Initiatives

ACS continues to strengthen all aspects of child welfare work and is working to build better support systems for the City’s families and communities. The following initiatives reflect ongoing work happening throughout the agency.

• Child Trafficking Awareness & Prevention Resources: ACS established the Office of Child Trafficking Prevention and Policy to provide guidance for working with labor trafficked and commercially sexually exploited children.
• Equity Strategies - Office of Equity Strategies supports work to promote equity and reduce disparity based on race, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation throughout the agency. It leads agency wide initiatives and serves as an in-house resource, providing technical assistance on the development and implementation of equity centered strategies.
• Immigrant Services: ACS serves all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status. ACS provides services that respect each person’s culture and language needs.
• LGBTQ Support: The ACS Office of LGBTQ Child and Family Well-Being raises awareness and helps make sure that all of our services are affirming of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning) youth and families.
• NYC Demographic Survey: The results of the survey will help NYC improve its services.
• NY State and ACS’ Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project: Strong Families New York City - Produces Shorter Lengths of Stay in Foster Care and Improved Caregiving.
• Racial Equity & Cultural Competence: The ACS Racial Equity and Cultural Competence Committee supports the development of a child welfare and juvenile justice system that responds respectfully and effectively to people of all racial and cultural backgrounds.
• Safe Sleep for Babies: Every year, about 50 babies in NYC die from a sleep-related injury. Learn more about sleep-related injury deaths and how to safely put your baby to sleep.
• Training and Workforce Development: The Office of Training and Workforce Development provides foundational and continuous learning for child welfare and juvenile justice direct service staff and supervisors.

Citywide Parent Advocate/Initial Child Safety Conference Initiative

Enhanced Family Conferencing Initiative: ACS was awarded a federal grant in 2015 to pilot an enhanced model of Parent Advocate participation in Family Group Decision-Making in the Bronx. Details of the program model and our research findings are presented in this final report.

• EFCI Final Report
• EFCI Intervention Manual