What's happening
This bill expands mandatory child abuse reporting to include employees of tier II facilities and shelters housing minors.
Why it matters
Expands the legal duty to report suspected child abuse. to include not just traditional professionals (like teachers or healthcare workers), but also employees of tier II facilities and any shelters housing minors, increasing the safety net for vulnerable youth in temporary housing.
Creates new legal and professional obligations. for a broader range of staff and volunteers, meaning these individuals could face penalties if they fail to report suspected abuse—heightening the importance of training and awareness in these settings.
May lead to earlier detection and intervention. for at-risk minors, as employees in shelters are often in a unique position to observe signs of abuse or neglect that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Highlights a policy shift towards greater oversight and accountability. in environments where minors may be especially vulnerable, signaling the state's intention to close gaps in child protection coverage.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Child Abuse Reporting
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to children and families
- Referred to children and families
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Expand Child Abuse Reporting
In Assembly Committee · Children And Families · Sponsor Latrice Walker
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1488
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 15, 2019
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to expanding the persons responsible for reporting cases of suspected child abuse to include employees, volunteers, or agents of any corporate entity having an agreement with a municipality as a tier II facility or any other shelter providing temporary housing to persons under the age of
18
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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05941-01-9
S. 1488 2
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 publicly-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; 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; or any employee of a tier II facility or any other shelter providing temporary housing to persons under the age of eighteen.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to expanding the persons responsible for reporting cases of suspected child abuse to include employees, volunteers, or agents of any corporate entity having an agreement with a municipality as a tier II facility or any other shelter providing temporary housing to persons under the age of 18
Purpose
To include among persons and officials that are designated mandated reporters and required to report or cause to be reported incidents of child abuse or neglect, employees of a tier II facility or any other shelter providing temporary housing to persons under the age of eigh- teen.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill expands the listing of persons and officials required to report or cause to be reported reasonable suspicion that any child within their purview is being abused or maltreated.
Section two of the bill sets an effective date of immediately.
Justification
Recently the incidents of abuse and/or maltreatment of children appear to have increased dramatically and are ancillary to incidents of domes- tic violence. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and the children who witness these events will attempt to intervene and eventually become the victims of child abuse or detri- mental neglect at a rate of 30% - 60%.
It is estimated that the majority of these incidents take place in the privacy of a family's home, but when these incidents take place under the aegis of municipal public programs, it is the responsibility of the municipality to require efficient and caring oversight, and trained providers to ensure a safe haven for defenseless children.
Legislative history
2018: S.8678 (Hoylman) - Died in Children and Families
2015-16: S.3977 (Parker) - Died in Children and Families
2014: S.7951 (Parker) - Died in Rules
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.