ensure children in foster care are placed with appropriate kin caregivers, including relatives, and close friends. The announcement came in the middle of Kinship Month. According to ACS, kinship caregivers may be related to the child by blood, such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. Kinship caregivers may also be an adult with a positive relationship to the child such as a family friend, neighbor or teacher. Kin are held to the same safety standards as non-kin foster parents and must meet all foster home requirements. The agency noted on Monday that research has shown that children placed with kin experience less trauma, have greater overall well-being, and are more likely to achieve permanency.
With that in mind, Hansell highlighted several strategies that ACS is implementing in an effort to increase placement of city children in foster care with kin, including:
New Kinship Specialist Positions: ACS established 10 new kinship specialist positions in its Division of Child Protection. These staff members have the dedicated function of finding and engaging kin caregivers for children entering foster care. Kinship Specialists support child-protection staff by finding a kin caregiver to place a child with when the youth can no longer safely remain in a home. ACS has engaged nationally known kinship care organization A Second Chance to provide training to these staff, Hansell noted on Monday.
Kin Pilot Program: ACS is launching a $366,000 pilot this fall with two foster care provider agencies: Children’s Village and Little Flower Children and Family Services of NY. Each agency will receive additional funding to implement strategies to increase the proportion of children placed with kin.
Technical Assistance to Foster Care Agencies: ACS, in partnership with national experts Public Catalyst and Action Research, is continuing to provide technical assistance on kinship placement to foster care agencies through ACS’ Home Away from Home initiative.
“ACS and Commissioner Hansell are to be commended for their new multi-faceted efforts to place foster care children with kin caregivers. I was proud to write the law that extended kinship caregiver status to individuals not related by blood to the child, in order to increase the pool of caring, responsible adults that may care for foster care children,” said Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills). “These new strategies from ACS will place foster care children in permanent homes, thereby exponentially increasing their chances of success.”
Sounds like a pat on the back to us. Kudos, ACS.
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