Controversial Activist Eyed for NYC Child Welfare Leadership: A Bold Move or Risky Gamble?

Zohran Mamdani, the socialist mayor, is reportedly considering appointing a controversial activist to head the city’s child welfare agency, according to sources obtained by The Post. The activist, Angela Burton, advocates for the abolition of Child Protective Services (CPS).

Burton is currently in the concluding stages of interviews to potentially lead the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). This information comes from a source familiar with the selection process. The ACS plays a critical role similar to that of the state’s CPS, as it is responsible for investigating cases of suspected child abuse and overseeing the city’s foster care system.

At 65, Burton is recognized as a prominent radical figure. She is involved with the Children’s Rights’ New York Mandated Reporting Working Group, a nonprofit organization. According to its website, the group aims to “narrow” the scope of mandated reporting laws and halt the “invasive investigations they trigger statewide.”

The organization argues that, “For decades, mandated reporting laws have led to the over-surveillance and separation of families, especially among black, Latine, and under-resourced communities.” This statement reflects the group’s critical stance on current practices.

Burton is a vocal critic of both the state’s CPS and the foster care system, challenging the removal of children from homes suspected of abuse. She has characterized these actions as racially biased.

She is a frequent critic of the state’s ACS analogue Child Protective Services and foster care, and casts attempts to remove children from homes of suspected child abuse as racist.

“We don’t need CPS. CPS is slow extractive genocide for black people in America. We know what you’re up to,” she posted on X in 2023.

She described the state analogue to ACS as “the same as child slavery” in a July 2023 post on X.

Burton has also called to abolish the “foster care industrial complex.”

She has repeatedly described CPS employees as racist and even referred to the child case workers as a “grave and imminent threat.”

“CPS investigations terrorize over a third of all children & OVER HALF (53%) of all BLACK children with invasive, traumatizing, generational documented harm. CPS is a grave and imminent threat to children and families,” she posted in 2024.

Burton’s radical views could present a grave danger to city kids, critics warned.

Based on her past statements, Burton’s goal would be to defang the agency and prevent it from removing children from abusive homes, Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Rafael Mangual told The Post. 

“I think somebody like Angela Burton would accelerate a radical agenda that would leave kids vulnerable and unsafe and ultimately lead to their demise,” he said.

“Absolutely, kids will die.”

Burton is telling allies she’s a shoe-in for the job, according to another source.

“Word is not only getting around, it’s sparking real fear,” the source said, “She’s both radical and ready to take her tweets and make them a reality.”

She previously served as special counsel for interdisciplinary matters for the New York State Office of Court Administration’s Justice Initiatives department, which handles “child welfare and juvenile and adolescent justice initiatives,” per its website.

She claimed in a July 2023 post on X she was fired the in 2022, because she planned to speak out against investigating abuse claims at a government panel.

ACS referred The Post to City Hall. The mayor’s office and Burton did not respond to requests for comment. A state court spokesperson did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.