‍An Anti-Racist Approach to Shrinking New York City’s Child Welfare System and Promoting Black Child, Family, and Community Wellbeing

Welcome to the Narrowing the Front Door newsletter! Here you’ll hear about events, resources, and information.

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Legislative Change

Trip to the White House

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On September 18, 2024 Angela O. Burton, Attorney and CoChair of Narrowing the Front Door, Joyce McMillan, Executive Director of JMACforFamilies and Co- Chair of Narrowing the Front Door, and Shereen White, J.D., Director of Advocacy and Policy at Children’s Rights traveled to the White House with other civil society groups to speak to federal agency officials about US international treaty obligation (United Nations Committee to eliminate racial discrimination), stressing the government's obligation to ensure legal due process protection for Black families targeted by the family policing system.

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New York State Cash Alliance 

The New York State Cash Alliance is a collaborative initiative to advance guaranteed income (GI) and cash-related advocacy in New York. The alliance was formed in 2024 and is a growing coalition of community organizers, activists, artists, cash beneficiaries, and advocates who understand the power of cash to address economic inequities and are pushing forward legislation that would establish a guaranteed income in New York. 

The New York State Cash Alliance takes its inspiration from cash coalitions across the US and the over 130 and counting guaranteed income demonstration programs across the United States that are proving the effectiveness of no-strings-attached cash transfers to alleviate poverty and enable financial freedom. The NYS Cash Alliance is committed to growing the guaranteed income movement in New York through strategic campaigns, legislative endorsements, organizing, and community building. 

Currently, there are several cash assistance pilots in New York, including  programs operating in New York City, Hudson, Mount Vernon, Buffalo, Rochester, and Ulster County. 

Pregnant and Parenting People 

• The Bridge Project   demonstrates the effectiveness of providing financial stabilization to moms during the prenatal and infancy period.
• The NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) pilot program supports families who have come to the attention of the child welfare system because of family poverty.  

Young Adults

• The YouthNPower: Transforming Care project supports emerging adults after leaving foster care.
• The Trust Youth Initiative pilot supports young adults who have experienced homelessness and housing instability.

Workers

• The Creatives Rebuild New York program provides artists and creative workers who have financial need with regular, no-strings-attached cash payments.  

People Living in Poverty

• The Ulster County pilot provides a guaranteed income to people living in households making 80% of the Area Median Income and grew out of community-led mutual aid activities during the pandemic.

Here is how you can get involved in the NYS Cash Alliance

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Ending Maternal Mortality

Pregnancy related deaths are five times higher for Black pregnant women and 241 pregnant people lost their lives in New York City between 2016-2020. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene hosted "Ending Maternal Mortality in New York City: The Blueprint," on September 25, 2024. The event was a call to action and discussion of  a new State report that presents data and recommendations to help prevent future maternal deaths. Presenters included  Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Adrienne Adams, City Council Speaker, and Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President. 

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Assembly Standing Committee on Children and Families: Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR)

On October 9, 2024 the committee convened to hear testimony on the State Central Register, with a focus on over-reporting, racial disproportionality, and system improvements. The vast majority of calls to the SCR are unfounded and result in unnecessary and invasive child protective services investigations for families. The State and City have taken steps to educate mandated reporters and others from making unnecessary reports and more effective ways to support families. The State has the capacity to screen out calls yet New York only screens out 25% of calls compared to 50% nationwide. Legislative remedies to protect families include bills to change reports from anonymous to confidential (the anti-harassment bill), consent for drug testing, changing mandated reporting requirements, and family Miranda that would inform families of their rights and provide legal representation.

During the hearing there were many recommendations made that could potentially strengthen the SCR process and reduce unnecessary calls that are ultimately disproportionately affecting Black and Latinx families and children. 

