Newsletter
Fall 2026
November 5, 2026
In 2023, Kimberly Watson, the President and CEO of Graham, and a member of the Narrowing the Front Door Work Group, conceived of a series of convenings to provide opportunities for staff who work in child welfare organizations to reckon with the harms of the system and to learn about abolition and reform movements. This idea led to a series of public events called The Reckoning that were held between March 2024 and November 2025, organized by Graham, Good Shepherd Services, The New York Foundling, Redlich Horwitz, and the Narrowing the Front Door Work Group. As the opening speaker at the first Reckoning convening, Kimberly Watson explained the purpose by saying, "It is really about settling up or coming to terms with the fact that although we intended to do well, and in many cases we have, the reality... is that we've also done a lot of harm, and that is harm that has gone on for too long."
The public Reckoning convenings anchored and galvanized work within Graham, Good Shepherd Services, and The New York Foundling to reckon with the harm of the system that they work within. Each organization has contracts with the Administration for Children's Services to run foster care programs and family services. These three organizations formed a Reckoning Work Group, which continues to meet regularly. Each organization used a list of parents' concerns provided by Narrowing the Front Door to examine their foster care practices and make changes. Internal work at these organizations has differed based on each organization's unique culture and change management approach. Examples have included large convenings, small group reckoning sessions with parents, youth, leaders, staff, and foster parents, as well as policy changes and the creation of a Reckoning logic model.
Last fall the group met with the Office of Children and Families (OCFS) leaders, including Commissioner Harris-Madden, and talked about sharing the Reckoning principles statewide. The group advocated in that conversation and through advocacy with Governor Hochul, around passage of the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act, which was later signed into law.
A next step for the Reckoning Work Group is sharing practices with other organizations interested in conducting Reckoning work. Toward that goal, the three Reckoning Work Group organizations have worked on a Reckoning engagement framework, with input from Narrowing the Front Door. The Work Group presented this framework at the May 2026 annual meeting of the New York state child welfare membership association, the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA). The panel presentation included an upstate organization that is interested in beginning the work, and other organizations in the COFCCA network have expressed interest in learning. The goal is for the Reckoning Work Group to share tools, guidance, and insights with organizations interested in beginning to do Reckoning work.
Additionally, this past spring, Graham hosted a design process for community-driven "alternatives to foster care" in partnership with Good Shepherd and The New York Foundling. This involved providing information sessions to interested community members in Hunts Point in the Bronx, a community that is highly impacted, as well as to system-impacted parents and older youth. Based on these information sessions, six individuals opted to become co-leads for the design process. Three groups developed pilot concepts for community-driven supports outside of ACS. These concepts were presented at a Summit held in June in Hunts Point, and the goal is to raise funds to implement the pilots.
More recently, the Reckoning Work Group has been partnering with the Preserving Family Bonds Coalition around the development of the Family Integrity Act, which is a proposed piece of legislation focused on strengthening the rights of parents of children in foster care. A New York Foundling leader represented the Reckoning Work Group in Albany on a panel with members of Brooklyn Defenders and Legal Aid.
If you are interested in learning more about the Reckoning Work Group,Graham, Good Shepherd Services or The New York Foundling would welcome connecting, and you can reach out to Kym Watson, President and CEO, Graham at watsonk@graham-windham.org.
The momentum for creating an Office of Family Well-Being continues to grow. During the recent virtual town hall, community members, partners, and various organizations came together to learn about the proposed office, its purpose, and how it could help shift the way New York City supports families and communities. The discussion and presentation provided an opportunity to introduce the vision for an office focused on connecting families to resources, strengthening community-based support, and ensuring families can access help without a knock at the front door.
Building the Office of Family Well-Being has been grounded with listening to the communities it is intended to help. Families, parents, young people, and community members have valuable insight into the challenges they face, the resources they need, and the changes that would make a meaningful difference in their lives.
The Office of Family Well-Being and the Learning Community will continue the conversation through a series of in-person community conversations in each borough focused on sharing more details about the proposed Office of Family Well-Being and creating space for community members to ask questions, share their experiences, and help shape the vision. This is an opportunity to hear directly from community members about what support is missing, the barriers preventing families from accessing resources, and how the office could help connect people to services and support in their own communities.
On September 28, 2026 Narrowing the Front Door and the Office of Family Well-Being (OFWB) Learning Community held a virtual town hall for community members and others to provide insight, clarity, and a deeper understanding of what the mission and vision is for the office.
If you missed the virtual town hall, you can watch the recording below!
Watch HereIf you joined us for the virtual town hall, we kindly ask that you take a moment to share your thoughts through our feedback form, as your valuable input helps guide our work.Feedback FormWe also hosted our first borough event in Harlem on October 24, 2026 to discuss a new vision for supporting New York City families and communities. This gathering offered community members a chance to engage directly with the Office of Family Well-Being, voice their specific needs, and learn more details regarding the proposed office.Stay tuned for more information about upcoming community conversations.
The Child and Family Wellbeing Fund (CFWF) officially launched their campaign on October 23, 2026. The CFWF is looking forward to working with partners and advocates to support the Child and Family Wellbeing Fund in the next budget and legislative session. Over seventy two organizations across the state registered for the launch and expressed interest in their advocacy efforts, including organizations supporting families, youth development, and after-school programs. Most attendees were from upstate New York, helping them build a statewide advocacy base. Moving forward, the CFWF is excited to host community town halls to hear directly from families about what this Fund could mean for their communities.
