Q&A
Discussion of failures in serving unaccompanied youth and potential improvements
1:26:15
·
3 min
Council Member Alexa Avilés questioned agency representatives about failures in serving unaccompanied youth and potential improvements, based on testimony from a young person named Mamadoo. Key points included:
- ACS highlighted the complexity of age determination in some cases and mentioned a new protocol for staff to determine if an individual is under 18.
- DYCD emphasized their efforts to spread information about drop-in centers and resources, and to place youth in appropriate programs quickly.
- Agencies were hesitant to discuss specific cases due to confidentiality concerns.
• ACS noted that most cases don't have age determination issues, but recent experiences have led to new protocols. • DYCD stressed their attempts to connect individuals to beds and resources as expeditiously as possible. • The discussion revealed ongoing challenges in serving this population effectively.
Alexa Avilés
1:26:15
So I I guess we're maybe we'll start here really quickly based on that question and and in reflection of the testimony that we had, we just heard from the young person, mama do.
1:26:29
Can each of you tell me how your agencies failed in this scenario?
Stephanie Gendell
1:26:38
I just wanna start by saying that individualized case information is confidential, and so we can't, you know, public hearing speak to any young person's individual experience, So I'm happy
Alexa Avilés
1:26:52
to answer questions.
1:26:55
I'm I'm asking we heard a number of failures.
1:26:58
How should how should ACS be preventing these failures that we heard?
1:27:04
And we heard that this is not an isolated instance that we were seeing a good number of these cases.
1:27:11
So just in your quick reflection, what would ACS?
1:27:15
Why should ACS be doing to prevent these failures?
Stephanie Gendell
1:27:19
Sure.
1:27:20
I'm going to I just want to make entirely clear.
1:27:22
I'm going to take a step back and not talk to this individual's young individual circumstance.
1:27:28
In general, most of the young people who interact with ACS there is no issue around their age.
1:27:36
We know their young people, where we know they're not.
1:27:39
It's only the circumstances described earlier, really only in the limited number of circumstances where there are questions about a young person's age, which is a new experience for ACS and not something we previously dealt with.
1:27:55
In the past, it was extremely clear that if a case was referred to us by the state, it was about a young person.
1:28:01
We have, since the summer, put in place a protocol for our staff to follow so that they can use the totality of the circumstances to determine whether or not the individual being referred to us is in fact a child.
1:28:17
The destitute minor statute does require that the person be under 18.
1:28:21
So to be able to seek legal authority, you know, ACS can't just bring people into foster care.
1:28:26
We have to have legal authority to do that.
1:28:28
So we do need to be able to plead in court that this is somewhat under 18 or 18 under 18.
1:28:35
And we need to be sure that we're not adding adults to the foster care system.
1:28:41
So we have now I think the protocol is helping us to have a better sense of how to address this issue better.
Alexa Avilés
1:28:57
Does Steve YC, do you have a response to that?
Dr. Amy Wilkerson
1:29:03
DYCD works very hard to spread information about our drop in centers and all of the resources that we have available to youth.
1:29:14
And, you know, to get you placed in the appropriate programs that they're eligible for as quickly as possible.
Alexa Avilés
1:29:26
Do you think the example offered, are you saying there was a lack of the YCDC information in any of those shelter facilities, and we should be doing that?
Dr. Amy Wilkerson
1:29:38
I'm not sure about Mamadoo's exact case.
1:29:43
The his name is a common name, and we've had quite a few young people by that name.
1:29:48
But in in instances where there is a bed available within aycd system, we would make sure that that young person would be attached to that bed.
1:29:56
Whether that call is coming from an advocate or from a community partner, an individual, a school, it doesn't matter.
1:30:03
We try to connect those individuals as expeditiously as possible.