Nine additional judgeships were added to the New York City Family Court system in 2015, the first increase since 1990—a period over which caseloads swelled by 23 percent.
The U.S. Senate will soon consider a bill that would give states unprecedented flexibility to spend money on preventive services rather than foster care, signaling a sea-change in attitudes about child-welfare policy.
The legal attack led by Public Advocate Letitia James alleges the city has failed to address lengthy delays and abuse in the foster-care system. Some believe a courtroom is the wrong forum to tackle those issues, but suit supporters say the time for other approaches has passed.
BCS hosts its annual BCS Human Spirit Awards gala dinner Monday, June 1, 2015, at the Grand Hyatt-Manhattan Ballroom (109 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017) with inspiring honorees
Family finances, child health and mother-child attachment are affected when a mother lacks access to paid maternity leave, according to the new research.
Our coverage of child-welfare investigations is up against Fortune, Essence and ProPublica for an award honoring public-service journalism.
Youth who’ve left foster care have long been part of the city’s larger homeless population. The de Blasio administration is taking steps to address the issue, but advocates are pushing for stronger action.
We read with interest your series on the De Blasio Administration’s efforts to end tragedies attributed to child maltreatment (“The Limits of Protection: Can Mayor’s Push Reduce Child Abuse Deaths,” authored by Rachel Blustain, December 16, 2014, and “The Limits of Protection: Fixing Child Abuse Investigations,” also by Rachel Blustain, December 17, 2014, and, lastly, “The Limits of Protection: Fighting the Fear of ACS,” same author, December 18, 2014). Child welfare systems alone are not sufficient to support the complex needs of vulnerable families. As the articles suggest, public service systems need to work together to provide holistic support to families. A great example of this is CSH’s Keeping Families Together supportive housing pilot. In your reports, Commissioner for New York City’s Children’s Services, Gladys Carríon, specifically champions the Administration’s focus on preventive measures, also a pillar of Keeping Families Together, and shares important facts with your readers.
In neighborhoods that see the most child-welfare investigations, children hide their problems, families refuse to ask for help and chances to head off serious neglect or abuse are missed. ACS is trying to reduce the suspicion.
In the wake of two fatalities in early ’14, the de Blasio administration called for better reporting of abuse and neglect. But there is substantial doubt that child welfare investigations can root out real threats to kids’ safety.
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