PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Ericka Brewington, Client Advocate at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
2:50:10
·
3 min
Ericka Brewington, a client advocate at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and an impacted parent, testified about her experience with ACS and the mental health impacts on her children after their removal and return. She shared her perspective on Intro 652, which would provide mental health services to children returned home after ACS removal.
- Brewington's children were in foster care from September 2017 to April 2019, experiencing trauma and behavioral changes.
- She emphasized the difficulty in finding appropriate therapy, especially for her autistic son, and expressed concerns about trusting therapists due to past experiences.
- Brewington stressed the need for mental health support for both children and parents, but cautioned against allowing ACS access to therapy reports.
Ericka Brewington
2:50:10
Good afternoon.
2:50:11
My name is Erica Brunton, and I'm impacted child and parent, and I'm a client advocate at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.
2:50:20
I know what it's like to have your kids taken by ACS, and I fight for other parents who are caught up in this system.
2:50:27
I am here to tell my story and to share my perspective on bill 0652 to provide mental health services to children who have been returned home after an ACS removal.
2:50:39
My kids were taken in September of 2017 and didn't come home till April 2019.
2:50:45
Mentally, my kids have not been right since they've been taken away.
2:50:50
My daughter went into care when she was 5 years old.
2:50:53
Before she was taken, she was outgoing, bubbly child.
2:50:57
At that age, everything is brand new, and she wanted to explore the world.
2:51:01
Then she and my son were taken away from me and put in with a foster family.
2:51:07
My son is autistic and has a speech impediment.
2:51:11
The family they were placed with was Dominican, and my son had trouble understanding them.
2:51:16
The adults would get frustrated that my son wasn't listening, and instead of understanding that he has special needs, he was traumatized by being taken and being and was traumatized by being taken away from me.
2:51:28
Both of my children were bullied in the foster placement.
2:51:32
They were they weren't taken care of at all and it was terrible for their mental health.
2:51:38
Finally, my kids came home, and I noticed they were different.
2:51:41
They didn't want to go outside.
2:51:43
My daughter would cry every time I left the house.
2:51:45
She even cried today.
2:51:48
She hardly speak anymore.
2:51:50
They came home in 2019, and in October of 2019, there was a final discharge.
2:51:56
In March of 2020, we were shut in because of the pandemic, and they didn't have time to adjust.
2:52:03
For months, they were on pins and needles because they were under ACES supervision, and they didn't know what what they might say may harm us.
2:52:13
My son's autism makes it hard to find a good therapist.
2:52:16
He doesn't take to most therapists, and even if he does, they are not necessarily equipped to meet his needs.
2:52:23
For now, I'm his therapist.
2:52:25
I'm my own therapist as well.
2:52:27
The therapist I had caught ACS on me, so how can I trust any therapist?
2:52:34
I'm not done.
2:52:36
Okay.
2:52:36
My kids are unpacking a lot of stuff from this.
2:52:38
My partner and I are as well because we weren't prepared for the mental anguish of our children when they return home to us.
2:52:46
I miss seeing the light in my children's eyes.
2:52:49
We all need good therapy, but here's what I'm adamant about.
2:52:52
ACS did not get to use this as another way to spy on my family.
2:52:57
They are not entitled to get a report from our children's therapist about the damage they did.
2:53:02
ACS may say they're getting the reports to correct their mistakes, but, no, history has shown they use these findings against families.
2:53:10
ACS can pay for services that families needs, but they do not get to get a report.
2:53:15
I don't know if this bill would impact me, but would it be retroactive?
2:53:20
Would it also provide therapy for parents with when their kids are returned?
2:53:24
But I do know that the harm ACS has done to my family, to my kids and their mental health, to me and my partner.
2:53:32
What we don't need is more ACS and more mandated reporters.
2:53:36
They are the ones who caused this problem.
2:53:38
I wanna thank the city council members for listening to my testimony, and I hope they will think seriously about what impacted parents are actually asking for.
2:53:47
Thank you.
