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May 21, 2015
ACS Honors LGBTQ Affirming New Yorkers
On May 21, 2015, the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) held its Third Annual Awards Ceremony, honoring five New Yorkers for their leadership in making a positive change for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Awards were presented at Surrogate’s Court in lower Manhattan to an emerging youth leader, an outstanding foster parent, outstanding ACS and provider agency staff, as well as a community advocate.
In her keynote address, ACS Commissioner Gladys Carrión thanked the honorees for making the path brighter for all young people by promoting an affirming environment for all young people no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. She said, “At ACS, we are committed to ensuring that we have policies and practices in place that are intended to empower our young people to thrive into healthy, happy, independent adults. There is nothing more important to be safe, to be accepted, and be loved for who you are.”
To that end, Commissioner Carrión pointed out ACS requires that all newly certified foster parents be LGBTQ-affirming, and that all existing foster families to receive LGBTQ training during their annual recertification hours. She commended the ACS Office of LGBTQ Policy and Practice and its staff, Director Rhodes Perry, Deputy Director Denise Niewinski and Community Liaison Shaquana Green, for their leadership in building and perfecting ACS’s LGBTQ policies and practices. “Your efforts have put ACS on the map as a national leader in building more inclusive services for the LGBTQ people we serve every day,” she said.
Speaking about LGBTQ policies and practices completed or in development, Rhodes listed the following:
- Updating guidelines to help providers connect transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) young people to medically necessary care;
- Development of a needs assessment project supported by New Yorkers for Children to identify the number of LGBTQ children and youth in ACS care in order to more fully support their needs;
- Training and coaching of foster care staff and foster parents to better serve LGBTQ youth;
- Working to build a more inclusive and welcoming workplace for LGBTQ employees at ACS.
The following inpiduals were honored:
Emerging Youth Leader – Peterson Rodriguez
In 2011, Peterson was accepted into the New Yorkers For Children Guardian Scholars Program designed to help students in foster care succeed in college and become leaders and advocates in their communities. This program enabled Peterson to attend John Jay College, where he is expected to graduate at the end of year. In addition to being a full-time student, Peterson works part-time as a youth advocate with the Mental Health Association Family Resource Center, where he provides compassionate support, encouragement, and mentorship to 15 LGBTQ young people.
Outstanding Foster Parent – Angelo Reid
Angelo has served as a therapeutic foster parent taking care of some of our most vulnerable young people for many years. Angelo adopted his first child in 2011, who was previously placed in a residential treatment center, and in 2014 he adopted his second child, creating a forever family as a single father.
Outstanding Provider Staff – Dina Carreras
Dina has consistently demonstrated a commitment to translating our LGBTQ policy expectations into everyday practices. This work has transformed Children’s Village into a more inclusive and affirming agency for LGBTQ young people. She never misses an opportunity to collaborate with our Office, or equip her staff with the skills and confidence to meet each young person where they are at, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. Dina serves as an extraordinary example of what it means to be a LGBTQ liaison for her agency.
Outstanding ACS Staff – Suzanne Sousa
Since the founding of the LGBTQ Office in 2012, Suzanne has offered her guidance, expertise, and support to help the Office secure support from public and private funding sources. These resources have resulted in the creation of our practice guides and training brochures, as well as training and coaching initiatives. Her commitment in sharing our impact with others has inspired many non-traditional LGBTQ funders to support our work.
Note: Suzanne Sousa recently left ACS is now the Senior Program Officer at the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation.
Outstanding Community Advocate – Sarah Mikhail
Sarah Mikhail leads the Foster Care Project at the LGBTQ Community Center. She provides support groups for prospective and current LGBTQ foster parents, leadership opportunities for LGBTQ youth with foster care experience, and is an expert resource to assist our foster care agencies create safer & more affirming spaces for LGBTQ young people. Sarah has trained over 1,400 staff and foster parents within our system. The folks trained by Sarah now have the confidence and skills to more effectively work with LGBTQ young people.
ACS OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
Contact: pressoffice@acs.nyc.gov (212) 341-0999