Cindy Rodriguez
Cindy Rodriguez has been a staff reporter at WNYC, New York Public Radio since July of 2002. As the station’s urban policy reporter she covers the impacts of poverty on communities in all five boroughs. ...
Busy Courts Mean Backup in Foster Care
Today marks 2 years since the murder of 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown, an event that shook the city and caused an overhaul of the child welfare system.
Friday, January 11, 2008
New York, NY –
Following her death, reports of abuse and neglect skyrocketed. The result - an increasingly overburdened family court system. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.
According to a report by the Center for New York City Affairs, court-ordered supervision cases have nearly doubled since 2005.
At a City Council hearing, Administration for Children's Services Commissioner John Mattingly said the families who end up in court are usually those with a long history of not complying with social services.
MATTINGLY: We want to make sure that everyone understands and we could be right or wrong. The only reason those numbers are coming in is because we're worried about those children.
A state law requiring judges to check up on cases more frequently is also straining the system.
According to City Councilman Bill De Blasio, the average caseload for a judge increased 56% over the last 2 years.
The result is longer stays for kids in foster care. He's calling for a 50% increase in family court judges. For WNYC, I'm Cindy Rodriguez.
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