September 29, 2025 • 16 mins
Ronald E. Richter brings an unparalleled perspective to child welfare. With a career that spans over 35 years as a legal aid attorney, family court judge, former commissioner of New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), and as CEO of JCCA, a 200-year-old nonprofit that supports more than 17,000 children and families across New York each year, Ron has seen the system from every angle. After serving the last ten years as CEO, Ron Richter will step down from his role at JCCA in October. We’ll discuss what’s working in child welfare, where we’re still falling short, and stories that have stayed with him.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Get Connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly
conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on
one oh six point seven Light FM.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Thanks for listening to Get Connected. Ron E. Richter brings
an unparalleled perspective to the conversation on child welfare with
the career that spans over thirty five years as a
legal aid attorney, family court judge, former commissioner of New
York City's Administration for Children's Services, and a CEO of JCCA,
a two hundred year old nonprofit supporting more than seventeen
(00:34):
thousand children and families across New York each year. Ron
has seen the system from every angle, and after serving
the last ten years as CEO, Ron Richter will step
down from his role at JCCA in October. I'm looking
forward to speaking to him again, this time about what's
working in child welfare, where we're still falling short, and
stories that have stuck with him. Ron Richter, thank you
(00:55):
for being back on Get Connected.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Good morning, My pleasure.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
The website for the organization is jccany dot org. I
know you are passionate about this work. You have done
so much on behalf of children and families during your career.
How are you feeling now that you only have so
much time left in your tenure?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
You know, I'm reflective about where the agency was ten
years ago and where we've come in that period of time,
also recognizing that it's ten years in a two hundred
year history, and feeling really fortunate that I had the
opportunity in my career to make a mark on what
(01:36):
I consider one of the finest, most storied human services
organizations in the city, perhaps the country.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
As I mentioned in the intro, you've also seen this
work through a variety of lenses, from legal aid attorney
to family court judge to ACS commissioner. How has your
personal experience or professional experience shaped your philosophy?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
So, I had the great fortune of representing young people
aged zero to twenty one for the first thirteen years
of my career, and what that cemented for me is
how different each child and each family is, and the
real importance in our work to never forget that no
(02:24):
child or family is a data point. They are real people.
They have likes and dislikes, They have times in their
lives when they've been doing better in their opinion, there
are goals, they have, so everyone is.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Different and that has.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
I hope, really informed my approach to this work.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Let's talk about your role. You've worked in so many
other areas. What is the role of the CEO at JCCA.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Yeah, I mean it is a chief executive job, running
an organization with a budget of a one hundred and
twenty million dollars and about one thousand employees spread out
across multiple sites in New York City and Westchester. And
so you know, it is a real management job. And
(03:15):
sometimes I think that folks don't understand that just because
it's a nonprofit doesn't mean it isn't a business, and
that there are constant pressures on revenue and maximizing revenue,
on maintaining facilities, on leases, on labor. It's a job
(03:37):
that requires one to be able to sort of shift
quickly from one priority to another priority. And it's also
about shepherding the organization to a place that you think matters.
And so for us at JCCA, we really feel like
(03:57):
our third century, which started into two thousand and two,
should be characterized by preventive behavioral health, so leverage all
that we know scientifically about adverse childhood experiences. The Kaiser
Permanente study, which anyone can google and take the test.
(04:19):
And what we want to do with JCCA is intervene
sooner so that families resolve issues before you ever have
to call child welfare. That is the emergency room when
you call child welfare. But there's so much we can
do to prevent you ever from getting to the point
where you need to make that call.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I want to follow a couple of those threads, but
let's remind everybody who we're speaking with. Ron Richter. He's
CEO of JCCA is one of New York City's oldest
social service organizations, providing comprehensive support to seventeen thousand children
and young people and their families each year through foster
and residential care, educational assistance and remediation, case management for
(05:00):
mental health challenges, and services to families to prevent child
abuse and maltreatment. The website is JCCA ny dot org.
