New data and legal analysis reveal that Black and Latino families in New York City are disproportionately targeted by the city’s child welfare agency, leading to intrusive and often unwarranted investigations.
According to a report published in the Columbia Journal of Race and Law, nearly half of Black children in the city will be subjected to an investigation by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) before turning 18.
Each year, ACS investigates close to 100,000 children. However, only 22.5% of those cases are substantiated, meaning the majority of investigations conclude without finding evidence of abuse or neglect. In 2023 alone, more than 74,000 children were investigated without confirmation of maltreatment.
The Legal Aid Society, which authored the report, attributes the high volume of cases to flaws in the state’s hotline screening process and ACS’s rigid obligation to investigate nearly all reports it receives.
“These investigations are deeply traumatic. Children are regularly strip-searched. The people who are collateral contacts in their lives, teachers, neighbors, family, and friends, are all investigated,” explained Melissa Friedman, co-author of the report and attorney at the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice.
Mandated reporters, such as teachers and healthcare workers, are responsible for the majority of hotline calls; however, substantiation rates remain low. For example, only 14% of reports from educational staff and 24% from medical personnel result in confirmed findings. Anonymous tips, which account for a smaller share, are substantiated just 6.7% of the time.
The report highlights that Black children are more likely to be investigated even in predominantly white neighborhoods with low poverty rates, suggesting that race, not only socioeconomic status, is a significant factor in ACS involvement.
In response, ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser emphasized the agency’s commitment to reform. “Protecting all children and families — no matter their race, ethnicity, or background — is always our North Star,” he stated. He added that the agency is maintaining low caseloads, offering better education to parents about their rights, and retraining mandated reporters to identify family support needs more accurately.
Advocates are calling for policy changes, including stricter screening of reports, limits on nighttime visits, and the elimination of anonymous hotline calls, to prevent unnecessary harm to families.
