ACS to Retain 153 in Foster Care Overhaul

ACS to Retain 153 in Foster Care Overhaul


The Administration for Children's Services has agreed to hire 153 current employees, most of whom had jobs slated to be phased out, to work in its revamped foster-care system.

FAYE MOORE: Members are adaptable. District Council 37 Local 371 officials also stated that the agency has agreed to increase from 90 to 207 the number of positions in Phase I of the re-organization that have Local 371 titles. The union asserted that pressure and negotiations had produced the shift, but ACS officials argued that the hiring was in line with their original plan.

'A Talented Pool'

"Because of the newness of the group putting this plan together," said Local 371 Vice President Faye Moore, "they didn't realize that social service titles could do this work. We educated them on that. They have realized that they have a very talented pool of people working for them right now."

But an ACS spokeswoman said that the developments did not indicate any shift in the agency's overall plans for its new foster-care system, dubbed Improved Outcomes for Children (IOC).

"Nothing changed," stated Sharman Stein in an e-mail. "We did what we said we would do from Day 1. We gave our staff a full and complete opportunity to apply and be selected. The staff who were hired into IOC jobs were found to be qualified."

In March, ACS officials announced that they were closing down the Office of Case Management and re-organizing the foster-care oversight program. The plan meant phasing out 650 Caseworker positions and setting up a new system with 500 workers. Agency officials said they were committed to finding jobs for all 650 Caseworkers in ACS or other city agencies at comparable salaries, but they did not guarantee placement.

Union Still Battling

Originally, about 150 of the 500 new positions were for Social Workers and Caseworkers. The rest were slated for Staff Analysts and technical and legal assistants. The agency was also requiring that the Social Workers hold master's degrees. About 250 of the affected 650 Caseworkers have such degrees.

Another negotiating session is set for this month, and the union maintains that the plan is an unfair contracting-out of its jobs. "It's a painful process," said Ms. Moore. "We're still talking about what will happen to the people who don't get jobs."