OCFS Agency Newsletter

State-of-the-Art Training Center Opens Under OCFS Leadership

OCFS’s new Human Services Training Center opened in late January, a 100,000 square-foot facility in Rensselaer whose training rooms include simulation rooms for child care, child welfare and juvenile justice trainings that can be broadcast to other training rooms. 

The facility will focus on quality, comprehensive training including the training of social services workers and those who work in child protective services, juvenile justice facilities, foster care, and adult protective services. It will provide all trainees with the skills, knowledge and technical training they need. The centralized location will allow all 62 counties in New York to take advantage of it, minimizing the cost of outsourcing many trainings.

One part of the facility known as Sim Alley houses state-of-the art simulation training laboratories with observation rooms where as many as 20 trainees can observe from behind a glass wall. In the simulation labs, child welfare workers learn how to effectively testify before a judge in court; case worker trainees will use a simulated apartment to identify problematic situations that could be warning signs of inspection issues where violations would be reported; a simulated day care center provides a practice field for licensor trainees to identify, prioritize, and help the providers correct regulatory violations; and a juvenile justice facility setting offers detention trainees practice in handling situations that might come up in an actual residential center with youth and parents. A grand opening is scheduled for Thursday, April 18 at 10 a.m.

OCFS Offers Guidance on Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA)

As part of its commitment to providing guidance and support to local departments of social services and foster care agencies, and in response to the 2018 FFPSA, OCFS has provided a wealth of materials related to FFPSA on its website and will invite county liaisons to a series of webinars starting in March and concluding in June.

OCFS Part of Governor's 2019 Women's Justice Agenda; Safe Sleep Campaign Ahead

OCFS will be part of a joint initiative to promote safe sleep practices for infants and further reduce preventable infant deaths. New York State has designated May as “Infant Safe Sleep Month” to raise awareness about the ABC’s of safe sleep. A public awareness campaign run by OCFS and DOH will include radio, television, and social media, postings on public transit, and in major transportation hubs. This campaign will educate parents, grandparents, and caregivers about best practices in safe sleep.

OCFS, NYSCB Thank Supporters of Blinds Vendors for $8,000 in Grant Funding

“I am grateful that the Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation and the Catholic Guild for the Blind reached out to the Commission for the Blind to provide this generous grant to help our vendors survive this difficult time,” said acting OCFS Commissioner, Sheila J. Poole. “This assistance is a lifeline in what would otherwise have been a devastating loss to their businesses.”

The OCFS Youth Advisory Board is Recruiting!

Outreach Night at HSCC Means Serving Others

On February 19, HSCC staff volunteered during an “Outreach Night,” this time at the City Mission in Schenectady. They set tables, plated meals, and served as waiters taking orders restaurant-style. In some cases, they filled to-go containers with second helpings and at the end, they pitched in to clean the tables and floor.

OCFS Youth Join in Observing Black History Month

OCFS celebrated African-American History Month with presentations that included OCFS youth reading poetry and showing off their musical skills at the home office. This year’s theme was “Black Migrations.”