The New York State child welfare system is in a period of transformation, moving from the status quo of child protection as a primary prevention strategy and moving toward services and resources that strengthen families and enable children to remain safely at home. With a collective voice and a shared vision, New York State submits this Family First Prevention Plan, a plan that combines intention with action and outlines a strategy to narrowing the front door to child welfare and creating a child and family well-being system of the 21st Century. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is deeply grateful to the roughly 400 stakeholders – local departments of social services, voluntary foster care agencies, community-based organizations, youth and parent advisory boards, national experts, and child welfare advocates – who took the time to read and provide thoughtful comments and recommendations that will move New York State in the direction of a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed system that incorporates the voice of those with lived experience in policy and practice decisions and moves toward increasing collaboration to combine resources to collectively help all our children and families.
View the brief here.