Jurisdiction New York City Website www.nyc.gov/ach | Key document New York City Charter | |
Headquarters 150 William Street
New York, NY 10038 Department executive David Hansell, Commissioner | ||
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.
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Responsibilities
The agency 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. In 2013, the agency received 60,988 abuse reports.
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 Ed Koch later renamed it the Child Welfare Administration in the 1980s, shortly after the death of a 6-year-old in the 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.
Growth
The agency has seen growth several times after the killings of children by their parents. In 1995, 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 Michael 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. In 2014, the agency saw even more up-sizing after three children died. Mayor Bill de Blasio hired 362 new staff members, which drastically reduced the workload of case workers.
Budget
For fiscal year 2014, the agency had a budget of $2.8 billion. 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.