PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Dr. Sophine Charles, Associate Executive Director of Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA)
2:19:26
ยท
173 sec
Dr. Sophine Charles, representing COFCCA, addressed four critical factors in the foster care system: insurance, staffing, procurement issues, and prevention services. She emphasized the urgent need for liability insurance solutions to keep foster care agencies operational and urged the city council to support ongoing reforms while highlighting the importance of workforce investment.
- Stressed the critical need for a risk pool or other solutions to help agencies obtain liability insurance
- Called for continued funding and support for child safety enhancements and practices in foster care
- Highlighted procurement system issues, with agencies not being paid for services already rendered
- Advocated for investment in staff through better salaries, scholarships, and tuition assistance
Dr. Sophine Charles
2:19:26
Good afternoon.
2:19:27
I'm Doctor.
2:19:27
Sofiene Charles, the Associate Executive Director for the Council of Family and Childcaring Agencies.
2:19:34
We represent more than 100 agencies across New York State.
2:19:38
We're a membership organization and advocates for the agencies that provide foster care.
2:19:44
I want to, on a high level, lift up four important factors as you investigate the foster care system.
2:19:54
Insurance, staffing, procurement issues, and prevention services.
2:20:02
Foster care is sustainable only if we're able to keep our agencies insured and in practice with liability insurance.
2:20:13
So as we have this hearing, if we're not able to insure our agencies, then the city will be responsible for assuming direct care of the children that are currently in foster care.
2:20:28
And I'd also like to just urge the city council to work with the mayor's office and the state governor's office to assist the foster care agencies with in accessing insurance and creating a risk pool in order to ensure that agencies can remain in business and insured.
2:20:48
I would also urge the city council to carefully consider the magnitude of all of the changes that have already happened in foster care and through ACS over the many years.
2:21:02
We're not there yet and we haven't covered everything that needs to be covered in order to fully support children and families in foster care, but Kafka supports all of the reform and we encourage the city council to continue funding and creating a pathway for additional child safety enhancements and practices.
2:21:25
Kafka also requests the city council to elevate the importance of the workforce and the staff and value their value in providing foster care services.
2:21:38
The investment investment in salaries, scholarships, and tuition assistance to help agencies sustain a highly trained and credentialed child care work force.
2:21:49
We also encourage actions to reform the current city procurement system.
2:21:55
Agencies are not being paid.
2:21:57
It's hard for them to provide quality services if the city is not paying them for services already rendered.
2:22:05
And we also encourage the city council to make sure that prevention services and their contracts are getting the true cost of what it costs to conduct services.