Saving others

Kid slays spark action

The horrible deaths of two tiny child-abuse victims in 2016 weren’t entirely in vain — a study issued Tuesday found that the city’s child-welfare agency later increased its vigilance and brought more substantiated cases to Family Court.

The review by the city’s Independent Budget Office, which looked at the months immediately following the deaths of 6year-old Zymere Perkins (near right) and 3-year-old Jaden Jordan, found that reports of child abuse in-increased amid thethe media spotlight on those cases.

But it also found that the numberr of child- abuse complaints thatt were substantiated increased at an even greater rate — from 19,980 in fiscal 2016 to 23,981 in fiscal 2017 — a 20 percent gain.

Staffers at the Administration for Children’s Services also filed thousands more petitions of abuse and maltreatment in Family Court in the months that followed the tragedies, resulting in a 52 percent boost.

The IBO said high-profile cases often spark more child-abuse complaints, and “ACS staff is acutely aware of the pres- sure to prevent another tragedy.” Despite the boost in Family Court petitions, the IBO found that the courts didn’t respond to the public scrutiny by separating kids from their families more often, with the rate of foster care placements actually declining in 2017. Instead, the judges found ways to have at least one parent care for the child or children, under court-ordered supervision. “This implies that Family Court judges have not changed how they handle abuse and maltreatment petitions in response to the public pressure that follows high-profile deaths of children known to the child welfare system,” the IBO said.