What's happening
The bill makes employees or volunteers of youth organizations mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or maltreatment.
Why it matters
Expands legal responsibility. By making employees and volunteers of youth organizations mandated reporters, the bill increases the number of adults legally required to report suspected child abuse or maltreatment, potentially increasing early intervention and child safety.
Targets a key environment. Youth organizations often have close, ongoing interactions with children through activities and events, placing staff and volunteers in a unique position to notice signs of abuse that might go undetected in other settings.
Connects policy and practice. The amendment specifically applies to organizations that have, or should have, internal policies requiring staff or volunteers to report suspected abuse, reinforcing best practices and potentially encouraging more organizations to adopt or clarify such policies.
Raises accountability stakes. The change could have legal and organizational consequences for individuals and groups who fail to report suspected abuse, potentially leading to greater diligence and training within youth-serving organizations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Make Youth Workers Report Abuse
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to children and families
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10737
IN ASSEMBLY
July 8, 2020
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Galef) -read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to including certain employees or volunteers of youth organizations as mandated reporters
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 413 of the social services law, as amended by section 7 of part C of chapter 57 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The following persons and officials are required to report or cause a report to be made in accordance with this title when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child coming before them in their professional or official capacity is an abused or maltreated child, or when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is an abused or maltreated child where the parent, guardian, custodian or other person legally responsible for such child comes before them in their professional or official capacity and states from personal knowledge facts, conditions or circumstances which, if correct, would render the child an abused or maltreated child: any physician; registered physician assistant; surgeon; medical examiner; coroner; dentist; dental hygienist; osteopath; optometrist; chiropractor; podiatrist; resident; intern; psychologist; registered nurse; social worker; emergency medical technician; licensed creative arts therapist; licensed marriage and family therapist; licensed mental health counselor; licensed psychoanalyst; licensed behavior analyst; certified behavior analyst assistant; hospital personnel engaged in the admission, examination, care or treatment of persons; a Christian Science practitioner; school official, which includes but is not limited to school teacher, school guidance counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school nurse, school administrator or other school personnel required to hold a teaching or administrative license or certificate; full or part-time compensated school employee required to hold a temporary coaching license or professional coaching certificate; social services worker; employee of a publ-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16837-01-0
A. 10737 2
icly-funded emergency shelter for families with children; director of a children's overnight camp, summer day camp or traveling summer day camp, as such camps are defined in section thirteen hundred ninety-two of the public health law; employee or volunteer of an organization whose primary purpose is to interact with youth through activities, events or other one on one or group gatherings, where such organization has or should have policies which require such employee or volunteer to report either to the organization or to a local authority about any suspected child maltreatment or child abuse; day care center worker; school-age child care worker; provider of family or group family day care; employee or volunteer in a residential care facility for children that is licensed, certified or operated by the office of children and family services; or any other child care or foster care worker; mental health professional; substance abuse counselor; alcoholism counselor; all persons credentialed by the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services; employees, who are expected to have regular and substantial contact with children, of a health home or health home care management agency contracting with a health home as designated by the department of health and authorized under section three hundred sixty-five-l of this chapter or such employees who provide home and community based services under a demonstration program pursuant to section eleven hundred fifteen of the federal social security act who are expected to have regular and substantial contact with children; peace officer; police officer; district attorney or assistant district attorney; investigator employed in the office of a district attorney; or other law enforcement official.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.