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Q&A

Accountability measures for foster care provider agencies

0:24:12

·

128 sec

Council Member Stevens inquires about how ACS holds contracted foster care providers accountable for implementing cultural shifts and addressing concerns. Commissioner Dannhauser explains the accountability measures in place.

ACS uses a system called 'approved outcomes for children' to oversee provider performance
A dedicated unit analyzes provider data on metrics like stability and permanency for children in care
ACS creates improvement plans with providers and monitors their progress
The Office of Shared Response and Office of Advocacy address concerns raised by young people or families

Althea Stevens

0:24:12

And so I hear some of the stuff that you're doing in the agency, but a lot of the work that you do are contracted out to providers.

0:24:19

How do you shift that culture?

0:24:21

Right?

0:24:21

These providers have obviously had these contracts long before you got here.

0:24:25

You clearly are trying to shift the process of how things are being done.

0:24:30

How are we holding agencies accountable, especially when sometimes when they have long standing contracts?

0:24:35

What does that look like?

0:24:37

Because, again, I think when I'm hearing a lot of the concerns from parents and families about the things, some of it is from the providers.

0:24:46

And so what does accountability look like for a provider?

0:24:51

And has any provider, and and I guess since your tenure, have any provider had contracts removed or revoked?

Jess Dannhauser

0:24:58

Not in the foster care space, but here's here's what we do.

0:25:01

We have a, we operate under something called approved outcomes for children that was a redesign of both the foster care and preventive relationship between ACS, and the providers, over a decade ago.

0:25:16

And in that, while case management decisions are delegated to the providers, is overseen obviously by the family court as well.

0:25:24

We have a dedicated unit that is looking at provider data so we know which agencies are thriving around stability for kids in care, around permanency for kids in care, and where we need to put in implement plans.

0:25:41

And so we look at how many young people went AWOC to the point of the human trafficking conversation we had last time to make sure we understand how each provider is doing.

0:25:52

We then sit down, craft plans, and hold them accountable for implementation of those, assess whether they are making progress on that data.

0:25:59

If they are not, then we begin to to move up.

0:26:02

We also asked DC Mendez to talk about the Office of Shared Response, and I can talk a little bit about the Office of Advocacy.

0:26:10

When young people express a concern or a family expresses concern, their dedicated staff that dig into that issue might hold a conference, bring people together to try to create a solution there.

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Efforts to shift culture and address community concerns in ACS

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Strategies for improving communication and support within ACS and with youth