A lower threshold for judgment, different standards of evidence, a shift in the burden of proof and no Fifth Amendment protection—these and other features of Family Court set it apart from the rest of the legal system.
Chapter two of our Family Court investigation focuses on the courtrooms that handle custody and child support, where many people try to navigate complex legal lingo without a lawyer, and where running out the clock can be a weapon in warfare between parents.
City Limits spent months observing Family Court and found an overburdened system where delays were endemic, legal help was scarce and the approach to solving family problems was divided. This is the first chapter in our report.
Ronald Richter just got what the mayor calls a “thankless” job—running the Administration for Children’s Services. We asked ACS’s sometime allies and frequent critics in the advocacy world what Richter’s chief challenges will be.
As many as one in five child welfare cases involves a parent with a mental health diagnosis, creating challenges for parents, children and caseworkers. Advocates say efforts to address those challenges haven’t gone far enough.
The recent indictment of two ACS workers in a little girl’s death has focused new attention on the city’s child protection regime. In this interview, City Limits’ Helen Zelon explains how legal process and human nature interact in the child welfare system.
Service providers like that the city is moving away from group homes and institutional foster care. But they wonder if the money and policies are in place to make the changes work.
A green card is one of many benefits open to undocumented immigrant kids in foster care if only authorities would apply for them.
A research report explains why NYC foster children languish so long without ‘permanency.’ Children’s Services backs the findings and promises change.
Those with matters before Family Court and those who work there are hoping the state will grant this overburdened system more judges.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
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Support local, investigative journalism that has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 45 years.
