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 group of mandated reporters. By including employees of tier II facilities and any shelter housing minors, the bill increases the number of adults legally required to report suspected child abuse or maltreatment, potentially leading to earlier detection and intervention.
Targets vulnerable populations. Children living in temporary housing or shelters are often at greater risk for abuse or neglect; this expansion directly addresses a gap where these youth may have previously had less protection or oversight.
Increases accountability for shelter staff. The legislation puts legal responsibility on shelter employees to act if they suspect abuse, which could encourage better training, awareness, and diligence among staff and volunteers who interact with minors.
Promotes consistency in child protection. By aligning reporting requirements for shelter workers with those in schools, healthcare, and other child-serving settings, the bill aims to ensure that minors receive a similar standard of care and protection regardless of their living situation.
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Expand Child Abuse Reporting
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
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History
- 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
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1319
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2025
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- 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.
LBD04186-01-5
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. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 413 of the social services law, as amended by chapter 733 of the laws of 2023, 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; athletic trainer; 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 parttime 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.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the amendments to paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 413 of the social services law made by section two of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as section 12 of chapter 733 of the laws of 2023 takes effect.
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::
S.240 of 2023-2024 (Hoylman-Sigal): Died in Children and Families
A.314 of 2023-2024 (Walker): Died in Children and Families
S.1486 of 2021-2022 (Hoylman): Died in Children and Families
A.4355 of 2021-2022 (Walker): Died in Children and Families
S.1488 of 2019-2020 (Hoylman): Died in Children and Families
A.6285 of 2019-2020 (Walker): Died in Children and Families
S.8678 of 2017-2018 (Hoylman):Diedin Children and Families
S.3977 of 2015-2016 (Parker):Diedin Children and Families S.7951 of 2014-2015 (Parker):Diedin 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.