When a report of child abuse or neglect is made in New York City, ACS (Administration for Children’s Services) investigates. With little or no warning, a case worker from ACS can show up at a family’s home and demand to be let inside to inspect the home and see the children. This subjects families to scrutiny on everything from how a parent responds to what is inside of their refrigerator. ACS will question their children, and in some cases has the ability to strip-search children for evidence of neglect or abuse.

We work to ensure that every family has the support and information they need to be able to freely exercise their rights when confronted by ACS. While  parents are not legally obligated to allow entry, ACS is also not required to inform parents of their rights. Even when parents do know their rights, the family policing system demands compliance with the implicit or explicit threat of family separation.

This threat is even greater for Black and Brown families, who experience more surveillance, higher rates of family separation, and the harshest impacts of the system.

Many of the initial complaints that lead to an ACS investigation are determined to be unfounded. Others lead to children being taken away from parents and placed into the foster system. But in all cases, the psychological trauma and fear ACS inflicts during an investigation is irreparable.

The “child welfare” system claims to protect children, yet every day the system is doing more harm than good—operating with limited accountability and oversight for punitive and coercive actions that don’t serve the best interests of children or their families.

At CFR, we know that we cannot achieve justice for families in an unjust system or undo the harm they’ve experienced—but we will work tirelessly to defend our clients in Family Court and beyond.