REMARKS
Council Member Althea Stevens delivers opening remarks for foster care system evaluation hearing
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ยท
3 min
Council Member Althea Stevens, chair of the Children and Youth Committee, opens a hearing on evaluating New York City's foster care system. She outlines the purpose of the hearing, key issues to be discussed, and emphasizes the importance of ensuring children in foster care receive the support and opportunities they deserve.
- Stevens highlights critical issues including placement stability, kinship care, residential foster care, and outcomes for youth aging out of the system.
- She mentions the need to examine programs like Fair Futures and the Parent Empowerment Program (PEP), as well as support for youth transitioning to adulthood.
- The council member calls for accountability from ACS regarding commitments in their five-year strategic plan and emphasizes the city's duty to care for vulnerable children.
Althea Stevens
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Good afternoon, and welcome to today's hearing on evaluating New York City's foster care system.
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I am Althea Stevens, chair of Children and Youth Committee.
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The purpose of today's hearing is to take a comprehensive look at services and policies that shape the experience of children in foster care.
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When a child is placed in foster care, they often are already already facing invincible hardships, instability at home, and separation from their families, and uncertainty about their futures.
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It is our duty to ensure that the system is that's meant to protect them is actually providing safety, stability, and support they need to thrive.
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Today's hearing will be exploring the range of critical issues, including placement stability, the role of kinship care, residential foster care, and long term outcomes for youth aging out of the system.
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I will also examine the financial and structural challenges provider facing, particularly as they struggle with rate rising costs, staffing shortages, and growing needs among the children they serve.
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Additionally, we must consider the impact of federal funding uncertainties whether ACS is doing doing to encourage a secure alternative funding streams to maintain essential services.
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We will also be looking at the role of supportive services.
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Programs like Fair Futures, which provide coaching and mentoring to youth in foster care and those who have aged out, have proven to be valuable lifelines.
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Is this program reaching enough young people?
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Similarly, ACS Parent Empowerment Program, PEP, which embodies parent advocates with lived experience in case planning units, is a promising step towards supporting families and improving outcomes.
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But we need to examine its implementation and whether parent advocates are being given the resources and compensation they need to be successful in their roles.
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Additionally, we need to look out Additionally, we need to look at aging out of foster care.
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We must ask whether the city is doing enough to support youth and those transitioning to adulthood.
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Are they receiving the housing vouchers they need?
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Do they have access to education, employment, and mental health services, services to build independence and successful lives?
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Too often, we hear that from residential care providers that essential items like prom dresses, laptops for college, or emergency funds for students living away from home are not included in the budget and must be funded through private donations.
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We need to ensure that our young people are not being felt being left behind due to bureaucracy and gaps.
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Finally, we must hold ACS accountable for commitments outlined in their five year strategic plan.
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The agency had pledged to strengthen kinship placement, improve child assessments, expand access to Medicare based mental health services, and stabilize the workforce through better pay and con contract flexibility.
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Today, we will be asking how the commitments are being met, what obstacles remain, and what steps are being taken to ensure the best possible outcomes for the children and families in foster care systems.
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At the heart of this hearing, it is a simple but urgent questions.
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Are we truly doing everything we can to ensure children in foster care are receiving the stability, support opportunities that they deserve?
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New York has a dual, a duty to care for its most vulnerable children.
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We must be relentless in making sure that the duality is fulfilled.
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I look forward to hearing from ACS providers and individuals with lived experience who can help us better understand what is working, where are we falling short, and what must be done to build a stronger, more efficient foster care system.
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Finally, I would like to thank my committee staff, Christina and Elizabeth, for all their hard work to prepare for this hearing and all of the 18 back in District 16.
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And at this time, I would like to recognize my colleagues, council member Brua, council member Osei, and council member Lee.