Authored by Dashni Sathasivam
Health Equity Solutions recently sent a letter to the Commissioner of the Department of Social (DSS) Services outlining opportunities for DSS to leverage the ongoing policies and practices undertaken by Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families to address systemic racism.
We have recommended the following:
- Explicitly name racial justice as a value of the DSS.
- Establish a formal structure for implementing anti-racist policies and processes.
- Develop a strategic plan with timebound and measurable goals towards health equity.
- Strengthen data infrastructure and the department’s capacity to consistently disaggregate and publicly report data by race and ethnicity.
- Require contractors to explain how they will address the cultural and language needs of participants in social service programs.
You can read the full letter here.