| Releases & Statements
New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum today released a report
detailing the City’s failure to protect children who may
be exposed to or at risk of domestic violence in their homes or
in foster care.
Gotbaum found alarming evidence that
the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) does not
screen persons living in potential adoptive or foster homes for
a history of domestic violence. Nor does the agency check whether
orders of protection have been filed against any members of these
households.
“Over 400 children were reported
abused or neglected in foster care last year, and some of these
incidents may have been prevented had ACS screened prospective
parents or family members in the Domestic Violence Registry. A
screening process for all prospective adoptive and foster homes
must be put in place immediately,” Gotbaum said.
The report, titled Caring for the
Children: Improving the City’s Relationship with Children
Exposed to Domestic Violence, also concludes that ACS has failed
to provide adequate domestic violence training for its foster
care and preventive service personnel and that it is ineffectively
and infrequently using Clinical Consultation Teams (CCTs) on domestic
violence cases. CCTs are comprised of a coordinator, a domestic
violence specialist, and a mental health and substance abuse specialist
who are able to provide guidance to caseworkers in domestic violence
cases. Consultation with these specialists is voluntary, however,
and must be initiated by the caseworker.
“ACS is clearly failing to make
the best use of its domestic violence specialists. Any ACS personnel
dealing with foster, adoption, or preventive service cases should
be trained adequately to make sure the children in their custody
are not placed in a home where domestic violence occurs and to
identify and provide services to children living in homes with
domestic violence,” Gotbaum said.
Gotbaum further found that batterers
are able to perpetrate abuse by calling the New York State Child
Abuse Hotline and making false allegations against their partners.
This manipulation of the child abuse reporting system enables
the batterer to falsely accuse a spouse or partner, which is a
form of abuse itself and also a misdemeanor.
"Malicious reports can result
in removal of children from good mothers and is one of many tactics
used by abusers to harass and intimidate their partners. Women
report that there are few consequences, if any, to false reports
filed against them by abusive ex-partners, even when the calls
were made from jail. These calls also divert the energy of child
welfare staff from investigating cases where children may be in
danger," said Susan Lob, director of the Voices of Women
Organizing Project, an organization of survivors of domestic violence
working to improve services for battered women and their children.
The report recommends that ACS screen
all potential adoptive and foster homes to ensure that homes are
free of violence. If violence is discovered ACS should deny certification.
The report also recommends that all caseworkers at foster care
contract agencies and all management personnel at preventive service
agencies receive domestic violence training; that ACS workers
fully integrate the agency’s domestic violence policies
into their work; and that they be required to confer with Clinical
Consultation Teams in all domestic violence cases.
Gotbaum also called on ACS to make
a public service announcement promoting the importance of reporting
suspected child abuse to the child abuse hotline and warning that
malicious false reports are subject to prosecution.
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