In 2023, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman initiated efforts to improve child protective services amid growing turnover in the sector. By hiring more staff and incorporating former law enforcement as investigators for child abuse cases, Blakeman emphasizes the importance of child safety. The pressures on child welfare agencies have intensified, particularly post-pandemic, leading to turnover rates as high as 60%. Challenges include low pay and a public narrative that undermines the work of child services, complicating recruitment in a field that demands resilience and dedication to child welfare.
It's incumbent upon us to make sure these children are safe," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said at a press conference recently.
The pandemic and ensuing labor shortage only made things worse; a recent study shows the 2023 turnover rate hitting 60% in New York in some residential facilities.
The public campaign in recent years to abolish child welfare or defund CPS has not helped. Who wants to work for an agency that is now referred to by advocates and politicians as the "family surveillance system"?
But the reality of frontline CPS work is something else entirely.
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