Child Abuse/Child Welfare Concerns

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Family Support Services

Family Support Services may include:

  • Parenting Support & Family Relationships
  • Education & Job Training
  • Stress, Health, & Wellness
  • Intimate and Family Violence Interventions
  • Food, Clothing, & Household Items
  • Connecting You to Immigration Services Connecting You to Public Assistance
  • Connecting You to Public Assistance

Services are free, voluntary and available to families regardless of immigration status. Services are offered in a family's home and in their preferred language. Services are provided by community-based organizations.

Contact ACS Prevention Helpline (phone #: 212 676-7667, e-mail: connect@acs.nyc.gov) or see this Provider Directory for information and referral resources.

Family Assessment Program (FAP) works to strengthen families, reduce conflict, and connect your family to many services that provide ongoing support in your community. It helps families handle concerns such as a child running away, skipping school, or disruptive behavior, without having to go to court.

NYS Office of Children and Family Services guidance for supporting families highlights referrals for vital necessities like food, health care, and housing, can make all the difference when a family simply needs to be supported not reported to the SCR. The guidance and training for Mandated Reporters is made available at NYSED's website.

    State Central Register 

    If you have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or maltreatment, mandated reporters must personally make the report by calling the State Central Register (SCR) at 1-800-635-1522. 

    NYC DOE and ACS Contact Information - LDSS-2221A Reports

    LDSS - 2221A Report of Suspected Child Abuse or Maltreatment is available here.

    ACS - DOE Interagency Email Addresses

    The LDSS-2221A written report is emailed to:

    1. The local ACS field office in the borough where the alleged subject of the report lives;
    2. the Principal; and
    3. the Superintendent’s Designee

    NYC DOE Child Abuse Designated Liaison Training

    The schedule for the NYC DOE Child Abuse Designated Liaison Training is now available at the Counseling Support Programs - Professional Development page, which also includes the following resources.

    • Designated Liaison Training Deck
    • Photo-Documentation in Child Abuse and Maltreatment Cases for DOE Staff
    • Tiered Response Protocol (TRP) Webinar
    • ACS – DOE Case Review Request Form
    • Child Advocacy Center Multidisciplinary Release Form

    NYS Mandated Reporter Training

    Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2021 amended Social Services Law § 413 to require additional training to include protocols to reduce implicit bias in decision-making processes, strategies for identifying adverse childhood experiences, and guidelines to assist in recognizing signs of abuse or maltreatment while interacting virtually within the New York State Mandated Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment/Neglect coursework. This law requires that mandated reporters, including those who have previously undergone the current training, complete the updated training curriculum by April 1, 2025.

    To complete this new workshop requirement, mandated reporters in NYS can participate in this two-hour web-based online training course at any time, 24/7.  The online training is made available by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. 

    Training Handouts

    Child Abuse Prevention Poster

    Chancellor’s Regulation A-750

    Chancellor’s Regulation A-750 on Child Abuse and Maltreatment Prevention

    For technical assistance and inquiries pertaining to this regulation, please email childwelfare@schools.nyc.gov or contact:

    Citywide Coordinator, Child Abuse and Maltreatment Prevention Program
    N.Y.C. Department of Education
    52 Chambers Street – Room 218
    New York, NY 10007
    212-374-0805

    Joint Policy on Educational Neglect

    • NYSED and OCFS’ Division of Child Welfare and Community Services released updated joint guidance on February 10, 2021, on educational neglect applicable during and post pandemic.

    Tiered Response Protocol (TRP) for Unexplained Absences of Child-Welfare Involved Students

    Updated Guidance on Notification of a Missing Child Policy

    In accordance with NYS Education Law 3222(4), upon notification by the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), a school must flag the school records of a child who has been reported as a missing child so that when such school records are requested, the school can immediately notify the NYPD Missing Persons Squad (212 694-7781) and DCJS (800 346-3543) of the request. In addition, a school must immediately report to the NYPD Missing Persons Squad and DCJS with any information about the whereabouts of the missing child. The flag will be removed upon notification by DCJS that the missing child has been recovered. The DOE’s guidance on ATS procedures for flagging a missing child are in the process of being updated, as shown in the notification of a missing child guidance. In the interim, if you receive a letter forwarded to you via email from the Office of Safety and Youth Development regarding a missing child, please take the following immediate steps:

    • You should inform appropriate school staff (i.e., assistant principal, attendance coordinator, school counselor, etc.) of the need to flag (or unflag if the missing child has been recovered) the student’s records. This will be done by paying close attention to attendance and request for records or discharge.
      • If the missing student is present, immediately call the DCJS Missing Person Clearinghouse (800) 346-3543) and the NYPD Missing Persons Squad (212 694-7781).
      • If another school or the student’s parent/guardian requests the records, transfer or discharge, please provide the records, as usual, based on Transfer, Discharge, and Graduation (TDG) guidelines. However, do not alert the new school or requesting individual that the case has been flagged, or that the child has been reported missing. In addition, please do the following:
    • Immediately call the DCJS Missing Persons Clearinghouse (800) 346-3543) and the NYPD Missing Persons Squad (212 694-7781). Inform them of the name, address, and telephone number of the requesting school or individual.
      • File the letter in a specially designated folder in the principal’s office; note that the letter should not be filed in the student’s cumulative records folder, which is sent to the requesting school.

    Note that school staff should not enter a flag at the ATS PARU function, so there is no interference with investigative procedures. The updated ATS flagging procedures will be made available in an upcoming edition of Principals Digest. Flags will now be entered centrally, when notification from DCJS is received.

    Please share this information with your assistant principal(s), pupil accounting/student records secretaries and other school staff, as appropriate.

    NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS)

    New York State Office of Children and Family Services

    Additional School Training Resources