Children in Care

• 39,500 children in the State of New York were in foster care in December 2001.
• 31,600 or 80% of all of New York's foster children are placed in the care of voluntary, not-for-profit agencies under contract to local districts
• 22,500 foster children are placed in the homes of certified foster parents under the supervision of not-for-profit agencies (primarily in New York City).
• 7,500 foster children placed with not-for-profit agencies are in group care programs -- residential treatment centers, group homes, group residences and other specialized programs.

• 30% of the upstate youth and 20% from NYC entered care having been sexually abused, almost double the number ten years ago.
• One-third of all youth had made suicidal actions (up 25% over ten years).
• 52% of youth upstate, and fully 64% from NYC were on psychotropic medications at the point of admission.

• Nearly four of ten child care workers (37%) left their agency and had to be replaced?
• Nearly half of these positions were vacated because of better paying employment elsewhere
• In upstate NY, more than half of the child care workers (51%) left their agencies?
• On any given day, 1 of every 8 childcare worker position remained vacant despite continuous recruitment efforts?
• Starting salaries for residential child care workers were one-fourth lower than NYS civil service employees in similar positions?
• Childcare workers earned base salaries of $19,600 statewide, a $17 increase over the previous year?

• Starting caseworkers in non-profit foster care agencies earned one third less than state employees in equivalent salary grades: $27,500 vs. $39,469
• The average salary for BA caseworkers at non-profit foster care agencies was $29,355. $3,000 less than the national average for child welfare social workers as reported in US News and World Reports
• The average salary for MS level caseworkers was $35,290. $12,000 (25 percent) lower than the average salary for midlevel child welfare social workers nationally. US News and World Reports
• According to The Wall Street Journal Online, average salaries for social workers in NYS are close to $50,000 which would mean that social workers in child welfare earn 30% below the state average
• Consistent with FY 2001, new staff comprised one-third (34 percent) of caseworkers statewide due to turnover from low pay.