Here are a few next steps and ways to stay involved:
Rochester town hall (Nov.10th from 6-8pm) Schenectady town hall (Nov. 14th from 12-2pm)
Here are some helpful resources to learn more about the Child and Family Wellbeing Fund:
Please join The Center for New York City Affairs, Narrowing the Front Door, and JMAC for Families for a powerful, in-person discussion centered on disability advocacy and those impacted by the family policing system. Speakers will share their personal journeys, offering a deeper understanding of their lived experience, while emphasizing the importance of knowing your rights and the vital need for accessible community resources that can support families before a crisis occurs.
Date: November 10, 2026
Time: 10:00-11:30 AM
Location: The New School, 65 West 11th St., Wollman Hall, 5th Floor
Tiffany Caldwell is a disability advocate and community organizer and brings deep care and lived experience to community and public policy spaces. Tiffany’s lived experience of the child welfare system and family separation over three generations of her family are the driving force that shapes her work. As a visiting fellow with the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School, Tiffany focuses on the 3 P’s Framework: Promoting, Protecting, and Preserving the Black family, and specifically families with disabilities. Tiffany is also the founder and lead facilitator of the neighborhood initiative Blight to Light, a member of the Child and Family Wellness Fund Working Group, and a retiree of the New York State Office of Mental Health.
Dr. Lucina Clarke, Hon.D.H.L. is the Executive
Director of My Time Inc., a self-care expert, international speaker, and author of the D.I.V.A.S. Discovery Journal and DIVAS Unveiled Magazine. Alongside her husband Wayne Clarke, she co-founded My Time Inc., a nonprofit support center dedicated to parents and caregivers of children with Autism and other developmental disabilities.
Celebrating its 19th anniversary, My Time Inc. remains committed to its mission to support, empower, educate, uplift, and enlighten families—helping them live the quality of life they deserve within their communities.
Driven by compassion, love, and understanding, Lucina believes her purpose is to serve. She is deeply committed to educating and empowering families, knowing that doing so cultivates a society of strong advocates. She embraces her role as an instrument for change and reminds parents they are not alone—they are seen, valued, and deserving of love and care.
Lucina’s leadership and dedication have earned her numerous awards, citations, and proclamations from community organizations, elected officials, and her peers. Notably, she received the prestigious Brooke Russell Astor Award for being a New York City “unsung hero” in the first year of launching her organization. Lucina also serves on several community boards and advisory committees, including the Brookdale Hospital Advisory Board, Brookdale Joint Commission Committee, and formerly, Community Board 18, the 69th Precinct Community Council, Canarsie Community Development Inc and Justice Center. She is an active member of the Metropolis Lions Club, continuing her life of service.
Denise Jordan is a passionate mother to Nicholas, who has autism, strong advocate, author, and woman dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others. Her journey as a mother has given her a deep understanding of the joys, challenges, and triumphs that come with raising a child with special needs. Through her advocacy, Denise creates spaces where parents feel seen, supported, encouraged, and empowered. She is passionate about having honest conversations, sharing resources, reminding parents that they are not alone, and asking for help when it’s needed.
As an author, Denise uses her voice and personal experiences to inspire, encourage, and bring hope to others. She believes that our stories have the power to connect us, heal us, and let someone else know that the journey can be lonely but doesn’t have to be alone. Whether she is advocating for her son and other families, encouraging other parents, or simply enjoying life through travel, reading, dancing, and laughter, Denise strives to live with purpose, faith, joy, and authenticity.
Hannah Mercuris, Esq. (she/her) is a Senior Attorney in the Civil Justice Practice at Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS). At BDS, Hannah advocates for parents and young people as they navigate special education, school discipline, and other educational challenges while facing criminal or family court prosecutions. Prior to her work at BDS, Hannah worked for the Center for Family Representation, helping to lead their policy team's efforts to shrink, dismantle, and abolish family policing. Hannah is a graduate of Columbia University and New York University Law School, where she was a Root-Tilden-Kern public interest scholar.
Saskia Valencia is the Director of the Disability and Civil Rights Clinic at Brooklyn Law School. Prior to joining the Clinic, she was a senior staff attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services’ Family Defense Practice (BDS) where she represented parents and caregivers accused of abuse and neglect. At BDS, Saskia was a member of the Preserving Family Bonds team, which had a specialty focus on post-dispositional and termination of parental rights-stage cases with the goal of supporting families in innovative ways to achieve the most favorable resolution possible to preserve families’ bonds.
Before her work as a public defender, Saskia began her legal career as a Skadden Fellow at Youth Represent where she implemented the organization’s first medical-legal partnership (MLP) dedicated to providing reentry legal services to young people with psychiatric disabilities. Following her fellowship, Saskia remained at Youth Represent where she continued working with and supervising the MLP, while also implementing the organization’s first project dedicated to working with immigrant youth involved in the criminal legal system.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Saskia was a community-based family therapist working with families with children involved in the juvenile legal system in NYC and unhoused and at-risk youth and families in San Diego, CA.
Saskia has an interest in critically researching the implications of the family regulation system on individuals with disabilities.
Join historian, physician, and author Mical Raz for the launch of her book, Adoption & Child Welfare in the 1990s. Co-hosted by Joyce McMillan (co-chair of Narrowing the Front Door and founder & executive director of JMACforFamilies), Josh Gupta-Kagan (Narrowing the Front Door member and clinical professor of law at Columbia Law School), and Shareen A. White (director of advocacy & policy at Children’s Rights). The event will feature speakers with lived experience who, alongside Dr. Raz, will explore the book, examine 1990s child welfare policies such as the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act, and address what is needed to achieve meaningful, long-term change.
Date: November 16, 2026
Time: 5:30-7:30
Location: 195 Montague Street, 8th FL. Brooklyn, NY 11201
Stay informed about our work to critically examine and reform New York City's child welfare system
