REMARKS
ACS Commissioner Dannhauser addresses report transparency concerns
1:04:40
·
157 sec
ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser responds to concerns about transparency in ACS reporting, explaining the agency's approach to balancing transparency with privacy protection. He outlines steps ACS is taking to improve transparency while adhering to legal requirements.
- Dannhauser acknowledges the need for transparency while protecting children's rights
- He mentions plans to reconvene a group of experts to review cases and provide insights
- The commissioner emphasizes the importance of learning from fatalities to improve ACS programs and strategies
Jess Dannhauser
1:04:40
Thanks, public advocate.
1:04:41
And I, I agree with you.
1:04:43
We do put out a report annually looking at trends as it relates to fatalities, and we're gonna continue to do that.
1:04:50
The state also puts out reports around, each fatality as well, so they're overseeing the ACS practice and, where there's been any ACS involvement.
1:05:02
We are looking to to your point.
1:05:04
I understand the, the need for transparency while we are protecting children's rights.
1:05:10
There's siblings, in some of these instances that are in our care who we need to make sure we're very careful about how we, how we talk about their sibling and and things that went on in those instances.
1:05:23
One of the ways we're we're gonna try to strike that balance is to reconvene a group of experts who can come in, have deeper access to make sure, and then they can sort of speak to what they're seeing.
1:05:34
Those experts can be community advocates, parents, child abuse pediatricians, etcetera.
1:05:40
We wanna make sure we're protecting children who don't need to read more in the paper about what the ACS commissioner said about their particular family, at the same time to make sure there's transparency and that we're continuously learning.
1:05:52
Some of the things I described today around arriving the FPP program and other strategies result from some of that reflection.
1:06:02
Some of the work that we do around youth, the Fair Futures programming, We know there's a generational impact here.
1:06:08
That comes from some of the learnings in our last fatality report, at least in part.
1:06:14
And so, we are committed to that transparency, while making sure that we follow the law which demands that we consider the effect on the surviving siblings.
1:06:24
And I think, reconvening this panel should be helpful.
Jumaane Williams
1:06:28
Thank you for that.
1:06:29
And, obviously, unfortunately, back and bottom communities are usually the ones hit the hardest and most traumatized, and it is helpful if transparency is transparency is paramount to try to help, people who are frequently dealing with, agencies that they just may not trust.
1:06:45
So, hopefully, that panel will be convened sooner than later.
UNKNOWN
1:06:48
Yeah.
1:06:48
It will.
Jumaane Williams
1:06:48
And we can find a way to get these, reports out with the sensitivities you're speaking about sooner than later so that there's more transparency and people feel more comfortable.
1:06:57
And just with the as I mentioned with the bill, hopefully, as, hopefully, this bill passes.
1:07:01
But with the pilot program, we can have folks that communities trust to put together these programs in the lead to make sure it's, impactful and culturally competent.
Jess Dannhauser
1:07:11
And I'll just add that for all of our programs, that's the way it should be.
1:07:14
We're working on that.
1:07:15
Thank you.
1:07:15
Thank you, Bob Howard.
Jumaane Williams
1:07:16
Thank you, madam chair.
