Chair Stevens on minors, SCR reports, and mandated reporting at drop-in centers

What is DYCD regarding minors accessing RHY drop-in centers?

Advocates have reported that when minors seek service in drop-in centers, some providers contact SCR to make reports of suspicion, child abuse, or neglect.

Does DYCD require or advise its providers to seek an SCR report solely because a minor is seeking services in the drop-in center?

Under what circumstances are RHY providers expected to or required to make an SCR report when they're serving a minor?

I just want to start by saying that our providers actually absolutely would make an SCR report as mandated reporters for any abuse and neglect claims by a young person.

Absolutely.

At the same time.

They're not saying that this is just for the abuse and neglect.

They're saying anytime they have services, like are we requiring them when they come in for services that they call SCR?

I think that, well, I wanted to share also that in our partnership with ACS, we've been working.

Alongside them to retrain providers and staff around mandated reporting and looking at disproportionality of reports and really isolating reports that are more necessary.

That's been an effort we've been training our staff so that they can work with providers and training providers directly.

So we want to minimize reports.

As much as possible.

There are some nuances when it comes to minors in a runaway and homeless services that in order to access ACS services where it's appropriate, they may need to start that with an SCR call to activate an investigation.

What are some of those circumstances?

Because, you know, I now have a recidivist CS, and I'm always yelling at them, too, around, like, people, young people, well, families and folks shouldn't have to get a report in order to access the services.

So what are the services that you feel like the providers would need to...

Put in a report to access those services.

I think that's a really good question, and I'm going to turn it over to Sam to say more, and I'm sure our providers may have something to share about this as well.

But the runaway and homeless youth services are voluntary services for young people who need a temporary respite or are working towards independent living.

There is no custody.

There is no guardianship.

And there are 16-year-olds who may be, you know, counseled by a provider where they really need more of a family support.

They really need supervision and guardianship may be a better fit for them.

That's a negotiation that we have with ACS.

And to some degree, there may be some, and there are some minors, 16 and 17, who are better suited to the independent living and can do well with old young people and are ready to explore education, careers, health, mental health.

So I think a lot of it depends on the individual circumstance.

But if we do want to activate care.

Then that will have to start with an SER call.

Hmm.

I do love what you're elevating here about what the impact of that call would be.

And so I really want to talk to kind of our providers more to understand not that it's done, but how it's done.

Because I do think that they lean into youth development principles and trauma-informed practices to make sure that there is awareness and transparency.

So I do want to come back to that question with the experts.