Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Discussion on Child Protection Specialist caseload ratios and management
1:12:54
·
3 min
Council Member Williams inquires about the current average caseload ratio for Child Protection Specialists (CPS), ideal ratios, and time spent on cases. Commissioner Dannhauser provides detailed information on CPS staffing, caseload management, and efforts to maintain low caseloads.
- Current average CPS caseload has decreased from 9.9 to 7.5-7.9, below the national standard of 12
- ACS has increased active CPS staff from 951 in 2023 to 1114 currently
- Specialized units for challenging cases have lower caseloads
- Supervisors and managers play crucial roles in managing caseload distribution
- ACS implements an eight-month ramp-up period for new CPS workers before assigning full caseloads
Nantasha M. Williams
1:12:54
Okay I have like two more questions.
1:12:58
The other question is switching gears a bit on child protection specialist caseload.
1:13:04
CPS workers are often one of the first interactions families have with ACS and it is crucial to ensure these specialists are attentive to each individual case.
1:13:15
There's so many like law and order stories on this and the the dangers of a very high caseload.
1:13:23
So the average caseload of CPS impacts the time they can spend on each case and ensures they are not overwhelmed.
1:13:30
What is the current average caseload ratio for CPS workers, what is the ideal ratio, how is this ratio determined and does ACS collect information on how many hours are spent on each case, if so what is the average amount of time spent per case and factors that caused the time to vary.
Jess Dannhauser
1:13:52
So I couldn't agree with you more council member.
1:13:55
This is vital.
1:13:57
This time in 2023, in April May of twenty twenty three, we had nine fifty one active CPS in our protective diagnostic and cares units.
1:14:08
In 2024, we had ten fifty five.
1:14:12
Today we have eleven fourteen.
1:14:15
Our current caseloads, caseloads have gone down from about 9.9 to 7.5.
1:14:21
As of last Thursday, I get it weekly, we were at 7.9.
1:14:26
The spring is a typically busier season in child protection.
1:14:32
This is really, really vital.
1:14:33
So we certain units that are dedicated to particularly challenging cases, hospital and sex abuse units being one example of that.
1:14:43
And they have lower case loads.
1:14:46
We also, this is really critical around supervision.
1:14:49
So if you have a, as you're referencing, if you have a case that takes additional investigatory steps, right, you're going to the child advocacy center, there might be interaction with law enforcement or others, that might take more of your time if there's a need for a child removal.
1:15:09
And so the supervisors and child protective managers, so you have the CPS, right, as you know well, but for everybody else, then you have the supervisors and then you have child protective managers.
1:15:20
We've been able to raise the salaries of child protective managers because it really, really matters.
1:15:26
They are looking at the pending rotation.
1:15:28
And so if they have a staff who has a case that's busier, They are skipping them in the pending rotation and making sure that they're going to the next available CPS so that nobody gets overwhelmed with the case.
1:15:42
This is obviously challenging work.
1:15:45
Caseloads have to stay low and we're proud that we've been able to decrease them.
1:15:49
The national standard is 12.
1:15:52
We are well below that.
1:15:56
If you look statewide we have the highest rates of timely assessments, the highest rates of assessments closed on time, and so we are always making sure that our child's death process We're so grateful for our child protective specialists.
1:16:15
I want their caseloads to be as low as possible, that's why we're continuously hiring.
1:16:20
And also why we've invested to make sure they don't just get thrown into the job, right?
1:16:25
There's about an eight month ramp up to a full caseload in that work.