Mandated Reporter in New York: Duties, Training, and Penalties

If your job in New York puts you in regular contact with children, you are likely a mandated reporter, which means you must call the Statewide Central Register at 1-800-635-1522 as soon as you have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or maltreatment, and follow up with a written report within 48 hours. Willfully failing to do so is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, and it can also expose you to civil liability if a child is further harmed.

Who Has to Report

Social Services Law Section 413 names the professions covered. The list is broad, and the common thread is professional proximity to children:

Physicians, physician assistants, surgeons, dentists, dental hygienists, registered nurses, EMTs, optometrists, chiropractors, podiatrists, coroners, medical examiners, residents, and interns
Psychologists, licensed mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychoanalysts, creative arts therapists, and substance abuse and alcoholism counselors
Teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, school nurses, school administrators, and compensated coaches with temporary or professional coaching certificates
Daycare workers, family and group family daycare providers, foster care workers, employees and volunteers at residential care facilities licensed or operated by OCFS, and directors of overnight, summer day, and traveling summer day camps
Social workers and employees of publicly funded emergency shelters for families with children
Police officers, peace officers, district attorneys, assistant district attorneys, and DA’s office investigators
Hospital personnel, Christian Science practitioners, and employees of health home-care agencies or community-based services who have regular and substantial contact with children¹

When the Duty Kicks In

You must report when you have “reasonable cause to suspect” that a child has been abused or maltreated. The standard is deliberately low. You do not need proof, you do not need to investigate on your own, and you do not need to be certain. If the facts you have observed would lead a reasonable person in your profession to suspect something is wrong, you are required to call.²

Waiting to gather more evidence before calling is exactly the kind of delay that can put a child at greater risk and expose you to liability. Report the suspicion and let investigators determine what happened.

How to Make the Report

Call the SCR mandated reporter hotline at 1-800-635-1522. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.¹

Within 48 hours of that call, submit a written report on OCFS Form LDSS-2221A to your local Child Protective Services office. If the child is in a facility operated or supervised by an authorized agency or OCFS, send the written report directly to the SCR instead.²

Include what you know:

The child’s name, address, age, sex, and race
Names and addresses of parents or other caregivers
The nature and extent of injuries or maltreatment, including any signs of prior abuse
The name of the person you believe is responsible, if known
Family composition, where relevant
Your name and contact information
Any actions you have already taken, such as photographs, X-rays, or notifying a medical examiner
Anything else you think could help investigators

You do not need every piece of information to file. Report what you have.³

New York does offer an online reporting portal, but it only accepts reports involving court-ordered investigations or educational neglect. Every other concern goes through the hotline.⁴ When in doubt, call.

Training You Must Complete

All mandated reporters must complete a training course on identifying and reporting child abuse and maltreatment. OCFS provides a free, fully narrated online version available around the clock.⁵

The basic training is a one-time requirement, but when the state updates the curriculum you must complete the new version by a set deadline even if you finished an earlier one. Two recent updates apply:

Chapter 56, Laws of 2021 added material on implicit bias in decision-making, adverse childhood experiences, and recognizing signs of abuse during virtual interactions. The deadline to complete this version was April 1, 2025.
Chapter 25, Laws of 2024 added protocols for identifying abused or maltreated children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Mandated reporters must complete this updated training by November 17, 2026.⁶

Completing an older version does not satisfy the current requirement.

Penalties for Not Reporting

Social Services Law Section 420 creates two separate consequences:

Willfully failing to report is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.⁷⁸⁹
Knowingly and willfully failing to report makes you civilly liable for damages caused by that failure. If a child suffers additional harm that a timely report could have prevented, the child or the family can sue you.⁷

The mental states differ. Criminal liability requires that the failure be willful, meaning you were aware of your obligation and chose not to report. Civil liability requires it to be both knowing and willful, a slightly higher bar.

