Volume 1, Number 33 | The Weekly Newspaper of Chelsea | May 4 - 10, 2007
On the record
Offering a haven for abused and neglected children
Chelsea Now photo by David Gibbons
William Baccaglini, Jr.
By David Gibbons
Bill Baccaglini, Jr. throws the drive of a hungry corporate executive, the savvy of a veteran civil servant and the straight talk of a rising politician behind his job as executive director of The New York Foundling, a Chelsea-based organization that is among New York’s oldest and largest private child-welfare agencies. A sociologist by training, Baccaglini (pronounced “Back-uh-leenie”) had ample experience working on children’s issues prior to taking the helm at The Foundling four years ago: He was director of policy development and planning at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, in Albany. At The Foundling, he oversees a budget of $82 million in city, state and federal funds and a staff of about 1,200, providing a wide array of programs in all five boroughs as well as a Head Start program serving 1,200 families in Puerto Rico. Begun by the Sisters of Charity order 138 years ago as The Foundling Asylum (and later Hospital), The Foundling remains at the forefront of our community’s efforts in identifying and preventing child abuse, and caring for its victims.
Looking back at April, can you highlight some of The Foundling’s activities for Child Abuse Prevention Month?
Given the business we’re in, we actually think every month is Child Abuse Prevention Month. But April is when the rest of the country becomes aware of this problem that still plagues us. In New York State alone, there are 150,000 calls a year alleging physical abuse and/or neglect of children. We culminated the month with a big weekend conference at our Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection [Christopher Street and Waverly Place]. We hosted experts from around the country to talk about how to identify and treat child abuse. It was a great three days with a very lively exchange of ideas. But it’s a very difficult business. That same Friday, we took in a baby who was scalded over 25 percent of her body in a hot bath. So, while there are many great things about this city, the fact is, even right here in Chelsea, even right here in the West Village, you don’t have to go very far to find out what was done to this infant, to this young boy or that young girl. As adults, we can’t rest until this problem is addressed.
What are the differences working in a government agency versus a private one?
Here, you’re more focused on implementing policies and you become, by nature, more reactive. In government, you develop the policies and the pace is a bit more studied. The other difference is, quite frankly, in my old job back in Albany, I wouldn’t have heard about that baby who was scalded. You’re a bit further removed from the action on the street. That’s good and bad because policy shouldn’t be unduly influenced by an isolated case or incident. On the other hand, getting first-hand knowledge of these cases reaffirms the importance of what we do.
How much do you rely on charitable donations?
This fiscal year, we’ll need about $5 million in philanthropic support, on top of our $82 million [government budget], to make the bottom line. We believe kids need additional services that government has not yet chosen to support. For example, we wanted to lower caseloads. So our board said, “If you think that will provide a higher quality of services for the kids and families we care for, then let’s raise our own money to do it.” We’re operating a sleep-away camp called Camp Felix up in Putnam County, jointly with another foundation. We’ll lose money there, but our board feels to give kids a week outside of the city, where they can hear the birds chirp, go canoeing and swimming, is great. So they said, “Let’s do it and we’ll raise the money.”
The Foundling’s Website has a rather mind-boggling outline of 11 categories of programs and services. Can you give an umbrella statement of your mission?
We’ve come up with a new tagline, which is “Abandon No One.” That’s what we believe: that we shouldn’t walk away from anybody who needs our help. Our mission, if I could put it in a nutshell, is “saving children, preserving families and building communities.”
How is The Foundling addressing its goal of promoting innovation in child welfare?
We are a big supporter of the direction the city is going in the child-welfare world. Our No. 1 goal should be to keep families together, but not at all costs. Child safety is the underpinning of any good child-welfare system. When we’re unable to keep families together because of child safety issues, then we believe, as does the city, that kids can be cared for in family-like settings.
What percentage of your staff is volunteer?
We have about 100 volunteers. People can volunteer or donate by calling our director of development, Ginny Keim, at 212-886-4036.
What are some of the programs being developed under your administration?
We’re now interested in opening a charter school, most likely in the Bronx, so we can integrate our child-welfare services with an academic experience—because we feel the lives of a lot of these kids outside the classroom are very chaotic, and that’s something the school system has failed to recognize. We’d like to start classes in September 2008. If you want to stay relevant as an agency, you have to be willing to evolve and to anticipate the needs of the community. We’re trying to see where our child-welfare services may have fallen short and where education has fallen short, and to integrate the two. We also want to move more aggressively into preventive services. We’ve applied to the state for a mental health clinic [license], because if we’re going to keep a lot of these families together, they’re going to be in great need of mental-health and/or substance-abuse services.
How do children and families seek your services?
If children are put into foster care or if families are given preventive services, the city refers these cases to us. We also take families who walk in, which is totally voluntary. We operate a crisis nursery right here in this building. If a family’s having a hard time and just can’t deal with the stresses, if their kids are unsafe, they can bring them to us. We’ll take care of their children and get them the services they need.
What are the signs of child abuse?
Beyond the obvious physical manifestations, the early signs of abuse are
sudden changes in a kid’s behavior, changes in his or her demeanor or physical appearance. If you’re in a position to watch a parent and a child interact, how does the child respond? Do you notice love? Indifference? Let’s say you’re operating a daycare center: When a parent walks into the room and the child doesn’t seem to react, that can be an indicator.
What about signs of neglect and psychological or emotional abuse?
A lot of this is a gray area. That’s why we encourage people, if they think it’s going on, to please report it. Because we can’t run the risk that a child might be harmed. Most kids want to laugh, they want to have fun, they want to enjoy themselves. When you see kids off by themselves in a corner, not trusting you, not letting you approach them, those are the early signs that make you say, “I’ve got to look at this situation a little more closely.”
What should people do if they suspect abuse?
They can make an anonymous, confidential call to what’s called the State Central Register, at 1-800-342-3720.
Who is responsible for verifying accusations of abuse, and what are the procedures?
There are trained social workers who answer that phone up in Albany, and they will make a determination whether to accept the case or not based on the facts as you present them. If they think it’s a case, they “indicate” it [and there are then two options]. Say you left your 10-year-old alone for an hour: They can find the allegation is true, but that it was a one-time occurrence, an isolated incident [at which point the case would be closed]. Or an indicated case [that clearly involves abuse] can be open for services. These services can be preventive, meaning it’s not enough to remove the child, but this family needs some help. Or, it could be a case of physical abuse, so the child is removed, goes into the custody of the city, and the city turns to an institution like The Foundling to care for the child.
