Q&A
Expansion of CARES criteria and handling criminal activity cases
0:53:31
·
177 sec
Council Member Stevens inquires about the expansion of CARES criteria, particularly regarding cases involving criminal or drug activity. Commissioner Dannhauser explains the changes made to CARES criteria and how ACS handles cases involving criminal activity.
- The last change to CARES criteria was made in 2019, allowing certain cases with previous involvement to go through CARES
- Active criminal activity or ongoing criminal court cases are exclusionary criteria for CARES
- ACS assesses each case individually to determine the best approach for addressing underlying issues
Jess Dannhauser
0:53:31
But this is a conversation I've had directly with advocates and will continue to have to understand what they're seeing.
Althea V. Stevens
0:53:35
Yeah.
0:53:36
Because it it just seems a little strange.
0:53:38
I just have a couple more questions, then I'll turn it over to the public advocate who I know has some remarks, and then we'll open it up for questions.
0:53:46
Anonymous child, anonymous child protective specialists have raised concerns about the expansion of CARES criteria.
0:53:53
Specifically, some claim that the criterias now allow parents with criminal or drug activity in the home to qualify for CARES tract.
0:54:00
Can can you confirm if this is accurate?
0:54:02
If so, did ACS begin expanding the CARES criteria, and what are the primary concerns or objectives behind this expansion?
Jess Dannhauser
0:54:11
The change that is being referenced there was made in 2019.
0:54:15
The program started back in 2013.
0:54:19
The change that, that we have made is is consistent with what I was describing earlier, which is that, if there's been previous involvement around things like educational neglect, we allow that to go down CARES because we think it might solve the root cause more likely.
0:54:36
But there has been no change around those things since 2019, and we think the safeguards that I described earlier around being able to retract, are the right way to go here.
Althea V. Stevens
0:54:46
In cases, involving criminal activity in the home, how does ACS determine whether a family qualifies for Cares track or a formal investigation is required?
Jess Dannhauser
0:54:56
It's it's an assessment.
0:54:58
If there's active criminal activity, if there's a criminal court case, it does not go down the care track.
0:55:03
It is one of the exclusionary criteria that ACS adds to the state to the state list.
0:55:08
Mhmm.
0:55:09
And so, if there has been previous criminal history, if there's been other history that we look at, it's really an assessment around what are the current allegations and how best can we address the underlying issues.
Althea V. Stevens
0:55:23
Are there are there cases where this is falling through the gaps?
0:55:25
Because, you know, we have have anonymous child protective specialists saying that this is actually currently happening.
Jess Dannhauser
0:55:30
You know, I talk to my my staff all the time right now.
0:55:32
If I wasn't here, it'd be in the CARES forum.
0:55:35
There is there is a difference in perspective, that I welcome at ACS, and we are always having conversations about, about, you know, our job is to protect children, to protect children from harm in their home, to protect children from being unnecessarily removed, and we need to continue to evolve our system to make sure that that focus is done in ways, that are most supportive to children and to their families and that we're making the right decisions when children are in danger.
0:56:04
We look very carefully whenever an incident happens about what changed.
0:56:08
We do not see any evidence in the data that this is about CARES.
0:56:13
And so, every time I get feedback from my staff, we take it very seriously.
0:56:18
We look at the data.
0:56:19
We look at experience.
0:56:20
We talk to many different stakeholders to try to set a direction for this agency that is both protective to children and supportive of families.
