We are excited to announce the launch of a public awareness campaign to inform families about their rights when facing investigation by the Administration for Children’s Services (“ACS”). In collaboration with JMACforFamilies, the campaign will reach New Yorkers inside MTA buses across Brooklyn, including communities that are heavily targeted by ACS, like East New York, Bedford Stuyvesant, and Brownsville, over the next eight weeks.

Far too often, families endure invasive ACS investigations without knowledge of their rights and without legal assistance, leaving parents and their children misled and traumatized. The campaign highlights four critical rights that parents should be aware of during an investigation by ACS, and directs parents to www.yourfamilyyourrights.org, an advocacy and education website we created alongside community stakeholders.

We know that when parents know their rights and have early access to counsel, families are able to remain together, access supportive resources, and stay out of family court. With this campaign, we hope to empower parents with the information about their rights, limit the harm of ACS investigations, and ultimately keep families together. For more, watch our video promoting Your Family, Your Rights on Instagramand visit www.yourfamilyyourrights.org.

Read our full press release here.