New York City Administration for Children's Services

The New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) is a governmental agency that provides welfare services to children and their families in the City of New York.

Responsibilities

The ACS is responsible for providing child welfare services. These services include protection of children from abuse and neglect, early care and education services, and juvenile justice.[1] In 2013, the agency received 60,988 abuse reports.[2]

History

When the agency was first created under Mayor John Lindsay's administration, it was known as the Bureau of Child Welfare (or BCW). In 1969, Lindsay placed it under the Human Resources Administration, and changed its name to Special Services for Children. Mayor Edward Koch later renamed it the "Child Welfare Administration" in the 1980's, shortly after the death of a 6-year-old in West Village. Most recently, in 1995, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani made the agency separate of the Human Resources Administration and renamed it to the Administration for Children's Services, as it is today. [2]

Growth

The agency has seen growth several times after the killings of children by their parents. In 1995, Mayor Giuliani created 200 jobs for case workers, after he had previously refused to do so, in response to Elisa Izquierdo being killed by her mentally ill mother. Mayor Bloomberg eliminated 169 of those jobs in 2003. However, in 2006, Bloomberg increased the size of the agency, in the wake of the murder of Nixzmary Brown by her stepfather. The death of Nixzmary was also followed by a spike in abuse reports, which greatly increased pressure on the ACS.[2] In 2014, the ACS saw even more up-sizing after three children died. Mayor de Blasio hired 362 new staff members, which drastically reduced the workload of case workers.[3]

Budget

For fiscal year 2014, the ACS had a budget of $2.8 billion.[2] This increased by $150 million in 2015, when the agency was given a budget of $2.95 billion, out of the city's overall budget of $77 billion. [4]

References

  1. ↑ "About ACS". Administration for Children's Services. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ginger Adams Otis (February 9, 2014). "Administration for Children's Services Failing to Prevent Tragedies". NY Daily News. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  3. ↑ Erin Durkin (May 8, 2014). "ACS Getting New Hires on Mayor de Blasio's Orders". NY Daily News. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  4. ↑ Winnie Hu (Feb 8, 2015). "New York City Children's Services to Add Training After Fatalities". New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2015.