by Selina J. Higgins, M.S.W., M.A.
(November/December 1999)

In the City of New York, the Administration for Children's Services (ACS) is the public agency responsible for the investigation of all reports of alleged abuse and/or neglect. ACS is also responsible for the direct or referred provision of services necessary to maintain the well being of children, and to facilitate the stability of families, whenever appropriate. I began working for ACS in 1993, as a Protective/Diagnostic Caseworker, during the agency's prior existence as the Child Welfare Administration, then a subsidiary of the Human Resources Administration. In early 1996, based upon an intense desire to reorganize and professionalize the investigation and servicing of abuse and neglect cases, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani created the city's first independent child welfare agency, the Administration for Children's Services. In addition to many other reforms, the mayor, and the newly appointed Commissioner of ACS, Nicholas Scoppetta, reinstated a long defunct Masters of Social Work (MSW) scholarship program. In doing so, they opened the door for social work values and ethics to enter the practice of child welfare services in the City of New York.

Having received an ACS MSW scholarship in 1997, I began my studies at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University. ACS greatly facilitated my education, by providing not just tuition and a book stipend, but also, two unique, full time field placements. During my first year, I interned with the New York Urban League's Services to Families, a preventive services agency in Brownsville, Brooklyn. This placement provided me with an understanding of preventive service applications, as well as the development of clinical skills with individuals, families, and groups. During my second year, ACS provided a field placement at P.S. 40 in South Jamaica, Queens. Herein, I refined my practice with the behavioral interventions and therapeutic play techniques so necessary for communicating and working with traumatized children.

Shortly before graduation, I applied for several of many career opportunities available at ACS. As a result, I recently commenced working as a Child Evaluation Specialist, a Supervisor, Level II position. As a Child Evaluation Specialist (CES), I will be assigned to facilitate 72 Hour Child Safety Conferences. These conferences are an innovative program originated by ACS as part of the Commissioner's reform plan, to guarantee that children and families receive needed services in a timely manner. The conferences, which occur within 72 hours of a child protective removal/foster care placement, are used to develop a plan of action which focuses upon the safety of the concerned child(ren). The CES mediates between the conference participants, which include parents, relatives/friends, the ACS caseworker and supervisor, the foster care agency worker, and any other interested or involved party, then documents the resultant service plan. Using a strengths/needs perspective, the CES also attempts to obtain the most appropriate placement for the child, and formulates a psychosocial assessment of the family, its members, and its ability to function.

The inception of the 72 hour case conference and the CES position illustrates ACS' move towards neighborhood based service provision. Under this model, whenever possible, children and families will receive needed services close to their home. This will help to reduce separation anxiety and other trauma related to protective interventions. Moreover, it will permit greater accessibility for visitation between family members, and participation in community events. This can strengthen the bond between parents and children, and help with family reunification.

Social work values adhere to a mechanism of protection and prevention for victims of child maltreatment. Child safety conferences provide for assessment, safety plan development, coordination of services, and permanency planning, all of which protect and prevent further harm to the child(ren). Social work utilizes active means with clearly defined goals and objectives. Programs are designed to target and impact upon problematic issues in the hope of promulgating positive change. During the 72 hour conference, the CES facilitates the development of a service plan, with stated goals and action steps designed toward reaching those goals. Moreover, the CES Protocol specifies that all parties will be treated with respect and dignity. This directive emulates the NASW Code of Ethics, which specifically states: "Social Workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person", and requires that clients be treated with respect. The Child Evaluation Specialist is a unique position at ACS, in that it fully integrates social work values into child welfare practice.

In addition to regularly assigned duties, I have been privileged to work on several special projects which will greatly benefit the CES program. I have recently compiled and designed a directory which provides the locations of the conference host agencies in the borough of Brooklyn. I have also been selected to participate in a planning team, which will produce a large scale, informative symposium on the Brooklyn Child Evaluation Program for professionals in, or involved with child welfare services.

