Res 1195-2025

Whereas, In New York State (NYS), the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) operates as a 24/7 hotline for reporting suspected child abuse or maltreatment, and is designed to alert trained investigators to indicators of harm such as abuse, neglect, physical violence, unsafe living conditions, physical violence or sexual exploitation; and Whereas, SCR staff document each call, determine whether the allegations meet statutory criteria, identify whether a child or family has prior reports, and relay information to local Child Protective Services (CPS) offices, which must promptly investigate and assess the safety of any child involved; and Whereas, Mandated reporters-such as teachers, medical professionals, and social workers-receive specialized training in identifying signs of abuse or maltreatment and are legally required to provide their name and employment information when making a report, ensuring accountability for the use of the hotline system; and Whereas, By contrast, members of the general public receive no such training and can make reports anonymously, without providing their name or any identifying information; and Whereas, Anonymous reporting presents significant risks because it allows individuals acting with malice-such as disgruntled landlords, abusive partners, vindictive ex-partners, or neighbors with personal conflicts-to weaponize the child-protection hotline to harass, intimidate, or retaliate against parents and caregivers; and Whereas, An SCR report automatically triggers an CPS investigation, which can be intrusive and may involve unannounced home inspections, interviews with family members, neighbors, health-care providers, and school staff, and even strip-searching children for evidence of abuse, which can cause trauma, stigma, and family disruption even when allegations are unfounded; and Whereas, According to a 2023 investigation by ProPublica and NBC News, more than 4,000 children in New York City (NYC or the "City") faced investigations following anonymous reports, yet fewer than 7 percent of those allegations were substantiated; and Whereas, National data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' 2022 Child Maltreatment report found that 96 percent of anonymous hotline reports across the country were determined to be baseless, indicating that anonymous calls are disproportionately inaccurate or retaliatory; and Whereas, Research from the NYC Family Policy Project (FPP) found that between 2018 and 2022, NYS screened out far fewer hotline calls than most states-rejecting only about 25 percent of calls alleging maltreatment compared to a national average of 50 percent, resulting in an investigation rate above the national average; and Whereas, FPP reports that CPS investigations across NYS overwhelmingly affect Black and Latino families, with the 25 highest-poverty zip codes experiencing almost double the hotline call rates of other areas, accounting for about 88 percent of all families investigated in 2023, highlighting persistent racial and economic disparities; and Whereas, FPP further reports that in 2023, 1 in 20 NYC families experienced a case with the Administration for Children Services (ACS), which serves as the City's local CPS office, with at least 1 in 10 families facing an investigation in 15 zip codes that are predominantly Black and Brown-including 1 in 7 families in Brownsville and 1 in 8 in East Harlem-resulting in multiple families on nearly every block in these neighborhoods being subjected to intrusive and often traumatizing investigations, even when about 80 percent of cases that year were unsubstantiated; and Whereas, S.550A/A.66A, sponsored by NYS Senator Jabari Brisport and Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, which has passed both State Senate and Assembly and is awaiting the Governor's approval, would require members of the public to provide their name and contact information when making a report to the Statewide Central Register (SCR), while preserving confidentiality to protect callers from retaliation and enabling investigators to follow up as necessary; and Whereas, False, retaliatory, or malicious reporting diverts resources away from genuine cases of abuse or maltreatment, delays response time for children who may truly be in danger, and contributes to unnecessary surveillance of low-income families and Black and brown communities who are disproportionately subjected to hotline calls and CPS investigations; and Whereas, Requiring identifying information would improve the quality and reliability of reports, reduce malicious or retaliatory claims, and strengthen accuracy within the child-protection system without limiting legitimate reporting of suspected abuse or maltreatment; and Whereas, The enactment of A.66A/S.550A would reduce unnecessary and traumatic CPS investigations, allow local CPS offices, including ACS, to better target resources toward children who are genuinely at risk, and help protect the safety and dignity of children and families from unwarranted government intrusion, all while maintaining a strong and responsive child-safety system; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the Governor to sign A.66A/S.550A, which requires callers to provide their name and contact information when making a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment to the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment. LS #20705 12/12/2025 2:00 PM M.B.