Deputy Speaker Williams Questions ACS on Racial Equity Goals

Okay, um, Deputy Speaker Williams, followed by Councilmember Muley.

Good morning.

Um I'm just gonna ask a few questions about the racial equity plans.

Uh I'm asking all the agencies these questions.

We're super excited to have the prelim plans and want to make sure that as we talk about the budget that we have a lens of racial equity.

Um, what has ACS determined are the short and midterm goals to achieve in relation to the equity plan?

Good afternoon.

I started to say good afternoon, good morning, deputy speaker.

Uh it feels like afternoon already.

Um, I know I said this for another question, but I just want to say for the record that first deputy commissioners winette Saunders, who's leading this work for us, um, wanted to be here to be able to answer this question, but is not.

So I'm here answering it for her, but um, she unfortunately couldn't make it today for our medical appointment.

We love her, it's okay.

Okay.

So um on the short-term goals, we have launching school-based early support prevention, um, increasing community-based referrals to prevention, and those are the short term.

Do you want me to do the middle term?

Yeah, just do it.

Middle term is continuing to invest in training ACS staff and providers to provide quality services and to foster a psychologically safe work environment that embraces equity and transparency.

And another one is investing in the development of community spaces that contribute to healthy child development and family strength, such as the FECs.

Another is to continue to decrease unnecessary child welfare reports by promoting a citywide culture shift among mandated reporters so that they're not calling the SER when there's a child not who doesn't have a safety reason.

And another is to strengthen restorative approaches to addressing conflict in juvenile justice settings.

And then do you want me to do the long term?

No, the short and midterm is fine.

Okay.