Q&A
Ensuring cultural competence in preventive services
1:51:10
·
162 sec
Council Member Stevens asks how ACS ensures that preventive services are culturally competent and meet the diverse needs of families across the city. ACS officials outline various strategies and programs in place.
- ACS has programs serving specific cultural communities, such as Arab American and Chinese American families
- The agency provides training on cultural competence through its workforce institute
- Language access services are available, including interpreters for therapeutic sessions when necessary
- ACS has invested in parent advocates with lived experience to build trust and cultural competence
- The agency prioritizes cultural competence in service delivery and continues to work on improvements
Althea V. Stevens
1:51:10
How does ACS ensure that printer services are culturally competent and meet the needs of diverse needs of families across the city?
Jess Dannhauser
1:51:17
I've just been talking a lot, so I'm gonna let Louisa get this one.
Althea V. Stevens
1:51:20
He would like a sip of water.
1:51:22
Yes.
1:51:24
So
UNKNOWN
1:51:26
Go talk.
Luisa Linares
1:51:26
So we do a lot of different things.
1:51:29
We have, programs that are, serve specific, culture.
1:51:36
For instance, Arab American is one of them.
1:51:38
They are in Brooklyn.
1:51:40
We also have programs like Chinese American Council that's actually here with us, this, this morning, and I hope they'll testify later.
1:51:49
And, in addition, we have a lot of training, that is provided to our workforce institute.
1:51:55
We also have language access, so, when the family is receiving prevention services, they are able to either use the, the line for services or they can use an interpret interpreter as well.
1:52:11
We know that's not the best option when, when there is a, therapeutic, session, for instance.
1:52:20
However, sometimes that's better than no service at all.
1:52:24
So we when the family, when the provider doesn't have a a case planner staff that is of the same culture, of the neighborhood for whatever reason, then they're able to use interpreter services.
Jess Dannhauser
1:52:39
And also It's
Luisa Linares
1:52:40
a priority definitely a priority for us.
Jess Dannhauser
1:52:43
I'd also add, you know, a key difference in the last several years is the investment in parent advocates, both in our preventive system and in our foster care system.
1:52:52
Obviously, there's a lot more initial trust with a a parent who has lived experience, and so that's been a really important part of, building cultural competence.
Althea V. Stevens
1:53:01
Yeah.
1:53:02
I've definitely heard parents say that they actually prefer the parent advocates, and and folks who actually understand them, and
UNKNOWN
1:53:08
and would like to see more investment
Althea V. Stevens
1:53:08
in that area, from ACS.
1:53:10
Daily average participating despite the decline in overall numbers of children served annually?
1:53:13
Does this reflect a long term engagement period or a shift in services daily model?
Jess Dannhauser
1:53:26
It, so we're seeing an increase in new families coming into preventive services.
1:53:31
This just means there's a slightly lower length of of service.
1:53:35
Use some of the evidence evidence based models are about 6 month average.
1:53:39
Some of the family support are more like a year.
1:53:41
So some shift to evidence based.
1:53:44
I think both we're gonna see both go up, both the new families coming in and the number served
UNKNOWN
1:53:49
Mhmm.
Jess Dannhauser
1:53:50
As we really launch the school based support programs.
