Suffolk CPS caseload website working again after News 12 showed it was offline
Last week, News 12 reported that Suffolk County’s public caseload tracking website showed no data. The information has since been restored, and the numbers paint a troubling picture of mounting pressure inside Child Protective Services.
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Suffolk County’s Child Protective Services system is once again under the microscope after newly restored county caseload data revealed a sharp increase in the number of workers handling large numbers of cases — following the tragic death of 7-year-old Jor’dynn Duncan in Bayport.
Last week, News 12 reported that Suffolk County’s public caseload tracking website showed no data. The information has since been restored, and the numbers paint a troubling picture of mounting pressure inside Child Protective Services.
According to the updated figures, 88 CPS workers are currently handling more than 12 cases at a time — nearly double the 48 workers who carried that workload one year ago.
The data also shows a dramatic rise in the number of workers managing especially heavy caseloads. Last year, only 10 caseworkers were assigned more than 15 cases. That number has now climbed to 61. Three workers are currently handling more than 20 cases each, compared to none a year ago.
“The caseloads really seem like a lot for any one caseworker to manage,” said Jeffrey Reynolds, of the Family & Children’s Association.
Suffolk County has also seen an overall increase in child welfare cases. He said several factors could be contributing to the rise, including greater awareness and reporting of child abuse and neglect.
“Any time there’s a decline in the economy, you begin to see an upswing in child abuse and neglect cases,” Reynolds said. “Any time you have families that are forced to the brink of poverty, families do things the average person looks at and says, ‘Why on earth would you do that?’”
Suffolk County leaders previously pledged to reduce CPS caseloads following the 2020 death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, who died after prosecutors said he was forced by his father and stepmother to sleep in a freezing garage in Center Moriches.
Now, advocates and lawmakers are again raising concerns about whether the county can recruit and retain enough CPS workers to safely handle the growing demand. Some point to relatively low salaries and difficult working conditions as major obstacles.
The issue surfaced briefly during a Suffolk Legislature committee meeting Tuesday.
“I really have a lot of questions about what we’re doing when it comes to recruitment and retention,” said Legislator Rebecca Sanin, of Huntington Station. “What we’re doing in terms of the salary study.”
