Cross-Reporting Among Agencies That Respond to Child Abuse and Neglect - New York

Cross-Reporting Between Child Protective Services and Law Enforcement

Citation: Soc. Serv. Law §§ 415; 423(6)

Reports of suspected child abuse or maltreatment shall be made immediately by telephone or by fax on a form supplied by the commissioner of the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Oral reports shall be followed by a report in writing within 48 hours. Oral reports shall be made to the statewide central registry of child abuse and maltreatment unless the appropriate local plan for the provision of child protective services provides that oral reports should be made to the local child protective service (CPS). In those localities in which oral reports are made initially to the local CPS, CPS immediately shall make an oral or electronic report to the central registry. Written reports shall be made to the appropriate local CPS, except that written reports involving children being cared for in a home operated or supervised by an authorized agency or OCFS shall be made to the statewide central registry. The central registry shall transmit the reports to the agency responsible for investigating the report.

A social services district may establish a multidisciplinary investigative team or teams and may establish or work as part of a child advocacy center, at a local or regional level, for the purpose of investigating reports of suspected child abuse or maltreatment.

The social services district shall have discretion with regard to the category or categories of suspected child abuse or maltreatment such team or teams may investigate, provided, however, that the social services district shall place particular emphasis on cases involving the abuse of a child, sexual abuse of a child, or the death of a child. Members of multidisciplinary teams shall include but not be limited to representatives from the following agencies:

• Child protective services
• Law enforcement
• The district attorney's office
• A physician or medical provider trained in forensic pediatrics
• Mental health professionals
• Victim advocacy personnel
• A child advocacy center, if one exists

Members of the multidisciplinary team primarily responsible for the investigation of child abuse reports, including child protective services, law enforcement, and the district attorney's office, shall participate in joint interviews and conduct investigative functions consistent with the mission of the particular agency member involved.

Other Reporting Requirements

This issue is not addressed in the statutes and regulations reviewed.