Protections When You Do Report

Immunity for Good-Faith Reports

Social Services Law Section 419 grants immunity from civil and criminal liability to anyone who participates in good faith in making a report, taking photographs, removing or keeping a child, or disclosing child protective services information as required by law. Good faith is presumed as long as you were acting within the scope of your duties and did not engage in willful misconduct or gross negligence.¹⁰ If someone sues you over a report, the burden is on them to prove bad faith.

Federal law adds a second layer. Under 34 U.S.C. Section 20342, a good-faith reporter cannot face civil liability or criminal prosecution under federal law, and a reporter who prevails in a federal civil action brought over a report may be awarded attorney’s fees and costs.¹¹

Your Employer Cannot Retaliate

New York’s whistleblower law, Labor Law Section 740, bars employers from retaliating against employees who report violations of law or conditions endangering public health or safety. The law normally requires employees to notify their employer first, but that requirement is waived when the report involves conduct that could endanger the welfare of a minor. You can call the SCR without telling your boss, and your employer cannot fire, demote, or discipline you for doing so.¹²

Your Identity Stays Confidential

Social Services Law Section 422 keeps reports confidential. Your identity as a reporter will not be disclosed to the family you reported, except in narrow circumstances such as a court order or a criminal investigation. Access to report records is limited to authorized individuals, and anyone who releases the information to unauthorized parties commits a Class A misdemeanor.¹³

HIPAA and FERPA Do Not Block Reporting

The HIPAA Privacy Rule explicitly permits covered entities to disclose information to government authorities when reporting child abuse or neglect under 45 C.F.R. Section 164.512(b)(1)(ii). Even if a state reporting law appeared to conflict with HIPAA, HIPAA’s preemption rules carve out an exception for state child abuse reporting requirements.¹⁴ FERPA also includes exceptions for health and safety emergencies and for compliance with state reporting laws, so a school employee’s report does not violate it.

False Reports Are a Separate Crime

Under Penal Law Section 240.50, knowingly making a false report of child abuse or maltreatment to the SCR is falsely reporting an incident in the third degree. The operative word is “knowingly.” A good-faith report that investigators later determine to be unfounded is not a false report and carries no penalty. OCFS is required to refer suspected false reports to the appropriate law enforcement agency or district attorney.¹⁵

If You Work on Federal Land or a Military Installation

A separate federal obligation applies alongside state law. Under 34 U.S.C. Section 20341, professionals who learn of facts giving reason to suspect child abuse on federal land must report to a federally designated agency as soon as possible, meaning within 24 hours. Reports involving sexual abuse, serious physical injury, or life-threatening neglect must be immediately referred to a law enforcement agency with emergency authority.¹⁶ For military families, reports go to the state child welfare agency where the child lives, regardless of whether the incident happened on or off base. If you work in one of these settings, know both the federal channel and New York’s SCR number, because both systems may need to be notified.

1
OCFS – NY.Gov. Summary Guide for Mandated Reporters in New York State
2
New York State Senate. New York Social Services Law 415 – Reporting Procedures
3
Office of Children and Family Services. Chapter 2 – Reporters
4
NY.Gov. Mandated Reporters Online Portal
5
Office of Children and Family Services. Mandated Reporter Training
6
New York State Education Department. Mandated Training Related to Child Abuse
7
New York State Senate. New York Social Services Law 420 – Penalties for Failure to Report
8
New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 70.15 – Sentences of Imprisonment for Misdemeanors and Violation
9
New York State Senate. New York Penal Law 80.05 – Fines for Misdemeanors and Violation
10
New York State Senate. New York Social Services Law 419 – Immunity from Liability
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 USC 20342 – Federal Immunity
12
New York State Senate. New York Labor Law 740 – Retaliatory Action by Employers
13
New York State Senate. New York Social Services Law 422 – Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
14
HHS.gov. Does HIPAA Preempt This State Law
15
New York State Mandated Reporter Resource Center. NYS Laws Regarding Falsely Reporting Child Abuse and Maltreatment
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 34 U.S. Code 20341 – Child Abuse Reporting