You're listening to get connected on one six point seven
light FM. I'm Mina del Rio. One of the things
you just mentioned, you were wrapping up talking about getting
to families before they really need social services. So you're
also working with a community often that has this lack
(05:22):
of trust with a child welfare system, So how do
you sort of balance the tension between that and supporting families.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
You are correct that is one of our greatest challenges
because child welfare has a reputation for taking kids away
from families, and the fact of the matter is that
we take away very few children from families, and almost
everyone I know in the child and family services world
(05:51):
thinks that that is, you know, the last stop, and
so there's so much that we can do before we
ever get to that point. And I think that the
data reflects the public policy behind that, so that in
nineteen ninety there were fifty thousand children from New York
(06:14):
City in foster care and some thirty percent we're in
a residential setting. Today there are about six or seven
thousand children in foster care from New York City and
only about eight or nine percent are in residential care.
That shift reflects an acknowledgment that we want kids to
(06:34):
be with their families in the communities they.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Know, and we need to support them there.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
I lament that there is so much criticism of the
child and family services field when almost everyone I know
who does this work wants to avert removal at almost
not any cost, but almost any that we know that's not.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Good for kids or families.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
And so my hope is as I go forth past jccas,
to continue to figure out ways to reduce the need
for removal, but also to shine a light on the
important work that is done in child protection. I think
that you know, we talk about our need for foster parents,
(07:26):
and we have a tremendous need even though we have
such few numbers of kids in care. We need solid,
strong foster families. Unfortunately, they've kind of, along with the
rest of us in child welfare, been demonized because there's
a lack of appreciation and really understanding of what best
(07:48):
practices are in child welfare.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Last time we spoke, you also talked about the issue
of finding enough people to work with kids in foster care,
specifically with the mental health crisis. You talked about trying
to build the staff of social social service workers. They're
just aren't enough people doing the job. How has that
been going.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
It's a continuing challenge. It is better than it was
during the pandemic, for sure, and economic conditions labor conditions
obviously drive some.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Of the challenge.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
But I worry that people are first of all concerned
about how hard the work is, and they're right, it
is very hard. And we don't do social work from
our kitchen tables. We do social work at other people's
kitchen tables, namely the families we serve. And as the
world becomes so much more virtually oriented, we definitely see
(08:46):
people reluctant to come into a field of work where
so much is required of you personally. So it continues
to be a challenge. To answer your question, I hope
to figure out with others how to create stronger, more
reliable pathways for young people who are actually interested in
(09:09):
human services, and figuring out how to shepherd them along
in a way that prepares them for how challenging the
work is.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
You have also taken the unusual step of talking about
shortfalls in your own organization. Can you talk about that
a little bit?
Speaker 4 (09:26):
You know, I am pretty transparent, and I think JCCA
is extraordinary because of our clients and because of the
people who work here, no question about it. But you
would have to be really blind if you didn't see
that running a human services organization in twenty twenty five
(09:47):
is fraud. It's fraught with challenges, securing revenue, it's fraught
with controversial positions that we take that don't seem controversial
to us, but are often skewed because people don't understand
our work as much as I wish they did. And
no organization is perfect our goal. My goal is to
(10:12):
be reflective on what we do well and areas where
we need to look outside and find out better solutions
than we have. And I don't think it serves anybody's
interests to act as though, oh, everything is perfect. Everything
isn't perfect. This is a hard environment, and the more
honest we are about that, I think the less disappointed
(10:35):
people who come to work here are, and I think
clients families really appreciate that you're willing to say, like,
we're not perfect, but share with us where you think
we could have done better, and we will work on it.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I have to say I do lots of these interviews
and not all of them stick with me afterwards. And
one of the things you said in our last conversation
stuck with me, and I'll paraphrase it that the government
doesn't expect companies that build highways to fundraise for new roads,
but the government does expect organizations aiding foster children and
their families to fundraise. So we should have our roads.
(11:14):
But why do you think our priorities are the way
they are. So many of the issues you talk about,
without you having to name it, I would assume have
to do with funding.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, so number one, children do not have the right
to vote, and I don't challenge that notion. I understand it,
but it makes our work compared to the power of AAARP.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
For example, very different.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I also think that we are generally working with families
that are struggling from poorer communities, where there's no question
that sometimes the supervision of a child falls below what
we consider the minimally accepted standard, and that's not popular.
