Noting that the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) requires substantial changes in family court and child welfare casework practice that must be implemented by the states, this report documents the current child welfare situation in New York City and identifies the resources needed by the courts to maintain childrens safety and move children quickly into permanent homes. Following introductory remarks, the report provides background information on the federal legislation, the New York State Adoption Safe Families Act (NYS ASFA), the implementation of the Act in New York City, and the delayed disbursement of federal funds to address family court workload challenges. To obtain information for the report, the Citizens Committee for Children interviewed senior staff from several organizations with appropriate expertise, conducted a literature review, and surveyed family court judges and family court referees. Findings and recommendations are reported with regard to: (1) workload and the family court; (2) barriers to expedited permanency; (3) family court mental health services; (4) the complexity of petitions to terminate parental rights; (5) parents and the ASFA; (6) 18-B panel attorneys, law guardians, and ASFA; (7) testimony used during family court hearings; (8) Administration for Childrens Services (ACS) attorneys and ASFA; and (9) ACS caseworkers and ASFA. The report's five appendices include a glossary of relevant terms, guidelines for outcome measures, guidelines for permanency reviews, and data collection instruments. (Contains 49 references.) (KB)