• Dr. MaMia Harris-Madden, Commissioner of OCFS, stated that OCFS is in discussions with Casey Family Programs and others to determine what additional training could be provided to the specialists taking the calls, to better assess the information, similar to what they have done with educational neglect calls. 
• Jess Dannhauser, Commissioner of ACS, stated that in order to strengthen the SCR process, the State should conduct a full review and assessment of the SCR practices, policies, and mandated reporter laws. One option for legislating this work would be Assembly Bill A9119 which would create a task force to make recommendations regarding mandatory reporting and the task force’s scope of work could be expanded to include all SCR reports.
• Dannhauser also said in order to reduce false and malicious reports, consider permitting local jurisdictions to create plans approved by the State to flag false and malicious reports along with any report that is assessed by the local jurisdiction as unnecessary and causing harm to the family.
• Nora McCarthy, Executive Director, NYC Family Policy Project, suggested that OCFS improve its training and support for hotline staff and its quality assurance. 
• McCarthy also called for more accountability and transparency around the SCR, including legislation that would compel OCFS to develop a comprehensive and public reform plan for the SCR with a clear timeline and provide frequent public updates, as well as create an oversight body that includes impacted families, mandated reporters, and advocates. 
• Joyce McMillan, Founder and Executive Director of JMACforFamilies, recommended to immediately stop accepting anonymous reporting and pass the Confidential Reporting Act, repeal CAPTA, pass informed consent, Family Miranda for families, advise families of their rights, and obtain a court order to enter a home. 

Watch here to hear the testimonies and for additional information on the suggested recommendations.

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UPDATES

CORE-Call To Action 

Thank you for joining NTFD in submitting comments to the The Commission on Racial Equity’s (CORE) Draft Community Equity Priorities. CORE reported that they received more than 60 comments related to the family regulation system. 

CORE was recently enshrined in the City Charter to increase community decision-making and hold government accountable for delivering quality and responsive services that respect families and communities. Though the draft priorities align with our goals, none of the priorities specifically referenced child protective services, an intersection of racial and gender oppression disproportionately affecting Black and Latinx families. So, in August, NTFD put out the following call to action:

“To address the government's role in racial inequity, the City must explicitly acknowledge the harm caused by “child protective services/CPS” (the family policing system). In NYC, Black and Latinx children and families are targeted for intrusive, traumatic, and life-altering CPS investigations, all too often leading to unnecessary court ordered supervision/oversight, child removal, and termination of parental rights. To ensure conditions for children to thrive, CORE should prioritize support for families targeted by CPS; include in the Community Equity Priorities the establishment of a Family Regulation System Accountability Council as recommended by the Narrowing the Front Door Workgroup; and clearly outline measurable outcomes aimed at facilitating urgent and necessary change.”

CORE received over 4000 responses to their survey, including comments submitted by NTFD and other organizations. We have had several meetings with CORE leadership and have been impressed with their understanding of child protective services as a critical arena of racial injustice and their commitment to address these harms. 

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Child Poverty Reduction ACT

The Child Poverty Advisory Council was established by Governor Hochul in 2022 under the Child Poverty Reduction Act. The Council’s 17 members are responsible for analyzing child poverty in New York, making policy recommendations to reduce child poverty by 50 percent over ten years, and measuring and reporting on the State's progress towards that goal.

The Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council is expected to issue a report in November on the initial public policy recommendations to help the state meet its 50% child poverty reduction goal by 2032 and a progress report in December. The Council is scheduled to meet on November 19, 2024 to vote on their recommendations. The Council is also planning a rally to end child poverty on November 19th to occur simultaneously with the release of the recommendations. The Council anticipates that some of the policy recommendations will be incorporated into the upcoming State budget.

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Read more here:

Child Poverty Reduction

2023 Progress Report and Next steps

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THANKS FOR JOINING OUR RECENT EVENTS 

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The Reckoning Part III

The Reckoning is an ongoing conversation led by foster care agencies that are examining their role in an unjust and racist system and how to change. The Reckoning is focused on addressing and ending harm and creating new pathways to help support communities and families. The three Reckoning events have provided insight into the issues surrounding the family policing system and the opportunity to effect change. 

