Questions, concerns, or complaints?
The ACS Office of Advocacy supports safety, permanence and the well being of all children and families involved with the child welfare system.
This unit can help you track down which contracted agency is working with a client’s child. It also provides impartial resolutions to conflicts between clients and voluntary agencies or ACS offices. The Office of Advocacy also provides information to the public about child welfare policies and procedures in an effort to ensure that parents, foster parents and youth are aware of their rights and responsibilities and obtain their due process. Through its interaction with clients, the Office of Advocacy gathers feedback that can help ACS and partner agencies improve services for children and families.
The Office of Advocacy can be reached Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. at 212-676-9421.
A special unit of the Office of Advocacy is the Parents and Children’s Rights Unit. This unit is available to help any parent, child, foster parent, or other concerned person who needs assistance resolving a child welfare related issue. Common issues handled by this Unit include: clarification of child welfare procedures, non-payment of foster care monies, custody issues, family planning information, ensuring families receive services needed towards reunification; visitation, educational services, etc. The Parents’ and Children’s Rights Unit will hear the complaint and will help a client either directly or by contacting the appropriate ACS unit or agency to determine the best way resolve the problem.
Another important unit is the Ombudsman’s Unit, which is staffed by social workers who respond to telephone calls and written correspondence received by the Commissioner’s Office or from individuals who present information directly to the Commissioner’s office regarding child welfare case issues. The calls and correspondence come from parents, foster parents, children, other concerned parties, elected officials and members of the public.
Information on this page can also be found on ACS’s website (www.nyc.gov/acs).
