Community Advocacy Project

Providing “early defense” to help parents during an ACS investigation and help for parents who want to clear their state records

Free Services for Families Dealing with ACS or the State Central Register (SCR)

Are you a parent or a caretaker of a child in Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx?

Has ACS contacted you to say that you are being investigated or told you to come to a “child safety” conference or Family Court?
(ACS is the New York City Administration for Children’s Services.)

If you answered yes to both questions and want free legal help, contact us before you talk to ACS: En Español

• Email [email protected].
or
• Call or text 646-809-4308 if you are in Manhattan.
or
• Call or text 347-286-4365 if you are in Queens.

If you are in Manhattan (other than Harlem) or Queens, read more.
If you are in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Harlem, or Staten Island, read more.

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The State Central Register (SCR) is a state record of your ACS investigation. It can prevent some employers from hiring you in the future. We may be able to help you in clearing your name from the SCR. If you want this help, please email [email protected].

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CFR’s Community Advocacy Project (CAP) wants to prevent parents from ever having to come to court at all, by providing them crucial critical legal and social work help early—when the City first knocks at their door. Parents with means would call an attorney if they were facing an intrusive and frightening investigation into their parenting conducted by a powerful government agency. CAP does the same for parents with limited resources who don’t know their rights or how to access services. Read more about CAP’s work.

Most parents and other caretakers don’t get help before they talk to ACS. But CAP can help families during the whole process. We work to keep families together and keep children out of the foster system. When that is not possible, CAP can often help reduce the time a child spends in the foster system.

To our colleagues and others in the community: If you work with families and want to know more, please call us at 212-691-0950 or email us at [email protected]. We offer training in the community and to our colleagues. Learn more about CAP’s presentations on families involved with ACS or people who are trying to get their names off the SCR.

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