New York Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Public Forum on Racial Disparities in the New York Child Welfare System

The New York Advisory Committee (Committee) to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) seeks to examine the extent to which racial disproportionalities and disparities exist in the New York child welfare system and its impact on Black children and families. After receiving testimony through a series of briefings, the Committee intends to provide the Commission with their findings and recommendations on this topic. The Committee has scheduled a public forum to hear from impacted individuals on their experiences, perspectives, and/or recommendations regarding the New York child welfare system for the following date and time:

Wednesday, April 19, 2023, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Eastern Time

Impacted individuals are invited to speak during the 2-hour forum. If you are interested in offering comments, please fill out the following form to ensure you are added to the list of individuals who are interested in speaking by Tuesday, April 18, 2023: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9TPBK63.

Please see the times listed to know when to join to share comments:

• 1:10 pm – 1:55 pm Children/Youth
• 1:55 pm – 2:40 pm Parents/Family Members
• 2:40 pm – 2:55 pm Caseworkers, Foster or Adoptive Parents, and Other Interested Individuals

Members of the public will be invited to speak in the order interest is indicated, according to their sector (children/youth; parents/family members; caseworkers, foster or adoptive parents, and other interested individuals). Each individual will have up to 5 minutes to share comments.

After hearing from those who have indicated interest in advance, Chair Bryanne Hamill will open the floor for other individuals for any additional comments. If there is insufficient time available to hear all remarks during the live meeting, individuals are encouraged to submit written comment to Mallory Trachtenberg at mtrachtenberg@usccr.gov within 30 days of the Committee’s forum.

Individuals requiring additional accommodations should contact Sarah Villanueva at least 10 business days prior to the meeting at svillaneuva@usccr.gov. The Committee will also accept written comments related to this forum. Please send written statements on this topic to mtrachtenberg@usccr.gov by May 19, 2023. Meeting materials will be publicly available in the New York Advisory Committee Public Folder.