Q&A
Addressing discrimination concerns and support for foster parents
1:15:45
ยท
6 min
Council Member Stevens raises concerns about discrimination against foster parents, particularly LGBTQ foster parents, and asks about support systems in place. Commissioner Dannhauser addresses these concerns and outlines ACS's approach to supporting foster parents.
- ACS has processes in place to respond to foster parents' concerns and complaints
- The agency encourages foster parent councils where staff listen to foster parents' experiences
- ACS is committed to supporting LGBTQ foster parents and has implemented policies to ensure affirming care
- The agency is working on systemic improvements to address any discrimination issues that arise
Jess Dannhauser
1:15:45
Absolutely.
1:15:45
So foster parents need to be responded to.
1:15:48
They need to be whether that's in the middle of the night or whatever services that they need for children in their home, In in the, you know, area where a young a young person is removed from a foster home, ACS has an independent review process, and then there's also a fair hearing process at the state level.
1:16:07
But the core of this, right, is having foster parent councils where staff are listening to the experience of foster parents.
1:16:15
Being a foster parent is complex for a lot of reasons.
1:16:19
We're deeply grateful to all the New Yorkers that step up to do it.
1:16:24
You know, you not only have to care for a child who's gone through a lot early in their life, you also are making sure that they're getting to visits and appointments, and it's logistically challenging.
1:16:38
And so you give up the the power over whether that child's gonna be in your home for a long time as as your child, forever, as an adopted child, or for a short time.
1:16:50
And so we are grateful for the sacrifice that foster parents make.
1:16:54
Each agency needs to be able to have those systems.
1:16:59
DC Mendez team helps them support them on that.
1:17:02
But ultimately, we also need to make sure that the contracts are moving to where the providers are demonstrating where foster parents are voting with their feet to go.
1:17:12
Mhmm.
1:17:12
And if they're not gonna go to a particular provider because they have a bad reputation, well, then the provider needs to work on that.
1:17:17
Obviously, we have our corrective action tools as well.
1:17:21
We don't ever wanna get to that point, but it needs to be a multifaceted approach.
Althea Stevens
1:17:25
Yeah.
1:17:26
Because I know that we actually have a couple who's going to testify later here who was told specifically that the agency was not interested in doing some work with them because they were a same sex couple, and there was a lot of issues around that.
1:17:40
And so trying and I know we had a hearing back in September around how we're trying to recruit more same sex couples to be a part of this, because we have such a high number of LGBTQ, especially in the RHY system, and trying to connect the gaps.
1:17:52
And this family, I think and they're still fighting to try to get the young people back, but was told that they're no longer going to be able to be foster parents, I guess, with that agency.
1:18:03
And I'll make sure I'll connect you guys at the end.
1:18:05
But is that something that's normal?
1:18:07
And then how do we, like, put in safety nets so things like this does not happen?
1:18:12
Because I believe there was a couple of ins they were they were they put in complaints, and everything was unfounded, but now they're still saying that they can't be foster parents anymore.
1:18:23
And just in the system where we know that it is such a hard job and it's not easy to become a foster parent, and we have people who are fighting to keep this right, what could we do to kinda, like, protect this or, like, how how should folks be, you know, knocking this up?
1:18:39
Because I say this all the time, like, incidents often are just us putting flashlight on things that are happening in the dark.
1:18:45
And, you know, for me, I don't wanna lose good foster care parents that's in the system who wanna do good and lose them because, you know, issues with agencies or providers, not agencies, providers.
Jess Dannhauser
1:18:57
We agree with you wholeheartedly.
1:19:00
While I can't speak to individual instances, especially those that are ongoing and being evaluated, let me describe some of the processes.
1:19:10
So and let me let me back up and say, we absolutely not only welcome, encourage, want LGBTQ foster parents in our system for the reasons that you articulated and also because anyone who is gonna give a loving home to a child and support them and and provide them stability and care, we want in our system.
1:19:34
There are times, when a child makes an allegation, someone else makes an allegation.
1:19:40
We have a dedicated office of, our office of special investigations within our child protection that does this, that does evaluations, assessments, investigations of, those allegations.
1:19:54
They include talking to you know, going to the home, talking to the children, talking to collateral contacts that could be a child advocacy center.
1:20:04
They make a determination.
1:20:06
As you know, council member, the standard of evidence is that it is the preponderance of evidence.
Althea Stevens
1:20:11
Mhmm.
Jess Dannhauser
1:20:11
And so there are times where the situation is not entirely clear, but there are concerns.
1:20:17
And the agencies, do have the delegation of case management, do have the authority to to change a child's placement if they think that there's something that's not right.
1:20:29
That authority has is overseen by that office of special investigations as well.
1:20:36
So there's an independent review.
1:20:37
If the parents feel like that authority by the agency has been abused, then they get an independent review.
1:20:44
The independent review makes a decision about whether or not that was an appropriately made decision.
1:20:50
If the foster parents are not satisfied with the independent review, then they can pursue a fair hearing outside of ACS with the state that is that looks at whether we made the appropriate judgment both in the independent review and in that initial that the agency made the right decision.
1:21:07
Beyond that, because there are situations that are not entirely clear, know, one of the things that sometimes we have to live with as a system as we're trying to continue to gather more information is is situations where we're hearing multiple things from different sources, from the children, from different parents, etcetera.
1:21:29
So we're trying to wade through that and make the best decision possible in every instance.
1:21:33
It should never be, at the same time I say all that, it should never be that any decision is made other than with what's in the best interest of the child.
1:21:43
And so we've heard some of the concerns that you referenced.
1:21:48
We're also engaged in a process with the agency that is involved here to make sure that if there is anything playing out there that we get beneath it and sort of on a more systemic level throughout the agency and to make sure we really understand everything that's going on here because it's not okay to any of us that a family that is LGBTQ doesn't feel safe.
1:22:13
In fact, under commissioner carry on, we're the first city in the country to require that all foster parents attest that they are affirming.
1:22:22
And so this is work that's been going on for a long time, and we're not gonna we're not gonna step away it now.
Althea Stevens
1:22:28
Yeah.