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On September 27, 2024, Narrowing the Front Door Workgroup along with Graham Windham, Good Shepherd, and New York Foundling convened at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to discuss accountability and child welfare. This event focused on the self-examination and personal accountability of staff with remarks from David Ogando, Foster Care Case Planner at Graham Windham, Alexandria Munoz, Vice President for Foster Care at New York Foundling, and, Akelia Maitland, Vice President of Clinical Implementation at Good Shepherd. The event included an open mic session for attendees to share their views and concluded with a discussion led by the three CEOs, Kimberly Watson, Melanie Hartzog, Michelle Yanche and moderated by Narrowing the Front Door co-chair Angela O. Burton. This last session focused on the strategies these agencies are undertaking to shift their practices, such as re-examining internal practices, supporting legislative changes (Family Miranda Rights), changes surrounding family visits for children in foster care, and working with frontline staff on implicit bias. 

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Watch here for all three events

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Read more here from The Imprint.

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Confronting the Complexity: Keeping Children Thriving and Supported in their Families and Communities

On September 10, 2024 Narrowing the Front Door Workgroup, the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), and other guests came together for a thoughtful discussion on the evolution and impact of the child protective services (“CPS”) system.

While thousands fewer Black and Hispanic/Latinx families are subjected to formal investigations, court prosecutions, and family separation than in previous years, the system continues to inflict these harms disproportionately on Black, Latinx and LGBTQAI+ children, youth and families. In NYC, a Black child is almost seven times as likely as a white child to be the subject of an intrusive and traumatic CPS investigation and a Hispanic child is nearly five times as likely. 

Community experts, policymakers, and practitioners shared perspectives on the role of CPS, what kind of family support system is needed, and how communities can support safe and thriving children in their families. Topics discussed included the authority and limits on the government’s surveillance, monitoring, and regulation of families, and how public resources can be used effectively for family support. Participants addressed recent media coverage, delved into current data and trends within New York City’s CPS  system, and offered strategies to promote the health and well being of children in their families.   

Participants included:

Angela Burton, Attorney and Co-Chair of Narrowing the Front Door Workgroup

Jess Dannhauser, Commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services

Leah L. Habersham, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Addiction Medicine, Mt. Sinai 

Lavern Harry, Vice President, Preventive, Foster Care & Adoption at Graham Windham

Joyce McMillan, Founder and Executive Director of JMACforFamilies, and Co-Chair of Narrowing the Front Door Workgroup

Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services

Moderated by:

Dr. Sophine Charles, COFCCA Downstate Associate Executive Director

Tehra Coles, Executive Director-Center for Family Representation

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STOCK THE CLOSET

JMACforFamilies has helped run the St. Thomas Community Closet (located at 1405 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. 11207) in partnership with the St. Thomas Episcopal Church and Dr. John Robertson. The Closet is a support within the community that helps to assist families who are in need of material resources. The Closet offers clothing, baby wipes, diapers, and several other items.

Thank you for joining JMACforFamilies on September 26, 2024 for their annual fundraiser, “Just Making a Change for Families.” The fundraiser was in support of families who are in need of basic necessities through JMACforFamilies partnership with St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The Community Closet was established to assist families with free clothing, diapers, wipes, and other material goods for their children. 

Thank you to everyone who donated and showed support for families in need! 

If you would like to continue to show support, you can donate to JMACforFamilies and/or

The St. Thomas Closet

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Dorothy Roberts: Genius

Congratulations to Dorothy Roberts for winning a MacArthur Foundation genius award. The MacArthur Fellowship is a five-year grant to individuals who show exceptional originality in and dedication to their creative pursuits.

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In recognizing Roberts’ impact, the MacArthur Foundation, writes: “Roberts argues that the engrained oppressive features of the current system render it beyond repair. She calls for creating an entirely new approach focused on supporting families rather than punishing them. Her support for dismantling the current system of child welfare is unsettling to some, but her provocation inspires many to think more critically about its poor track record and harmful design. By uncovering the complex forces underlying social systems and institutions, and uplifting the experiences of people caught up in them, Roberts creates opportunities to imagine and build more equitable and responsive ways to ensure child and family safety.”

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