We’re taking steps to better serve NYC children
Manhattan: Re “Black parents in N.Y. need to know their rights” (op-ed, Feb. 26): Anyone can make a report to New York State’s child abuse hotline. If a call about a New York City child is accepted by the state, the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is required by state law to respond to allegations and assess the safety of the child. ACS can’t choose which families to respond to but must, under law, respond to reports the state accepts.
A Black child is seven times more likely than a white child to be in a report to the hotline. This is concerning. ACS can’t control calls made or reports accepted, so we have been retraining mandated reporters on when to appropriately make a report and when, instead, they should connect the family to support. We’ve also been diverting more cases (now more than 25%) to our non-investigative response when children are not in immediate danger.
Today, the number of children in foster care and the number of families under court-ordered supervision are at historic lows. We are further expanding our efforts so parents understand their rights at the outset of an investigation. We are the first in the state to provide a standardized, printed, plain-language notification of rights to parents at the onset of an investigation. We have been doing all of this to limit ACS involvement to where it is truly necessary and to respond with care and urgency when children are in danger. As ACS commissioner, I assure you that our aim is to get it right for each child and family. Protecting children and respecting families’ rights can and must be accomplished together.
Jess Dannhauser, ACS Commissioner