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ACS Neighborhood Networks and Supports
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The New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) believes that children and families are best served through a neighborhood based service system that seeks to provide every child and family with culturally, linguistically, and need-driven services within their community. Toward this goal, ACS works to coordinate its services and activities at a community level through Neighborhood Networks that aim to provide comprehensive preventive, protective, and treatment services to children and families in their communities. (Click to Continue)
These Networks are the primary vehicles to assess and plan for local child welfare needs in New York City and serve as the conduits to share resources, ideas, information, and referrals. In practice, these Networks function by engaging in joint planning, coordination, training and advocacy activities. Networks are first formed with a core membership of child welfare agencies and continue to expand to include community based organizations and other local service providers, parents, youth, and other stakeholders. This strategy is inclusive and is based on the best practice principle-- the more connected child welfare agencies are to the community, the more likely a family can access relevant services and ultimately avoid out-of-home care. It has been determined that approximately 60% of children entering foster care come from 18 community districts in New York City. Providing targeted supports for the Networks in these communities is critical. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s support to the Administration for Children’s Services Neighborhood Networks has allowed for the provision of four Network Liaison staff whose efforts are specifically targeted to the communities with the highest need. Through the Network Liaison Initiative the abilities of each of the four Networks to create a coordinated service delivery system at the local level has been strengthened and technical assistance for the development of these networks has been intensified.
The ACS Neighborhood Networks funded through this project have demonstrated a commitment to addressing the needs of children and families and have provided evidence of a plan of action to meet the goals and objectives of an ACS neighborhood based service delivery system. They have also shown progress in addressing the Ten Components outlined in the ACS Network Strategy document published in Fall 2001. Each of the Ten Components acknowledges the developmental cycle of a network and addresses the set of action steps required for a well-functioning network.
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Selection Process
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The Network Liaison Project was designed to be implemented in two, three-year phases. This grant supports year 1 of Phase I (which covers the six month period of July 1, 2002-December 31, 2002 with a grant extension to March 31, 2003 and a reporting extension to April 30, 2003) and provides compensation for four Network Liaisons. Through the approved extension for the grant, Phase I began in August 2002 with the distribution of the Neighborhood Network Liaison Funding Announcement and Application for Consideration to all Neighborhood Networks. Twelve networks submitted applications, and in September 2002 four were initially selected by the ACS Commissioner’s Advisory Board Subcommittee on Neighborhood Based Services, Network leadership, and the Agenda for Children Tomorrow (ACT). A fifth was selected with support from the Ira W. De Camp foundation. The criteria used to guide the selection of the neighborhood networks to participate in this initiative are described in the box below.
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The Network Liaisons and Selected Networks |
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The Network Liaisons’ role is to improve the capacity of Neighborhood Networks by providing administrative and programmatic assistance to communities. Liaisons have been responsible for the general administrative operations of their Networks, which includes coordinating meetings, organizing agendas, following up on suggested network initiatives, and coordinating special projects unique to the network and its operations. Additionally, Liaisons collaborate with representatives from various community agencies.
Liaisons do not substitute for the Network co-chairs who maintain leadership roles within the Network; rather, Liaisons facilitate the development of relationships among community stakeholders by maintaining routine communications with local leadership and ensuring that networks maintain a common purpose and are on track in meeting their goals and objectives.
The role the Network Liaison is also distinct from the ACS Network Planners, whose responsibilities include ensuring that the Neighborhood Networks reflect the ACS vision of neighborhood based services, ensuring that communication between ACS and the Networks is maintained, and reporting the overall progress of the Networks to ACS. |
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Criteria used to guide the selection of ACS Neighborhood Networks to Participate in the Network Liaison Initiative |
Quality and scope of network objectives/project/activities with evidence of a plan of action to meet the goals and objectives of an ACS neighborhood based service delivery system.
Quality and appropriateness of the request including a description of the types of responsibilities liaison is expected to assume
Existing network capacity including in-kind supports
Greatest Demand/Highest Need based on the number of children in foster care and the number of child protective reports. This criterion refers to placement in top 16 community districts that product 60% of the children who enter foster care. |
Compliance with Minimum Requirements
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These requirements include:
Networks demonstrate commitment to addressing the needs of children and families
Networks show progress in addressing the Ten Components outlined in ACS Network Strategy
Networks have proposed adequate supervision of liaison and tracking of progress of liaison’s work
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Additional Consideration Provided to Networks that Exceeded the Minimum Requirements Below |
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Networks are the primary vehicles to assess and plan for local child welfare needs in New York City
Network has demonstrated capacity to serve as the conduit to share resources, ideas, information, and referrals.
Network works as an entity to engage in joint planning, coordination, training and advocacy
Networks start with a core membership of child welfare agencies and expand to include community based organizations, parents, youth, and other stakeholders
Strategy is inclusive and is based on the best practice principle that the more connected child welfare agencies are to the community, the more likely a family can access relevant services and ultimately avoid out-of-home care
Network leadership has been consistent and network has described a clear organization structure. |
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Supported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Ira W. Decamp Foundation |
Selected Networks at a glance
(PDF Format)
Staten Island Neighborhood Network Profile
(PDF Format)
Staten Island Council on Child Abuse and Neglect
www.siccan.com
Brownsville/East New York Neighborhood Network Profile
(PDF Format)
Southeast Queens/Jamica Neighborhood Network Profile
(PDF Format)
Southeast Queens Neighborhood Network (SEQNN) website
www.seqnn.org |
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