Although the CES position manifestly integrates social work values into child welfare practice, not all positions at ACS outwardly require these same values. Prior to my transfer to the CES position, I worked as a Supervisor 1 in a Protective/Diagnostic unit. Protective/Diagnostic units are charged with the duty of investigating reports of abuse and neglect that are transmitted from the New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Register (SCR) in Albany. The SCR obtains the reported allegations via a toll free child abuse hotline. The reports are then sent to the appropriately zoned field office for investigation. As a Supervisor 1, I assisted the Supervisor II with the administrative duties of the unit, fulfilled those duties in the absence of the Supervisor II, and provided guidance and training to the caseworkers concerning their investigations. Although the Protective/Diagnostic Supervisor is not a social work position, I infused social work teachings and values into the investigations and service provisions of my unit.

For example, I assisted the workers in focusing upon the client's strengths, rather than dwelling solely upon pathology. When one worker insisted that a particular client did not have any strengths, I suggested an examination of countertransferential feelings. After a period of introspection, the worker came to the conclusion that all people have strengths. This worker is currently utilizing her own strengths successfully in an MSW program.

I have always believed in a supervisor's responsibility for training workers. As a supervisor, I brought to the office much of my personal collection of therapeutic toys and books, and trained and encouraged the workers to use these instruments when working with the children. I often shared professional books and journal articles which applied to our field of work, and constantly discovered new resources for the workers to use in helping their clients. I also embarked upon a mission of cultural sensitivity, sharing references with the workers, and explaining behaviors which might otherwise have been misinterpreted.

For example, in writing a report for the court, a worker described an individual as avoidant and uncooperative. Upon examination, the worker explained that she had based her description upon the individual's tendency to avoid direct eye contact. This subjective evaluation appeared to stem from the worker's lack of information concerning the individual's culture, in which downcast eyes signify respect, and direct eye contact is perceived as hostile and aggressive. Unbeknownst to the worker, by avoiding direct eye contact, the individual had attempted to communicate a respectful demeanor.

After a general discussion on cultural diversity, I provided the worker with a reference book which delineated and explained the communication patterns of various cultures. After discussing the applicable chapter, I suggested that the worker rewrite the report, utilizing the new knowledge. Subsequently, I initiated and stocked a small, but relevant reference library, to assist the workers in formulating the objective assessments required for best case practice.

Although I no longer directly supervise workers, I have continued to share my professional knowledge with others throughout the agency. I have recently commenced a series of presentations on therapeutic methods in play for specialized, direct contact workers. These workers, assigned to Family Preservation, or Court Ordered Supervision units, have intensive or long term contact with children and families in their home environment. Many play therapy techniques, such as bibliotherapy, puppet play, and behavior modification, can be used to successfully engage, interview, assess, and work with children. Much like the aforementioned reference library, these seminars benefit both workers and clients. The knowledge gained by the worker can be utilized within the worker-client relationship, and thereby expedite positive cognitive/behavioral change.

In order to provide high-quality training to others, I must continually update my own education. I recently began a 70 hour management training program for child protective administrative supervisors. This professional certificate course has been contracted by ACS in order to increase performance effectiveness in employee supervisory and management skills. It too is a part of the Commis-sioner's reorganization plan, and will benefit the clients served by ACS due to improved efficiency in case management and service provision.

You don't have to be in a social work job title to do social work. I believe that any situation is what YOU make of it. I have been an educator (for the workers) and an advocate (for the clients), both of which are integral roles in the practice of social work. By providing positive role modeling and education, challenging social injustice, and facilitating the development of self-determination, esteem and worth, I have worked to become a "change agent" for not just the clients, but for the workers, too.

Child protective work can be complicated and intricate, and the hours are often long. The work however, has unlimited value. I greatly identify with the mission statement of the agency: To ensure the safety and well-being of all the children of New York. I am proud to do so, and am proud to adhere to social work values in doing so. It's the worker, not the work that can make it social work!