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The Nassau County building in Uniondale housing Child Protective Services.

The Nassau County building in Uniondale housing Child Protective Services. Credit: Tom Lambui

Nassau County has hired another batch of former law enforcement officials to investigate reports of child abuse and neglect for the Department of Social Services, an effort intended to relieve overburdened staff and drive down the county’s caseload.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman said four more investigators will be added to a program he launched in December 2023 that allows former law enforcement officers to be fast-tracked in assisting Child Protective Services. The first class of investigators under the program included former police officers, detectives, fire marshals, parole officers and correction officers.  The investigators work part time.

"We want to ensure that no child falls through the cracks and is in a situation that’s dangerous or violent," Blakeman said in a news conference last month.

Since the program began, CPS workers have lightened their caseloads and made progress clearing a lengthy list of so-called "overdue" investigations, those that remain open without a final determination.

Active cases sitting with DSS caseworkers dropped 25%, to 805 cases in December 2024, compared to 1,077 cases in December 2023, according to statistics released by Blakeman's office. Overdue investigations dropped 10% in the same period. 

Law enforcement officials with a background in investigative work are qualified to onboard quickly after completing a six-week training course, according to Blakeman. Their background checks also process faster, whereas hiring someone from the county or state Civil Service list would take six to 12 months, he has said.

CPS workers investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, and testify in court on behalf of children in the system. The new class of investigators will assist CPS workers in the investigation phase.

The four new hires — which include a former parole officer and former police detective — bring the program’s total to 17 former law enforcement officials. The investigators are paid $30 an hour, according to Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Blakeman. It is a figure that is higher than the starting wage for regular caseworkers but lower than what an average Nassau caseworker made per hour in 2023.

Blakeman announced the program’s expansion ahead of the anniversary of the death of Thomas Valva, an 8-year-old boy with autism from Center Moriches who died of hypothermia after his police officer father and the officer's fiancee forced him to sleep in a garage when it was 19 degrees outside. Valva's death led to reforms in the Suffolk County Social Services Department.

"Our children are our most prized possessions. What happened in the Thomas Valva case was just horrific," Legis. Rose Marie Walker (R-Hicksville) said at a news conference. "This can never happen to another child that we are responsible for."

The new employees are expected to begin working at the department by March.

Nassau County has hired another batch of former law enforcement officials to investigate reports of child abuse and neglect for the Department of Social Services, an effort intended to relieve overburdened staff and drive down the county’s caseload.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman said four more investigators will be added to a program he launched in December 2023 that allows former law enforcement officers to be fast-tracked in assisting Child Protective Services. The first class of investigators under the program included former police officers, detectives, fire marshals, parole officers and correction officers.  The investigators work part time.

"We want to ensure that no child falls through the cracks and is in a situation that’s dangerous or violent," Blakeman said in a news conference last month.

Since the program began, CPS workers have lightened their caseloads and made progress clearing a lengthy list of so-called "overdue" investigations, those that remain open without a final determination.

Active cases sitting with DSS caseworkers dropped 25%, to 805 cases in December 2024, compared to 1,077 cases in December 2023, according to statistics released by Blakeman's office. Overdue investigations dropped 10% in the same period. 

Law enforcement officials with a background in investigative work are qualified to onboard quickly after completing a six-week training course, according to Blakeman. Their background checks also process faster, whereas hiring someone from the county or state Civil Service list would take six to 12 months, he has said.

CPS workers investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, and testify in court on behalf of children in the system. The new class of investigators will assist CPS workers in the investigation phase.

The four new hires — which include a former parole officer and former police detective — bring the program’s total to 17 former law enforcement officials. The investigators are paid $30 an hour, according to Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Blakeman. It is a figure that is higher than the starting wage for regular caseworkers but lower than what an average Nassau caseworker made per hour in 2023.

Blakeman announced the program’s expansion ahead of the anniversary of the death of Thomas Valva, an 8-year-old boy with autism from Center Moriches who died of hypothermia after his police officer father and the officer's fiancee forced him to sleep in a garage when it was 19 degrees outside. Valva's death led to reforms in the Suffolk County Social Services Department.

"Our children are our most prized possessions. What happened in the Thomas Valva case was just horrific," Legis. Rose Marie Walker (R-Hicksville) said at a news conference. "This can never happen to another child that we are responsible for."

The new employees are expected to begin working at the department by March.

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