(12:02):
So I think that part of our challenge is that
we are working with the most challenged communities, and so
far in our world, for the most part, that has
not been a priority. Why Because I think that there
are news cycles, there are political cycles, and making considered
(12:25):
long term commitments to the future of children has not
risen to where I think it needs to be, and
so I think that's part of the answer.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I think we have work to do there.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
There's also this thing about humans. We're just attracted to
sensational stories and dark stories. But you have said, there
are amazing stories everywhere you look in this work, So
can you tell me. I'm sure there's many, but one
that reminds you why this work matters and one that
sticks with you.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Oh my gosh, there are so many.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
One example is a young person who was very horrifically
sexually trafficked and struggled mightily as a result of all
of the trauma associated with that at a particularly young age,
who has really struggled with her life, but who ultimately
(13:25):
has been open to supports and to expanding her own
knowledge and education, and has become a social worker herself,
so wanting to invest in others like she used to be.
You know, That's one story. There are so many. There
(13:47):
are young people that I've met on our campus who
I will see acting out violently, but several months later
will be in a position to talk about their own
self regulating skills and how they've developed the ability to
self soothe, calm themselves down, take a walk, learning how
(14:10):
to cope.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
And that's just.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
Extremely reassuring, because the reason I'm so interested in working
with young people is because they're resilient and there's so
much opportunity when you really see a kid understand that
they actually have more control than they may feel.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Is just wonderful.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Is there anything else you'd like to leave us with?
As probably will be our last conversation, Ron, you.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Know, I really appreciate your raising this question of why
is it so hard to do this good work? And
I think that it's very important for us to recognize
that we are businesses and that the insurance companies we
(14:57):
deal with our businesses government treats us like any other vendor.
And so the more we can stop seeing ourselves as
being good doers, and the more we can see each
other as running a business and having clients that need
us and need quality services, the better.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
And I think that's a shift.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Our guest is Ron Richter. He's the CEO of JCCA.
You can find out more at JCCA ny dot org.
Thank you for being on get Connected.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
This has been Get Connected with Nina del Rio on
one oh six point seven light FM. The views and
opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views
of the station. If you missed any part of our
show or want to share it, visit our website for
downloads and podcasts. At one oh six to seven lightfm
dot com. Thanks for listening.
Welcome to Get Connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly
conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on
one oh six point seven Light FM.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Thanks for listening to Get Connected. Ron E. Richter brings
an unparalleled perspective to the conversation on child welfare with
the career that spans over thirty five years as a
legal aid attorney, family court judge, former commissioner of New
York City's Administration for Children's Services, and a CEO of JCCA,
a two hundred year old nonprofit supporting more than seventeen
(00:34):
thousand children and families across New York each year. Ron
has seen the system from every angle, and after serving
the last ten years as CEO, Ron Richter will step
down from his role at JCCA in October. I'm looking
forward to speaking to him again, this time about what's
working in child welfare, where we're still falling short, and
stories that have stuck with him. Ron Richter, thank you
(00:55):
for being back on Get Connected.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Good morning, My pleasure.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
The website for the organization is jccany dot org. I
know you are passionate about this work. You have done
so much on behalf of children and families during your career.
How are you feeling now that you only have so
much time left in your tenure?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
You know, I'm reflective about where the agency was ten
years ago and where we've come in that period of time,
also recognizing that it's ten years in a two hundred
year history, and feeling really fortunate that I had the
opportunity in my career to make a mark on what
(01:36):
I consider one of the finest, most storied human services
organizations in the city, perhaps the country.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
As I mentioned in the intro, you've also seen this
work through a variety of lenses, from legal aid attorney
to family court judge to ACS commissioner. How has your
personal experience or professional experience shaped your philosophy?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
So, I had the great fortune of representing young people
aged zero to twenty one for the first thirteen years
of my career, and what that cemented for me is
how different each child and each family is, and the
real importance in our work to never forget that no
(02:24):
child or family is a data point. They are real people.
