Friday was the last day on the job for Administration for Children’s Services chief Gladys Carrión — but there’s still no new course in sight, despite all the scathing reports and dead kids on ACS’ doorstep.
Mayor de Blasio promises a replacement commissioner soon, and the state-imposed monitor was named last week. Yet the new leaders have a lot of damage to undo.
Consider Friday’s Post report that average caseloads have risen steadily, despite the mayor’s goal of reducing them, and the tens of millions in added funds he’s given ACS.
The average rose every de Blasio year, from 8.2 cases per worker in Fiscal Year 2013 to 10.6 in FY 2016. In the first half of FY 2017, it stands at 11. That’s still below the target of no more than 12 — but getting closer.
Worse, Department of Investigations staff reported last May that actual caseloads are often much higher than the official level. And the citywide average leaves plenty of room for higher levels in any given borough.
Last month, an ACS whistleblower told The Post that caseloads in The Bronx average “easily more than 20.” And the Independent Budget Office notes that Bronx caseloads have historically hovered above the five-borough average.
All this, on top of findings by city Comptroller Scott Stringer that ACS managers and agents routinely fail to follow their own guidelines, and by DOI that the agency has “systemic” and “high-level” dysfunction.
We’ll be looking later in the week at just how Team de Blasio mismanagement may have brought ACS to this chaos. For now, let’s just hope the mayor is willing to recognize, privately at least, that what he’s done so far isn’t working.
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