Agenda: Outlining the Top Five Focus Areas for Assisting New York City's Households
The Administration for Children's Services (ACS) in New York City has announced a significant change in its Prevention Services department, renaming it to the Family Services Division. This rebranding signifies a shift in focus from merely preventing negative outcomes to meeting the needs of families, with the aim of ensuring the well-being and safety of children.
The Family Services Division aims to support providers in being flexible and adaptable when engaging with families, helping them to remain organizationally strong. The Division's new strategic priorities, recently released, will guide its work in the coming years.
One of the key aspects of the Division's approach is fostering new and creative ways of reaching communities with information and services. The Division is collaborating with the right partners to increase its recognition and improve its reputation in communities.
The Division is committed to elevating family lived experience and perspectives in its work, as well as that of its providers and partners. It plans to build on its status as a hub for expertise and information about family services, working closely with partners to increase its recognition and improve its reputation.
The services offered by the Division take a holistic approach, aiming to address challenges at home and provide what families need to relieve daily stress and pursue life goals. These services include substance misuse treatment, family counseling, homemaking services, and help with accessing concrete supports, public benefits, and more.
The Division is also committed to ensuring the quality of family services, using new research and analysis to maintain high standards. It will share insights and learnings with partners and peers across the city and around the world.
In the past year, approximately 14,000 families with 30,000 children participated in these programs. The NYC Family Services Division contracts with over 130 programs throughout New York City offering prevention services.
To further strengthen its commitment to families, the Division is hiring a parent advocate with lived experience in child welfare to be a member of its leadership. This move is part of the Division's restructuring, which involved collaboration between ACS leadership, key community organizations, and designated co-leaders to implement the new strategic priorities.
The Division is listening to what families need and spreading the word about its work through the right channels and credible messengers. It looks forward to continuing its nationally renowned research and innovation in the field of family services.
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