Q&A
Discussion on ACS hotline and support number outreach efforts
0:17:27
·
113 sec
Councilmember Stevens inquires about the ACS hotline and support number, focusing on how it's advertised and how families learn about it. Commissioner Dannhauser explains the outreach efforts and the impact of the hotline.
- ACS has conducted hundreds of trainings for mandated reporters in schools, shelters, and hospitals
- Social media and news appearances are used to promote the hotline
- In 2023, the hotline received 500 calls; in 2024, it has already received 2,700 calls
- The hotline aims to address inequities in child welfare reporting, particularly for Black families
Althea V. Stevens
0:17:27
So at this time, I'm going to start questions.
0:17:29
I'm gonna start with some questions that I have from this testimony that, commissioner you just read.
0:17:35
One of the first things that I see here, is echoing in my ear.
0:17:39
One of the first things that I see here, that was interesting to me was the hotline and support number, that you got that you talked about.
0:17:47
How are you doing advertisement for this hotline, and how do families find out about this?
Jess Dannhauser
0:17:52
Thank you, chair Stevens.
0:17:53
This is this is really important.
0:17:54
We've done, hundreds of trainings for mandated reporters in schools, in shelters, in hospitals.
0:18:01
We are also doing social media around this.
0:18:04
I've been on some news to talk about this.
0:18:07
It's really key that families know either the connect mailbox or the number.
0:18:12
They can outreach.
0:18:13
They're connected to deputy commissioner Linares' staff, who will walk them through everything we have in our continuum, supports that might be outside of our continuum.
0:18:23
We're seeing some progress.
0:18:24
So in 2023, we had 500 calls to that hotline.
0:18:28
Already in 2024, we've had 27 100 calls to that hotline, and we're connecting families to support.
0:18:33
It's one of the reasons we're seeing fewer families connected to a c to preventive through ACS and more families connected on their own.
0:18:42
So, there's a long way to go.
0:18:44
We'd love to partner with you to continue to get information out about that, but we are making sure we're using the state's new mandated reporter training and saying, in instances where you feel like families just need a little bit of support, this is the the hotline that you can call, where it's not it doesn't rise to the livable call.
0:19:02
And that's one of the it's the most inequitable part of our child welfare system is that initial call.
0:19:07
Seven times more likely that a black child's family is called in to the SCR than a white child's family.
0:19:12
And so we are out there doing lots of training, and any any partnership we can do to get that out, even for it would be great.
Althea V. Stevens
0:19:20
Because it's interesting.
