Q&A
Council Member Rita Joseph questions ACS Commissioner on foster care policies and LGBTQ+ youth
1:20:58
·
4 min
Council Member Rita Joseph engages in a Q&A session with ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser, focusing on various aspects of the foster care system in New York City. The discussion covers topics such as clothing allowances for foster children, partnerships with NYC public schools, and support for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care.
- Joseph inquires about increasing clothing allowances for foster children and learns about recent rate increases and stipend programs.
- The conversation highlights the partnership between ACS and NYC public schools, addressing issues like graduation rates, attendance, and transportation for foster youth.
- Dannhauser provides information on the estimated percentage of LGBTQ+ youth in the foster care system, stating it's around 35%.
Rita Joseph
1:20:58
Thank you for that, and thank you for keeping the practices.
1:21:02
My two boys came from foster care, so anyone ever heard of my story So my two boys came from Foster King, you know that, and I fight really hard for them.
1:21:10
Had a couple of questions around the the allowance.
1:21:13
Is there ever gonna be an increase to that allowance?
1:21:16
Because parents can't really if you really think about it, it's not ideal.
1:21:20
Is there any way that formula can be raised?
Jess Dannhauser
1:21:23
So the yes.
1:21:25
It has been raised, and we can get you the exact numbers because the the state raised the rates about 2 years ago for all foster parents.
1:21:36
They did not cover any of the cost of that just as a asterisk,
Rita Joseph
1:21:39
so installation.
Jess Dannhauser
1:21:40
The city picked the city has picked that up and is making sure that foster parents have adequate rates.
1:21:47
We are also looking at ways in which we provide stipends to young people.
1:21:54
Often, they've been attached to an independent living workshop or something like that.
1:22:00
Well school or school.
1:22:01
We're trying to attach them to things that encourage young people along the way of their success.
1:22:08
We're doing $60 a day in college choices.
1:22:10
One example, and so we're in a planning process right now around what those stipends might look like.
1:22:16
And but the allowances have been raised, and we can get you those numbers.
Rita Joseph
1:22:21
That would be great.
1:22:21
How how's the partnership with New York City Public Schools on foster care office with our students now in foster care?
Jess Dannhauser
1:22:28
Yeah.
1:22:28
We've we've been really grateful to to have that partnership.
1:22:31
We just had a meeting looking at graduation rates together, attendance rates together, the MMR is showing increases in attendance rates.
1:22:44
We still have ways to go.
1:22:45
Especially for teens and foster care.
1:22:49
And so we wanna that that office has been great as we have talked about, and you have advocated so strongly for around transportation and making sure foster parents are reimbursed.
1:23:00
We have a new policy in place much to your advocacy.
1:23:06
So they've been a really great source of of connection and information.
1:23:11
You know, it's out of 900 plus 1000 students in the system, less than 7000, are children foster care.
1:23:20
So we're also working with them to re op training for all local all schools to make sure that they're identifying young people in foster care that are there and that they're getting everything that they're entitled to.
1:23:36
And lastly, I will say it's a all of the work that we've been doing in New York City public schools around accessing help outside of the childcare system for families has been something that's been a a real boost.
1:23:50
The office has really boosted along with Donna team.
Rita Joseph
1:23:53
Because we know when students enter for secure and they enter the New York City public schools, it takes about 30 days for them to get to school, and we wanna reduce that chronic absenteeism rate.
1:24:02
Yeah.
1:24:02
As students are entering care, we wanna make sure that's also reduce in the amount of bullying our students because I visited a school who's transgender students in foster care, how do you work in making sure safety transfers are done appropriately and rapid?
Jess Dannhauser
1:24:16
So we have a a dedicated education team in in our in our agency that is under our family permanency division, and they are they could flag to them.
1:24:27
They work with either local school or through the office.
1:24:30
On the matter of transportation to school, I also just wanna uplift the work of 1st deputy commissioner Saunders and her team at the Children's Center, and adding every transportation option you could possibly imagine to make sure every young person is getting up, getting to school, getting to their original school because we know in that moment, losing your school in addition to losing the placement in your family can be really traumatic.
1:24:57
And so school stability is a major focus of ours.
1:25:01
So whether they're the Children's Center, whether they're going to Staten Island or they're going to the Bronx, they are an amazing team who's up very early in the morning, making sure young people are getting out the door, and we have the right transportation options
Althea V. Stevens
1:25:13
for them.
1:25:13
Very important.
Rita Joseph
1:25:14
In our how many students, LGBTQ Q plus do we have currently have enough for us to care system?
Jess Dannhauser
1:25:20
Our estimates is around 35% as well, and that comes from our survey, and that's been pretty consistent in our time surveying young people.
Rita Joseph
1:25:29
Okay.
1:25:29
Thank you.
1:25:30
Thank you, Cheers.
