The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is the New York City agency responsible for protecting children. For a parent who has to deal with ACS, the process can be intimidating because ACS has the power to remove children in cases of abuse or neglect. Parents who are incarcerated are much more likely to face an ACS investigation than other parents, but there are resources available to help — as long as they know how to access them.
CUP teamed up with public defenders from The Bronx Defenders and Brooklyn Defender Services who are experts in advocating for parental rights in the ACS process, and designer Manuel Miranda to create What Do Incarcerated Parents Need to Know About ACS? This pamphlet shows how ACS’s complicated investigation process works, and helps incarcerated parents understand what they can do to make sure they get the best results for their family.
For an incarcerated mother or father, staying engaged in their children’s lives while they are incarcerated, and showing up in court for hearings about their family are critical steps to maintaining their parental rights. This pamphlet helps parents understand when those hearings happen, and how to get help staying connected to their children.