CCC Press Release: CCC Wishes John Mattingly Well in his Return to Baltimore and praises Mayor Bloomberg’s Selection of Ronald Richter as New Commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services

Released July 27, 2011

While saddened by the news that ACS Commissioner John Mattingly will be resigning effective September, CCC praises Mayor Bloomberg for selecting the Honorable Ronald Richter to be New York City’s next Children’s Services Commissioner.

Commissioner Mattingly has spent the past seven years tirelessly working to make systemic changes to the child welfare, early childhood and juvenile justice systems. Commissioner Mattingly’s efforts to keep New York City’s children safe, while expediting their permanency and enhancing their well- being, has led to the lowest foster care census of all time, a strengthened and enhanced preventive service system, the use of evidence based programs to prevent foster care and juvenile justice placements, a dramatic reduction in the number of foster children in residential care settings, and the closure of the Spofford (Bridges) Detention Facility.

‘New York City’s children have not only benefitted from Commissioner Mattingly’s efforts over the past seven years, but will continue to benefit for years to come from the systemic change the Commissioner brought to the child welfare system,’ said Jennifer March-Joly, Executive Director.

Mayor Bloomberg’s selection of the Honorable Ronald Richter as Mattingly’s successor leaves New York City’s children and families in very capable hands and CCC looks forward to working with Judge Richter in this new role. Having previously worked at Legal Aid representing children in child welfare and juvenile justice proceedings, serving as the Deputy Commissioner for Family Court Legal Services at the Administration for Children’s Services, serving as the Mayor’s Family Services Coordinator, and most recently as a Family Court Judge in Queens County, Judge Richter knows and appreciates all aspects of the system and the needs of the children and families.

‘The choice of Judge Richter to be the ACS Commissioner is an exceptional one. CCC looks forward to working with Judge Richter to further enhance ACS’s ability to keep children safe, as well as ACS’s preventive services, foster care, juvenile justice and child care and Head Start services,’ said March- Joly.