A Message From Our Associate Commissioner

At the Office of Training and Workforce Development (OTWD), we anchor our work in an ongoing commitment to serve New York City’s children and the families who interact with the Child Welfare workforce. We can lead, create, and know our voice if we hold true to our mission, vision and guiding principles.

“Everything we do, even the slightest thing we do, can have a ripple effect and repercussions that emanate. If you throw a pebble into the water on one side of the ocean, it can create a tidal wave on the other side.” – Victor Webster

As we navigated the pandemic’s challenges during Fiscal Year 2022, we recognized that evolution is a natural part of our lives and work. There is one constant in OTWD’s many successes: the development of impactful and respectful partnerships. We launched several significant and innovative programs with partners at the Division of Child Protection and the Division of Youth and Family Justice, as well as the Department of Policy, Planning and Measurement.

We know our work is a lever of change for our agency, workforce, children, families, and communities. Accordingly, we expand our intentional efforts to address the changing needs of a multi-generational and culturally diverse workforce and society, as well as the changing landscape of child welfare.

This year, our mantra became, “Change requires the temporary surrender of security.” As we move in a post-pandemic direction, our strategy is to continue to evolve, even if that means we will journey into uncomfortable places. The positive ripples we are creating today are gathering strength, building into a tidal wave of meaningful change for our future workforce and work products. We strive to work together, harder, and in more creative ways every day to do our part to further ACS’s ongoing commitment to the safety and well-being of New York City’s children, families and communities.

Cheryl L. Beamon
Associate Commissioner
Office of Training and Workforce Development