Q&A
Council member raises concerns about inconsistencies in preventative services
1:19:42
·
94 sec
Council Member Nantasha M. Williams expresses concerns about inconsistencies in preventative services provided by ACS. She highlights that families report varying levels of support depending on the assigned agency, timing, and specific needs.
- Williams questions how decisions are made regarding services and material resources for families
- She asks about efforts to ensure equal access to support across different preventative agencies
- The council member also inquires about ACS's process for choosing preventative services to offer
Nantasha M. Williams
1:19:42
My question is about prevention services.
1:19:45
And this is just a problem I have, like, across the board with ACS.
1:19:50
Different providers provide different things, and sometimes there isn't a continuity of services across the agency.
1:19:57
So families have reported inconsistencies in the support they receive from preventative services, which appear to vary based on the assigned agency, the time of year services began, and the specific needs of the family.
1:20:07
While some families may receive material assistance, such as beds for their home, others only receive bimonthly visits.
1:20:14
How are the decisions made regarding what services and or material resources a family receives?
1:20:20
Are there efforts towards making sure that all families have the same access to support no matter which preventative agency they are working with?
1:20:27
And how does ACS choose what preventative services to offer?
1:20:31
Is this based on the needs expressed by the families?
1:20:34
And I remember the first time that I learned about this was, talking to some young folks who were aging out of foster care, and they were talking about how you know, talking to their friends who are in different programs.
1:20:45
Like, one program offered, like, the sky, the moon, and the stars, and the other program was, like, here's your bag and a metro card.
1:20:52
Have fun.
1:20:53
And I was like, that's so crazy that different agencies offer different things.
1:20:57
And so when I saw this question, I'm like, oh, so now in a different kinda, like, program, it's a it's a similar sort of, accusation that ACS isn't, I guess, providing the robust oversight to these various agencies to make sure that they're providing the same level of care and support.
