Chair Stevens on evaluation timeline and continuous assessment policy

I'm Commissioner.

So even in some of the stuff you're speaking about, what's the timeline for this evaluation?

And then also just thinking about, are you going to implement something or a policy that will allow for that to be continuous?

Because that's one of the things that I've been banging my head about for the last three years about how do we make sure that we're continuing to continue.

continuously evaluating, ensuring that these programs are meeting the needs, making sure we're including young people and parents and families and part of these conversations.

And that should be something that's continuous so that we're not waiting for an RFP or like now we're in a place where we have an extended contract that

you're in the process of doing an evaluation, also doing a cost analysis and all these things at one time,

is there going to be a policy that you're thinking about implementing that would have continuous evaluation so that when you get to this place that you are not coming in trying to do all these different things?

Yeah, I appreciate the question.

In terms of a timeline, we are trying to get, we have done a financial analysis of the costs of DYCD.

So that is kind of, we're in the first phase and we are in the process of doing that for each of our programs in the next two to three months.

And then I would say in the next year is like a utilization.

Assessment as well as a needs assessment.

It will take us within the next year to do that effectively and we're hoping to do it in partnership with sister agencies because at the end of the day these needs will are reflective of all of our work and we are activating our ICC which tell me what the acronym stands for again.

Interagency Coordinating Council.

Yeah.

Don't get me started with the interagency.

It's everybody who works.

We are talking.

Yeah, everybody who works directly with young people.

So the commissioners, we're activating that.

DM Artiaga and I have talked about really coming up with clear outcomes that we want for young people and then how we galvanize our respective.

portfolios, including our resources on how to meet that need.

So, and how to assess the need across New York City.

And so I appreciate the question around assessment.

I think that part of what we've done, we have ongoing assessments for all of our programs, but we are looking towards an eye of stabilization and we're looking towards an eye of thinking about expansion in a different way or a new strategy.

So I would say we are now taking what is methodical yearly evaluations with a different lens.

And I appreciate the question about policy, and I'd love to talk to my team about how we make this part of the fabric.

Yeah, I think it's just so important that we're looking at this and not always just in crisis mode.

And it's so important for us to not only just say that we have the programs, but also assessing the impact and also having a mechanism where

participants and providers and families can have a say in it and thinking about how this can be more interactive.

Because they're ultimately the ones that should be shaping these programs and, you know, telling us what their needs are.

Yeah.

Can I add one more thing that I think is, as we're assessing needs, we're also looking at, like, what we want to be held accountable in relationship to children, youth, and families.

So, like, are there things that we want to assess in terms of social determinants of health, right, and how we move the needle on those things, especially if we're looking at interagency investments?

That is going to take a while because right now, as an agency, we are contracting and we're monitoring, right, like attendance, participations, you know,

Kids in beds and we want to move to impact and we want to move also to indicators that are not just about prevention but also about resiliency.

Yeah agreed these are things clearly you were listening to my hearings from three years ago and she was like I'm gonna come in and say the things that councilman receives has been yelling about so appreciate that.

And just know that we're on the same page, just because everybody knows she's a provider.

And this is how providers speak.

So, you know, thank you.

Thank you.