They have likes and dislikes, They have times in their
lives when they've been doing better in their opinion, there
are goals, they have, so everyone is.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Different and that has.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
I hope, really informed my approach to this work.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Let's talk about your role. You've worked in so many
other areas. What is the role of the CEO at JCCA.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Yeah, I mean it is a chief executive job, running
an organization with a budget of a one hundred and
twenty million dollars and about one thousand employees spread out
across multiple sites in New York City and Westchester. And
so you know, it is a real management job. And
(03:15):
sometimes I think that folks don't understand that just because
it's a nonprofit doesn't mean it isn't a business, and
that there are constant pressures on revenue and maximizing revenue,
on maintaining facilities, on leases, on labor. It's a job
(03:37):
that requires one to be able to sort of shift
quickly from one priority to another priority. And it's also
about shepherding the organization to a place that you think matters.
And so for us at JCCA, we really feel like
(03:57):
our third century, which started into two thousand and two,
should be characterized by preventive behavioral health, so leverage all
that we know scientifically about adverse childhood experiences. The Kaiser
Permanente study, which anyone can google and take the test.
(04:19):
And what we want to do with JCCA is intervene
sooner so that families resolve issues before you ever have
to call child welfare. That is the emergency room when
you call child welfare. But there's so much we can
do to prevent you ever from getting to the point
where you need to make that call.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I want to follow a couple of those threads, but
let's remind everybody who we're speaking with. Ron Richter. He's
CEO of JCCA is one of New York City's oldest
social service organizations, providing comprehensive support to seventeen thousand children
and young people and their families each year through foster
and residential care, educational assistance and remediation, case management for
(05:00):
mental health challenges, and services to families to prevent child
abuse and maltreatment. The website is JCCA ny dot org.
You're listening to get connected on one six point seven
light FM. I'm Mina del Rio. One of the things
you just mentioned, you were wrapping up talking about getting
to families before they really need social services. So you're
also working with a community often that has this lack
(05:22):
of trust with a child welfare system, So how do
you sort of balance the tension between that and supporting families.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
You are correct that is one of our greatest challenges
because child welfare has a reputation for taking kids away
from families, and the fact of the matter is that
we take away very few children from families, and almost
everyone I know in the child and family services world
(05:51):
thinks that that is, you know, the last stop, and
so there's so much that we can do before we
ever get to that point. And I think that the
data reflects the public policy behind that, so that in
nineteen ninety there were fifty thousand children from New York
(06:14):
City in foster care and some thirty percent we're in
a residential setting. Today there are about six or seven
thousand children in foster care from New York City and
only about eight or nine percent are in residential care.
That shift reflects an acknowledgment that we want kids to
(06:34):
be with their families in the communities they.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Know, and we need to support them there.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
I lament that there is so much criticism of the
child and family services field when almost everyone I know
who does this work wants to avert removal at almost
not any cost, but almost any that we know that's not.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Good for kids or families.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
And so my hope is as I go forth past jccas,
to continue to figure out ways to reduce the need
for removal, but also to shine a light on the
important work that is done in child protection. I think
that you know, we talk about our need for foster parents,
(07:26):
and we have a tremendous need even though we have
such few numbers of kids in care. We need solid,
strong foster families. Unfortunately, they've kind of, along with the
rest of us in child welfare, been demonized because there's
a lack of appreciation and really understanding of what best
(07:48):
practices are in child welfare.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Last time we spoke, you also talked about the issue
of finding enough people to work with kids in foster care,
specifically with the mental health crisis. You talked about trying
to build the staff of social social service workers. They're
just aren't enough people doing the job. How has that
been going.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
It's a continuing challenge. It is better than it was
during the pandemic, for sure, and economic conditions labor conditions
obviously drive some.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Of the challenge.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
But I worry that people are first of all concerned
about how hard the work is, and they're right, it
is very hard. And we don't do social work from
our kitchen tables. We do social work at other people's
kitchen tables, namely the families we serve. And as the
world becomes so much more virtually oriented, we definitely see
(08:46):
people reluctant to come into a field of work where
so much is required of you personally. So it continues
to be a challenge. To answer your question, I hope
to figure out with others how to create stronger, more
reliable pathways for young people who are actually interested in
(09:09):
human services, and figuring out how to shepherd them along
in a way that prepares them for how challenging the
work is.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
You have also taken the unusual step of talking about
shortfalls in your own organization. Can you talk about that
a little bit?
