AGENCY TESTIMONY
Introduction and overview of ACS services
0:04:58
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114 sec
Commissioner Jess Dannhauser introduces himself and key ACS staff members, providing an overview of ACS's approach to supporting children, youth, and families in New York City. He emphasizes the importance of upstream support and the availability of a continuum of free, voluntary services.
- ACS offers a range of services to meet diverse family needs
- Services are free, voluntary, and available regardless of immigration status
- Families can access services without involvement in child protection or investigations
Jess Dannhauser
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Good morning, chair Stevens and members of the Children and Youth Committee.
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I'm Jess Danhauser, commissioner of the New York City Administration For Children Services.
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I'm joined today by Luisa Linares, the deputy commissioner for preventive services, Elizabeth Welkomir, the deputy commissioner for child and family well-being, and Raymond Toomer, the associate commissioner for community based alternatives in our division of youth and family justice.
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Together, their teams and our nonprofit partners deliver a continuum of services and supports for children, youth, and families.
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We appreciate the city council holding today's oversight hearing, examining our prevention services program.
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Providing families and youth with support as upstream as possible is the best way to keep children safe and thriving.
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Because families across the city have unique and individualized needs, we provide a continuum of services of varying types and intensities, which I'll talk more about today.
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All of these services are free and available regardless of immigration status and voluntary except when participation is court ordered.
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Families seeking help do not have to have any involvement with child protection or an investigation.
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Given the wide range of services we offer, family services providers and community members can contact our support line at 212-676 7667 or connect at acs.nyc.gov to learn more about the options and what services would be most appropriate for families' needs, whether that's within our continuum or with our city partners.
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We would love to continue to partner with the council to help spread the word about our support line so that all families know how to access help when they need it.
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Through our division of child and family well-being, we work to ensure families and children have the critical supports they need to thrive and exercise self determination.
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The division focuses on leveraging concrete supports, stakeholder relationships, and community and family strengths to drive towards greater equity and social justice, reduce disparities, and create conditions that foster well-being.
