The Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York strongly advocates for the passage of Senate Bill S902*proposed by State Senator Jabari Brisport and Assembly Bill A2479* proposed by State Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi. This legislation seeks to replace the system of anonymous reporting with one of confidential reporting.
The research in the Coalition’s 2021 position paper, “Child Abuse or Maltreatment Reports to the Central Register Must Include the Caller’s Name and Contact Information“ makes a compelling case for ending anonymous calls to the New York State Central Registry including:
- Anonymous callers represent a meaningful percentage of calls to central register, yet their reports rarely are substantiated as child abuse or maltreatment.
- Over the five year period between 2015-2019 in NYS, nearly 30% of all reports were found to be indicated. However; anonymous calls, 7% of all calls, were indicated only 3.48% of the time. These reports are a significant drain on the child welfare system.
- Allowing anonymous reporting works against parents’ constitutional rights and imposes emotional and financial burdens. This impact is even greater for families of color.
- Anonymous reporting of foster parents places greater burdens on families whose resources limit their ability to respond to baseless allegations.
We ask you to read the paper below and consider adding your signature or organization in support of both Senate Bill S902 proposed by State Senator Jabari Brisport and Assembly Bill A2479 proposed by State Assembly member Andrew Hevesi.
New York Times Article Jonah E. Bromwich and
Lawyers for a group of New York City parents argue that the Administration for Children’s Services uses “coercive tactics” that traumatize the families it is charged with protecting.
First-of-Its-Kind Civil Rights Lawsuit Shows How Administration for Children’s Services’ Widespread Practice of Searching Homes and Children’s Bodies Without Court Approval or Emergency Circumstances Traumatizes Families and Children.
Unconstitutional Practice Predominantly and Disproportionately Harms Black, Hispanic, and Low-Income New Yorkers.
The NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is expanding its work to help parents better understand their rights at the outset of a child protective investigation. The announcement comes following the completion of an initial pilot program in parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx, in which child protective specialists distributed over four hundred notifications to parents who were the subject of an allegation of child abuse or neglect. The notifications explain that, while ACS has a legal requirement to assess the safety of the child, parents are not required to let ACS into their homes and can seek the assistance of an attorney. If ACS is not allowed to check a child’s safety as required, the notification explains that ACS may seek permission from Family Court to complete the assessment. Commissioner Jess Dannhauser today announced that ACS will begin distributing written notifications to families in two more zones, with full implementation planned by July of 2024.
Democracy is not a spectator sport! Please help support this important legislation, message your state representative on this issue. Look up state Senator or Assemblymember and make a quick phone call, asking them to support it. It’s so very important that they hear directly from constituents. Please do consider sending a message to families and others in the community you’re connected to asking for their support.