The National Association of Social Workers is the professional organization for social workers across the country. The New York Chapter (NASW-NY) is responsible for advocating for the nearly 62,000 licensed social workers in the State as well as the clients they serve. NASW-NY strongly supports A9283A (Hevesi)/S8602A (Salazar & Brisport), the Supporting Families Together Act, to remove the civil and criminal penalties for mandated reporters.

Families in New York often avoid seeking help from counselors, doctors, and teachers because they fear being reported to and investigated by Child Protective Services (CPS), even when they simply need support.

Under current law, mandated reporters (teachers, doctors, counselors, social workers, and other helping professionals) can face penalties for failing to report suspected abuse or neglect. This causes mandated reporters to make reports "just in case", regardless of whether they believe that the child is unsafe.

This results with the CPS system being overwhelmed with reports that they have to investigate, even though a majority of the investigations are unsubstantiated. This diverts time and resources away from those who are genuinely at risk.

In 2024, there were 143,836 registered reports of child abuse or neglect in NY. 65% of those reports were unfounded, and it cost $400 million dollars to investigate reports in 2025.

The Supporting Families Together Act will rebuild trust between families and professionals, allow professionals to use their judgment, and free up CPS capacity for real safety.

For all the above reasons, the NASW-New York Chapter enthusiastically supports A9283A (Hevesi)/S8602A (Salazar & Brisport), the Supporting Families Together Act, to remove the civil and criminal penalties for mandated reporters.