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Whether you are a contracted provider or Administration for Children's Services  (ACS) staff member, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or Questioning) (LGBTQ) Office can help you translate the Agency’s LGBTQ policies into real and meaningful improvements to your practice.

On This Page:

LGBTQIA+ Incident & Inquiry Reporting

Ask questions or report an incident to the ACS Office of LGBTQIA+ Policy & Practice. Anyone involved in our system or impacted by it, including youth, providers, staff, and foster families can use the form to ask questions related to our LGBTQIA+ policy or to report alleged policy non-compliance.

Learn how to make an incident or inquiry report.

  • Anyone involved in our system or impacted by it, including youth, providers, staff, and foster families can report questions or incidents to the ACS Office of Equity Strategies LGBTQIA+ Unit. You can use the form to ask questions related to our LGBTQIA+ policy or to report alleged non-compliance.
  • Tolerating bias, discrimination, harassment and/or bullying on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status or partnership status is prohibited. ACS takes all reports seriously and follows up immediately. All concerns of policy non-compliance will be investigated. The OES LGBTQIA+ Unit will enforce corrective and/or disciplinary action if it is determined that non-compliance has occurred.
  • Refer to the Incident/Inquiry Reporting guide below if you have questions of when to report policy non-compliance. These guidelines describe some of the many situations that violate ACS’ LGBTQIA+ Policy. If the incident involves a legal matter (e.g., a court order), you should first inform the assigned ACS Family Court Legal Services (FCLS) attorney.
  • Download the Incident/Inquiry Form

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Provider LGBTQIA+ Point Person Network

The Contract Provider LGBTQIA+ Point Person Network (PPN) equips contract agency staff with the skills to improve outcomes for LGBTQIA+ children and youth in ACS care.

  • The network is made up of individuals who are committed to implementing ACS’ LGBTQIA+ policies at each contracted provider.
  • These individuals are a source of support on LGBTQIA+ matters for staff, children, youth, and families served by their organization.

To identify your agency’s point person, contact the LGBTQIA+ Office.

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Policy and Practice Guidance

You may have questions about how to apply the ACS LGBTQIA+ policies into everyday practice. Here are some tips to improve outcomes for the LGBTQIA+ people.

  • Ask LGBTQIA+-identified youth how their family reacts to their identity.
  • Connect LGBTQIA+ children, youth and families with community and online resources to help parents better support and care for their LGBTQIA+ children. Visit the Resources page for ideas.
  • Coach families on how to foster supportive behaviors that help protect against risk and help promote their LGBTQIA+ child's health and well-being. Encourage parents or caregivers to talk with their child about their sexual orientation or gender identity and to advocate for their child when they are mistreated because of their LGBTQIA+ identity.

Additional Resources

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Training

ACS has developed a series of model trainings specifically for NYC child welfare and juvenile justice staff to help them understand our policy expectations and to provide concrete skills to translate our LGBTQIA+ policies into everyday practice:

  • LGBTQIA+ Training: A mandatory training for all ACS and provider staff.
  • Safe & Respected. A supplemental transgender and gender non-conforming best practices training for ACS and provider staff. This training is based off of the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Best Practices Guide.
  • LGBTQIA+ Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Training: Addressing the specific needs of LGBTQIA+ Youth engaged in Survival Economies.

Contact the LGBTQIA+ Office to learn more.

Back to LGBTQIA+ Support Page

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