ACS - Immigrant Services

Administration for Children's Services

Keeping Children Safe & Supporting Families


Initiatives

Immigrant Services


Office of Immigrant Services and Language Affairs (ISLA)

ACS serves all New Yorkers, regardless of your immigration status or which language you speak. We provide services that respect your culture and language needs.

Office of Immigrant Services and Language Affairs (ISLA) provides support and guidance on immigration and language access issues. Given that most NYC children (60%) live in a household with at least one foreign-born family member and 22% of New Yorkers are limited English proficient (LEP), immigration and language access considerations are integral to child welfare cases in New York City.

Immigrant Services and Language Affairs (ISLA) ensures support for ACS clients who have immigration and/or language access needs by providing resources, training, guidance about agency policy, and case support. In addition, ISLA serves as a liaison with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and other city agencies, and advocates to coordinate responses to issues affecting immigrant and limited English proficient clients.

For more information about each area of our work, please see below:

Resources for Immigrants

Know Your Rights

ACS Translated Documents

Immigrant Services and Language Affairs Data & Policies

Contact

How to File Language Access Complaints

Google Translate Disclaimer

Additional Resources

Know Your Rights

In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Federal Executive Order 13166, NYC Executive Order 120, and Local Law 30:

All children and families have the right to:

Communicate with ACS and provider agency staff in their preferred language.

Right to ask for an interpreter when communicating with ACS or provider agency staff.

All ACS and provider agency clients have the right to receive services in their preferred language.

All ACS and provider agency staff must provide equal access to services, regardless of a client's English language proficiency.

Interpretation services for clients with limited English proficiency must be accurate, timely, and free for the client.

Ask for documents from ACS to be translated into their preferred language

All ACS commonly distributed public-facing documents should be translated into the 10 citywide languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Polish, Spanish, and Urdu.

If an ACS document is not available in the client's preferred language, ACS can have the document translated into that language.

ACS will translate documents into clients' preferred languages or have their documents translated into English for ACS staff.

Requests for translation should be sent to Language.Access@acs.nyc.gov

Receive child welfare services regardless of their immigration status.

Every New York City resident has the right to access ACS services, including preventive and foster care services, as well as many child care services.

Have any immigration status information they share with ACS or our provider organizations remain confidential, with very few exceptions.

ACS and our provider organizations are only allowed to ask about a client's immigration status for the purpose of determining whether they might qualify for certain specific programs, services, or benefits. With the client's permission, ACS may also ask about their immigration status for the purpose of connecting them with immigration legal help.

Immigrant Services and Language Affairs Data & Policies

Language Access Implementation Plan 2024

Language Access Policy

Local Law 73 Report 2023

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Immigration Assistance Policy

Local Law 145 Report

ACS Translated Documents

View the translated documents in the following languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Polish, Spanish, and Urdu.

Contact

ACS Language Access Coordinator: Lauren McSwain, Director of Immigrant Services and Language Affairs

If you have a question for ACS related to:

Immigration, email us at sijs@acs.nyc.gov

Language access, email us at language.access@acs.nyc.gov

U Visa Certification, email us at uvisa@acs.nyc.gov

For all other ACS-related issues, you can call the ACS Office of Advocacy Help Line at 212-676-9421

If you have additional questions, call 311.

How to File Language Access Complaints

You can file a complaint if you did not receive service from the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, because of the language you speak. You can file a complaint anonymously and regardless of your immigration status. You are not required to leave your name, if you want to be anonymous.

You can file complaints by:

Emailing ACS Language Access Coordinator at language.access@acs.nyc.gov, or

Calling 311 or 212-NEW-YORK (212-639-9675)

It helps if you can provide this information:

What the problem was

When it happened

Who you spoke with

Office address you went to or the phone number you called

Language you speak

Google Translate Disclaimer

The NYC Administration for Children’s Services website is provided in English. However, the "Google Translate" option may assist you in reading it in other languages. Please note that “Google Translate” cannot translate all types of documents, and it should not be relied upon for vital information. The NYC Administration for Children’s Services does not guarantee the accuracy of the translation provided by this tool.

Additional Resources:

The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA)

New York State: Office of Children and Family Services