Of?ce of Children Jig gt: .
and Family Services '5 20:3

 

NEW
YORK
STATE

ANDREW M, CUOMO SHEILA J. POOLE
Governor Acting Commissioner

January 2, 2018

Corinda Crossdale, Commissioner

Monroe County Department of Human Services
111 Westfall Rd

Rochester, NY 1462 . Vb/

Dear Commissio rossdale:

I am in receipt fyour letter and amendment to the annual 2017 Child and Family Services Plan
Update proposing Monroe County Department of Social Services reinstitute a local hotline
for child abuse and maltreatment reports.

As you are aware, the NYS Of?ce of Children and Family Services (OCFS) operates the Statewide
Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) which is the single point of entry to the child
protective system statewide. The SCR responds to over 300,000 calls annually from all 58 counties.
including the ?ve boroughs of New York City, as well as the St. Regis Mohawk reservation. All calls
are answered by staff with extensive training in interviewing, the applicable legal de?nitions, child
welfare laws and standards, who also receive rigorous on- the-job training that includes close
supervision and quality assurance mechanisms to monitor skills and performance. Standardization in
the training protocols supports uniform compliance with statute when accepting and registering
reports for suspected child abuse and maltreatment.

Historically only and one otherjurisdiction operated local child protective hotlines, and both
were discontinued with OCFS support over the past two years. When the closed the hotline
in 2015, there was a sharp increase in the number of reports registered to the county for
investigation. Upon review, it was determined that hotline'staff had been screening out
calls that should have been registered as reports rising to the standard of ?reasonable cause to
suspect? and requiring investigation. This history, coupled with the current challenges Monroe
County is facing with staf?ng and achieving quality child protective practice, is deeply concerning.
Therefore, OCFS denies the request by to reinstitute the local hotline.

If you would like to discuss this further, please contact Deputy Commissioner. Laura Velez at
(518)474?3377.

Si ely,
m1?
Ila J. Poole

Acting Commissioner

 

52 Washington Street. Rensselaer. NY 12144 (518) 473-8437  ocfs.ny.gov

?8
Of?ce of Children 2 0 2 .
and Family Services 0?3

ANDREW m, cquo SHEILA J. POOLE
Governor Acting Commissmner

February 16, 2018

Corinda Crossdaler Commissioner

Monroe County Department of Human Services
111 Westfall Rd

Rochester, NY 14620

Dear Commissioner Crossdale:

I am in receipt of your letter of January 22. 2018 resubmitting an amendment to the Monroe County Division of
Social Services Child and Family Services Plan requesting that OCFS reconsider our denial of your request to
establish a local hotline.

I will reiterate the reasons for our denial:

. When the closed the hotline in 2015, there was a sharp increase in the number of reports
registered to the county for investigation. Upon review. it was determined that hotline staff had
been screening out calls that should have been registered as reports rising to the standard of
?reasonable cause to suspect? and requiring investigation. thus leading to the conclusion that Monroe
County's hotline was ineffective and potentially compromised the safety of children by not accepting
reports appropriately.

. Monroe County has been under a Program Improvement Plan since 2015 following poor reviews of child
protective investigations and fatality reports. While Monroe County has made some improvements with
support from OCFS, there remain signi?cant issues with the practice.

0 Monroe County's child protective services has been inadequately staffed. and is in the process of hiring
35 new workers, in addition to a substantial number of new hires in the past 12 months. The workforce
is inexperienced and will require intensive support and supervision by the county administration.

. Monroe County's request for re-establishing a local hotline does not address the concerns stated in the
letter of denial dated January 2, 2018 and does not provide a compelling rationale for approval.

While we applaud the county's renewed focus on making critical workforce investments, it is clear that the primary
work needs to be intensely focused on compliance with state regulations, policies and best practices in the
current child protective practice.

If you would like to discuss this further. please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely.

cram-W

aura M. Velez
Deputy Commissioner
Child Welfare Community Services

 

Child Welfare 8. Community Servrcesg 52 Washington Street Rensselaer NY 12144 (513) 474-3377  ocfs.ny gov