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For Practitioners


Whether you are a contracted provider or ACS staff member, the LGBTQ Office can help you translate the Agency’s LGBTQ policies into real and meaningful improvements to your practice.

LGBTQ Incident & Inquiry Reporting
Provider LGBTQ Point Person Network
Policy and Practice Guidance
Trainings

LGBTQ Incident & Inquiry Reporting

Ask questions or report an incident to the ACS Office of LGBTQ Policy & Practice. Anyone involved in our system or impacted by it, including youth, providers, staff, and foster families can use the form to ask questions related to our LGBTQ policy or to report alleged policy non-compliance.

Learn how to make an incident or inquiry report.

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Provider LGBTQ Point Person Network

The Contract Provider LGBTQ Point Person Network (PPN) equips contract agency staff with the skills to improve outcomes for LGBTQ children and youth in ACS care.

  • The network is made up of individuals who are committed to implementing ACS’ LGBTQ policies at each contracted provider.
  • These individuals are a source of support on LGBTQ matters for staff, children, youth, and families served by their organization.

To identify your agency’s point person, contact the LGBTQ Office.

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Policy and Practice Guidance

You may have questions about how to apply the ACS LGBTQ policies into everyday practice. Here are some tips to improve outcomes for the LGBTQ people.

  • Ask LGBTQ-identified youth how their family reacts to their identity.
  • Connect LGBTQ children, youth and families with community and online resources to help parents better support and care for their LGBTQ children. Visit the Resources page for ideas.
  • Provide supportive and LGBTQ-inclusive counseling services for youth, families and groups. To get support on how to establish affirming counseling services, reach out to the Family Intervention Pilot at (718) 935-9466 x 5191.
  • Inform families how negative reactions to their LGBTQ child's identity could harm the child’s physical and mental health.
  • Coach families on how to foster supportive behaviors that help protect against risk and help promote their LGBTQ child's health and well-being. Encourage parents or caregivers to talk with their child about their sexual orientation or gender identity and to advocate for their child when they are mistreated because of their LGBTQ identity.

Additional Resources

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Training

ACS has developed a series of model trainings specifically for NYC child welfare and juvenile justice staff to help them understand our policy expectations and to provide concrete skills to translate our LGBTQ policies into everyday practice:

  • LGBTQ Training: A mandatory training for all ACS and provider staff.
  • Safe & Respected. A supplemental transgender and gender non-conforming best practices training for ACS and provider staff. This training is based off of the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Best Practices Guide.
  • LGBTQ Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Training: Addressing the specific needs of LGBTQ Youth engaged in Survival Economies.

Contact the LGBTQ Office to learn more.

Back to LGBTQ Support Page

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