Investigative Consultant I

THE SELECTED CANDIDATE WILL BE OFFERED A SALARY BETWEEN $63,481.00 - $73,003.00

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of New York City’s children and families by providing child welfare, juvenile justice, and early care services. In child welfare, ACS contracts with private nonprofit organizations to support and stabilize families through community-based programming and preventive services and provides foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. Each year, the agency’s Division of Child Protection responds to more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. In juvenile justice, ACS manages and funds services including detention and placement, intensive community-based alternatives for youth, and support services for families. ACS is also a key part of NYC’s early childhood and education continuum, providing childcare assistance to thousands of child welfare involved and low-income children so they can access safe, affordable, quality care.

The Protection Agent will be involved primarily in, complex and sensitive investigations related to children in the custody of ACS, including investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect, helping locate youth who have left or who are missing from foster care or DYFJ non-secure detention and/or placement facilities, and advising and training Child Protective Specialists (CPS), Child Protective Specialist Supervisors (CPSS) and other child protective staff in techniques and approaches for handling such cases in Children’s Services. Under supervision, with latitude for independent action and decision-making, is assigned to a child protective field office or special investigation unit, such as Emergency Children’s Services or the Office of Special Investigation.

Additional responsibilities will include:

- Provide expert assistance on cases which involves allegations of child abuse or neglect by parents, by Children’s Services or other City staff, which may include cases which have resulted in serious injury or death of a child.
- Accompany CPSs and CPSSs on home visits which are anticipated to be unusually difficult.
- Conduct and document interviews with children, family members, neighbors, school officials and other community members, when necessary.
- Testify in court regarding investigations.
- Conduct training for child protective services staff related to the techniques and strategies necessary for performance of sensitive investigations into allegations of child abuse and neglect, including observation; conducting interviews; detecting signs of child abuse and neglect; interrogations; forensics; and collecting evidence and other documentation.
- Train and prepare CPS staff in dealing with difficult and recalcitrant parental figures during home visits or child removal.
- Conduct criminal and domestic violence background checks, documenting, analyzing the information received and interpreting the information for CPS.
- Assisting and training child protective services staff in the navigation of public databases.
- Provide Training and assistance to Provider Agencies and ACS Staff to assist in gathering information to locate AWOL Youth.
- Utilize investigative databases and review records to assist in developing leads to locate AWOL Youth.
- Make field visits to assist in locating youth who are AWOL from a foster care, placement, or detention setting.
- Re-interview parents, neighbors and relatives when provider agencies have not successfully located AWOL Youth.
- Collaborate and share information with law enforcement so that once youth are located, law enforcement can take action to ensure the safe return of AWOL youth to a foster care, placement, or detention setting.

1. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and five (5) years of satisfactory full-time experience in the field of law enforcement. At least three years of this experience must have been obtained while working in Special Victim’s, Forensics, Homicide, Domestic Violence, Missing Persons, Precinct Detective; or a closely related law enforcement work unit or task force; or

License Requirement
At the time of appointment, candidates must possess a motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.

2. An Associate degree or 60 semester credits from an accredited college or university and at least three (3) years of satisfactory experience in the field of law enforcement, including at least two (2) years obtained while working in a specialized law enforcement unit or task force as described in “1” above.

License Requirement
At the time of appointment, candidates must possess a motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.