Letter from RI DCYF sent to the RI Coalition to End Homelessness Parents, DCYF staff, natural supports, resource families and caregivers, other community and public agencies, and their staff are partners in providing timely and appropriate high-quality care.When a family is unable to care for a child or youth, it is our responsibility, in as timely a manner as possible, to ensure the child or youth is provided permanency in their life in a safe, stable, and nurturing home.Timely permanency is achieved when evident behavioral changes are made demonstrating the ability to create and maintain safe, stable environments for children and youth.Decisions are made based on shared input and expertise, which includes the voice of the family, Department, service providers, caregivers, and child.The family, community, and government share responsibility for children’s safety, protection, and well-being through a family- and child-centered wraparound model of care.Homeless advocates are held to the same law to report neglect circumstances as any other Rhode Islander, and while these advocates are homeless “experts” in their field, they are not trained or responsible for assessing neglect or harm being done to children – the role of DCYF.ĭCYF: To fulfill our mission, we believe that: Some sources say that it is a last resort to “report” children/families in need of housing who are living outside, in crisis, because of “how awful” it is to interact with DCYF, and fears of families losing their children. In dealing with the homeless encampments, advocates said they had to protect the homeless and refused to tell the Governor – or to put the information into their federal database – on the location of the encampments. As part of the agency’s contracts, DCYF provides flex funding to the FCCP providers in the aggregate contracted amount of $230,000 per year. The providers can utilize the flex funds to provide temporary hotel /housing assistance to families. This year the Department has experienced an increase in the number of families in need of temporary housing assistance. As of March 1, 2023, the FCCP providers were providing assistance to support 18 families in hotels.” In addition, DCYF provides prevention services to families through a Family Care Community Partnership model. The Department has contracts with five community providers to support this practice model in the state. All reports to the Department’s Child Abuse Hotline are classified as “confidential” under State law.ĭCYF also provides assistance to support families who are open to DCYF for purposes of achieving safe and timely reunification with parents. As part of its efforts to provide support to families, DCYF has provided funding support to homeless families for purposes of keeping families together.Īt present, DCYF is providing funding to support 32 homeless families who are residing in hotels. The Department cannot confirm or deny whether the Coalition has ever made a report to Child Protective Services. “DCYF does not remove children from the care of families who come to our attention for being unhoused, with no other concerns for maltreatment. After several weeks of waiting for a statement, Damaris Teixeira, Public Information Officer for DCYF provided us with the statement, in its entirety, here:
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