ACS hiring practices expose gaps that threaten New York children's safety

The article uses the tragic death of nonverbal autistic teen Adonis Jarvis to illustrate systemic flaws in the Administration for Children’s Services. It notes that ACS is currently advertising Child Protective Specialist positions with generous benefits but demanding a bachelor’s degree in fields such as sociology or cultural anthropology, which the author deems irrelevant. Moreover, the agency often hires workers without requiring them to pass a civil-service exam that measures essential analytical skills.

The piece cites a vacancy rate of about 10% and argues that this allows under-tested staff to remain in the field. It also references former director John Mattingly’s successful subway ad campaign that once boosted applications dramatically.