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Q&A
Coordination between NYC Children's Services and NYC Aging for kinship care assistance
1:01:42
ยท
108 sec
The Deputy Commissioner discusses how NYC Children's Services coordinates with NYC Aging and other agencies to ensure older adult kinship caregivers receive specialized assistance.
- NYC Children's Services is working to increase awareness of how to access services without calling the State Central Register (SCR) for child abuse and neglect reports
- The agency has established a support line (212-676-7667) for families to access services without triggering an investigation
- NYC Children's Services is collaborating with various city agencies, including NYC Aging, to educate mandated reporters on how to access services without making unnecessary reports
- The goal is to reduce overrepresentation of children of color in investigations and provide support to families without involving child protective services when safety is not at risk
- The agency is working to make its services more accessible and less intimidating for families in need of support
Crystal Hudson
1:01:42
How does NYC Children coordinate with NYC Aging or other agencies to ensure older adult kinship caregivers receive the specialized assistance they may need such as legal guidance or respite services?
1:01:53
And I know you mentioned the training earlier.
UNKNOWN
1:01:55
Yeah.
1:01:55
We really wanna make sure New Yorkers are aware of how to access services and supports for children without needing to call the SCR.
1:02:07
So we have found historically that many many people who work with children are mandated reporters and sort of this belief that the best way you can access services quickly was to make a report to the SCR, which then triggers ACS to conduct an investigation.
1:02:25
And less a third to a quarter of cases that we investigate, we find abuse or neglect.
1:02:34
And children of color are overrepresented.
1:02:38
So we've working with many city agencies, including aging, to help mandated reporters better understand how to access services without calling in a report if children are not in danger.
1:02:52
There are many children and families who need services and support, but the child doesn't need an investigation because there's not a safety risk.
1:02:59
And so we've been doing a lot of work to get our support line out, which you can access through our website on the For Families section or it's (212) 676-7667.
1:03:09
But aging has been one of the agencies we are working with to make sure those working with older adults know how to access the services and supports without a report.
Crystal Hudson
1:03:21
Okay.
1:03:21
Great.
1:03:21
Thank you.
1:03:22
Bless you.
1:03:23
Did NYC children absorb any staff expertise or program elements from the GRC?
UNKNOWN
1:03:28
Not that I'm aware of.