Investigative Consultant II

Salary range: $81,722.00 - $89,378.00

About the role

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS manages community-based supports and foster care services and provides subsidized childcare vouchers. ACS child protection staff respond to allegations of child maltreatment. In juvenile justice, ACS oversees detention, placement, and programs for youth in the community.

Investigative Consultants are a team of former law enforcement investigators deployed in each borough office and at ECS to work with Child Protective Specialists (CPS) on investigations involving allegations of child abuse or neglect. They provide consultation and expert assistance on cases resulting in serious injury or death of a child. Investigative Consultants may accompany CPS in the field on complex cases and conduct interviews with children, family members, neighbors, school officials, law enforcement, and other community members when necessary. Additionally, they conduct training for Child Protective Services staff on techniques for performing sensitive investigations and enhancing worker safety.

The Protection Agent Level II supervises complex and sensitive investigations related to children in the custody of ACS, including investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect, locating youth who have left or 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 and DYFJ staff.

Responsibilities

• Assign and supervise Protection Agents throughout the city to assist child protective staff conducting investigations into allegations of child abuse and neglect, conduct interviews and interrogations, and collect evidence and documentation for complex and sensitive cases.
• Serve as a liaison between executive staff and protection agents.
• Participate in the evaluation of subordinates.
• Prepare written reports to the direct supervisor on the status of investigatory cases, training conducted, and other work performed.
• Provide training and assistance to provider agencies and ACS staff to gather information for locating AWOL youth.
• Utilize investigative databases and review records to develop leads for locating AWOL youth.
• Assign and supervise Protection Agents to make field visits to locate youth who are AWOL from foster care, detention, or placement settings.
• Assign Protection Agents to re-interview parents, neighbors, and relatives when provider agencies have not successfully located AWOL youth.
• Assign and supervise Protection Agents to collaborate and share information with law enforcement to ensure the safe return of AWOL youth to foster care, placement, or detention settings.
• In the temporary absence of the supervisor, perform the duties of that position.

Requirements

• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and five (5) years of satisfactory full-time experience in law enforcement. At least three years of this experience must have been in Special Victims, Forensics, Homicide, Domestic Violence, Missing Persons, Precinct Detective, or a closely related law enforcement work unit or task force.
• An Associate degree or 60 semester credits from an accredited college or university and at least three (3) years of satisfactory experience in law enforcement, including at least two (2) years in a specialized law enforcement unit or task force as described above.
• At the time of appointment, candidates must possess a motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York, which must be maintained for the duration of employment.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with specialized and complex child abuse investigations, domestic violence investigations, gang investigations, warrants, missing persons, juvenile crimes, human trafficking, or fugitive enforcement in a current or former law enforcement position.

Benefits

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website.