Q&A
Concerns about CARES program and communication with mandated reporters
0:37:05
ยท
4 min
Council Member Stevens raises concerns about the CARES program becoming a catchment for high-needs cases and issues with ACS staff communication with mandated reporters. Commissioner Dannhauser addresses these concerns and discusses ongoing efforts to improve communication and support.
- CARES is typically intended for low to moderate risk cases, but some providers report it becoming a catchment for high-needs cases
- ACS is working to ensure access to appropriate services and support for youth with complex needs
- Concerns raised about inappropriate responses to mandated reporters, particularly school social workers
- ACS is conducting training for schools, including charter schools, on accessing services and proper reporting procedures
- Emphasis on improving communication and ensuring appropriate language is used when interacting with mandated reporters
Althea Stevens
0:37:05
Provincial services provider had expressed that they have become a catchment for care cases resulting in supporting youth with high needs that are unmet by ACS limited budget.
0:37:16
How are decisions made regarding the services and materials, resources a family receives?
Jess Dannhauser
0:37:22
So this it's a little surprising to us that CARES is typically low to moderate risk.
0:37:29
And so in certain situations, perhaps there's a young person who's struggling with attendance, and so it goes down the CARES track.
0:37:38
And then we work with them, they're 15 years old, they're school phobic, they're connected to some negative peer group that we wanna help them.
0:37:50
So then we will be working with either our prevention providers on the child welfare side.
0:37:54
We have programs like FFT and BSFT, evidence based models, to help family therapies for teenagers.
0:38:03
We also have our FAP program, which is operated out of our juvenile justice side, but it's available across the continuum.
0:38:10
And so in there, we've added fair futures and mentoring.
0:38:14
So I wanna talk to our providers a little bit more about what they're seeing in this regard.
0:38:19
Clearly, we've seen that young people have, coming out of COVID, have a lot of needs, and I wanna make sure we're meeting them and that they know how to access the fair futures on the front end, not just for foster care and and all of those preventive services.
Althea Stevens
0:38:35
Yeah.
0:38:35
Because I think that is important because that that is definitely something I have heard from multiple providers of, like, care is becoming this catchment area.
0:38:42
And even just quickly, I think I I mentioned this to Stephanie last time I seen her.
0:38:47
Even with that, with the CARES, someone had did a ACS report.
0:38:53
And when the CARES person got back to them, they told them, well, you're a social worker.
0:38:57
You could do this yourself.
0:38:58
Why are you calling us?
0:39:00
And so, again, I think some of this I'm still working on the email to get you the the the person's name, but I I I want us to make sure that we're making a look at, like, some of the things that we are talking about here at the top are not necessarily trickling down because that was something that was super alarming to me when I had and this was a school social worker who had called an educational neglect that they were like, you're a social worker.
0:39:26
You can make your own referrals.
0:39:27
You don't need to call ECS for this.
Jess Dannhauser
0:39:28
Yeah.
0:39:29
So much of is how you say it.
0:39:30
Right?
0:39:31
So we're doing loads of training, as you know, Jared, that is equipping schools with resources and also resources through ACS that they don't have to call a CPS investigation if it's unnecessary.
0:39:45
And so it sounds like the the wrong way to deliver a message that we have help.
0:39:51
We have folded cares into our child staff forum, and so which we get between five and seven hundred of our staff on every
Althea Stevens
0:40:00
single week.
0:40:00
Point out.
0:40:01
This person who called ECS is not a person who will call lightly.
0:40:04
She's been social Absolutely.
0:40:05
And so for her, even when she reached out to me, it was a struggle for her to call because she's like, no.
0:40:11
I would never call unless it was needed to be elevated.
0:40:15
And but it was like, why are you calling us?
0:40:17
And so now I think even in, like, some of the spaces, the conversation has been like, well, we're not gonna call ASS for anything if that's the case.
0:40:25
And so there is some disconnect in some of the things and thinking about you know, I know that, like and this wasn't a this was actually a charter school, so it was, like, separate.
0:40:33
And so I don't know if they have access to the services and what that looks like because I did ask them, and they were like, well, we haven't heard of that.
0:40:41
And so, you know, I just think we we still need to figure out, like, what is the branding and and what does that look like to report some of this stuff back up.
Jess Dannhauser
0:40:48
Absolutely.
0:40:49
And as it relates to the charter schools, we are doing training for them.
0:40:53
We've developed, given the size of Success Academy, we've developed a direct partnership with them as well to make sure that they know how to access services.
0:41:03
That kind of language is not acceptable to me either.
Althea Stevens
0:41:05
Yeah.
0:41:06
I I'm working on getting a name
Fernando Canteli de Castro
0:41:07
for you
Althea Stevens
0:41:07
guys somewhere.
0:41:08
I'm working
Jess Dannhauser
0:41:08
on it.
Chas Budnick
0:41:08
Thank you.
Althea Stevens
0:41:09
I do see my colleagues have a question, so I'm gonna pass it over to council member Brewer, and and then I have some more questions.
Lynette Lometred
0:41:17
K.