Speaker 4 (09:26):
You know, I am pretty transparent, and I think JCCA
is extraordinary because of our clients and because of the
people who work here, no question about it. But you
would have to be really blind if you didn't see
that running a human services organization in twenty twenty five
(09:47):
is fraud. It's fraught with challenges, securing revenue, it's fraught
with controversial positions that we take that don't seem controversial
to us, but are often skewed because people don't understand
our work as much as I wish they did. And
no organization is perfect our goal. My goal is to
(10:12):
be reflective on what we do well and areas where
we need to look outside and find out better solutions
than we have. And I don't think it serves anybody's
interests to act as though, oh, everything is perfect. Everything
isn't perfect. This is a hard environment, and the more
honest we are about that, I think the less disappointed
(10:35):
people who come to work here are, and I think
clients families really appreciate that you're willing to say, like,
we're not perfect, but share with us where you think
we could have done better, and we will work on it.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I have to say I do lots of these interviews
and not all of them stick with me afterwards. And
one of the things you said in our last conversation
stuck with me, and I'll paraphrase it that the government
doesn't expect companies that build highways to fundraise for new roads,
but the government does expect organizations aiding foster children and
their families to fundraise. So we should have our roads.
(11:14):
But why do you think our priorities are the way
they are. So many of the issues you talk about,
without you having to name it, I would assume have
to do with funding.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Yeah, so number one, children do not have the right
to vote, and I don't challenge that notion. I understand it,
but it makes our work compared to the power of AAARP.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
For example, very different.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
I also think that we are generally working with families
that are struggling from poorer communities, where there's no question
that sometimes the supervision of a child falls below what
we consider the minimally accepted standard, and that's not popular.
(12:02):
So I think that part of our challenge is that
we are working with the most challenged communities, and so
far in our world, for the most part, that has
not been a priority. Why Because I think that there
are news cycles, there are political cycles, and making considered
(12:25):
long term commitments to the future of children has not
risen to where I think it needs to be, and
so I think that's part of the answer.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I think we have work to do there.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
There's also this thing about humans. We're just attracted to
sensational stories and dark stories. But you have said, there
are amazing stories everywhere you look in this work, So
can you tell me. I'm sure there's many, but one
that reminds you why this work matters and one that
sticks with you.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Oh my gosh, there are so many.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
One example is a young person who was very horrifically
sexually trafficked and struggled mightily as a result of all
of the trauma associated with that at a particularly young age,
who has really struggled with her life, but who ultimately
(13:25):
has been open to supports and to expanding her own
knowledge and education, and has become a social worker herself,
so wanting to invest in others like she used to be.
You know, That's one story. There are so many. There
(13:47):
are young people that I've met on our campus who
I will see acting out violently, but several months later
will be in a position to talk about their own
self regulating skills and how they've developed the ability to
self soothe, calm themselves down, take a walk, learning how
(14:10):
to cope.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
And that's just.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
Extremely reassuring, because the reason I'm so interested in working
with young people is because they're resilient and there's so
much opportunity when you really see a kid understand that
they actually have more control than they may feel.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Is just wonderful.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Is there anything else you'd like to leave us with?
As probably will be our last conversation, Ron, you.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Know, I really appreciate your raising this question of why
is it so hard to do this good work? And
I think that it's very important for us to recognize
that we are businesses and that the insurance companies we
(14:57):
deal with our businesses government treats us like any other vendor.
And so the more we can stop seeing ourselves as
being good doers, and the more we can see each
other as running a business and having clients that need
us and need quality services, the better.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
And I think that's a shift.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Our guest is Ron Richter. He's the CEO of JCCA.
You can find out more at JCCA ny dot org.
Thank you for being on get Connected.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
This has been Get Connected with Nina del Rio on
one oh six point seven light FM. The views and
opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views
of the station. If you missed any part of our
show or want to share it, visit our website for
downloads and podcasts. At one oh six to seven lightfm
dot com. Thanks for listening.
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