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- Referred to children and families
Companion bill
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Assists mandated reporters of child abuse or maltreatment to maintain the child's safety
In Assembly Committee · Children And Families · Sponsor Crystal Peoples-Stokes
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S6344
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to assisting mandated reporters of child abuse or maltreatment to maintain the child's safety
Purpose
To require a county department of child protective services to provide mandated reporters, who have made a report, with the necessary information for the purpose of assisting the mandated reporter in his or her professional and official role in maintaining the child's safety.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: amends paragraph A of subdivision 4 of section 422 of the social services law. The provision requires a county department of child protective services to provide certain information, within thirty days after receipt of a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment from a mandated reporter, for the purpose of assisting in his or hex professional and official role in maintaining the child's safety.
Justification
In 2C13, Erie County was rocked by the tragic death of five-year-old Bain Brooks at the hands of his mother's live-in boyfriend. Less than one year earlier, ten-year-old Abdifatah Nohamud was brutally murdered by his stepfather. Both cases had been handled by county child protective services (CPS), and at least one report to the State Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) had been made in both cases by those who sought to protect the children and were mandated by law to report such abuse.
While school officials and medical professionals are tasked with the protection of our children, and required by state law to report incidences of maltreatment or abuse, these professionals are often not given the means to ensure the state and county have taken the appropriate actions to keen children safe.
Physicians in Western New York have described cases in which there was no coordination between Child Protective workers and the medical professionals who reported an incident of abuse. This absence of communication presents a serious problem when the medical professional is determining who to send the child home with after a medical appointment or hospitalization. Better coordination between the county department and those charged with the protection of our children, will allow physicians, teachers and other mandated reporters to better fulfill their obligations to protect the safety and well-being of children under their care.
For example, under this legislation, CPS workers will be required to update a physician, teacher or other mandated reporter on the status of a child's case within 30 days of that physician's initial report of suspected abuse or maltreatment. This legislation will encourage
information-sharing and compel Child Protective Services to conduct deeper, more thorough investigations.
Legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.