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New State Central Register consolidated investigations
Protect children from child abuse. — Respond quickly to every allegation of abuse and neglect and perform thorough assessments of safety and risk.
The number of child-abuse and neglect hotline reports ACS investigates each year has fallen steadily since Fiscal 2022. ACS attributes the decline to its growing use of the CARES track, which connects families in lower-risk situations with supportive services instead of a formal investigation, and to partnerships with the NYC Public Schools and a preventive-services support line that help families before a hotline report becomes necessary — meaning mandated reporters are filing fewer reports overall, not that fewer children are being screened.
Researched July 15, 2026 — ACS, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, ACS, Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above. The dashed marker projects a full-year estimate at the current year-to-date pace.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 45,068 investigations |
| FY23 | 43,782 investigations |
| FY24 | 40,489 investigations |
| FY25 | 39,158 investigations |
| FY26 (YTD) | 27,943 investigations |
| FY26 (projected) | ~37,257 investigations |
Why this is tracked
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani created ACS by executive order in January 1996 as a standalone agency, pulling child welfare functions out of the former Human Resources Administration, in direct response to public outrage over Elisa Izquierdo's death and reports that the warning signs had been missed or ignored. Nicholas Scoppetta, who had spent time in foster care himself, was named the first Commissioner. The agency's creation marked a shift toward a more protective, investigation-focused posture, in contrast to a prior system that had prioritized keeping families together even in cases involving risk.
NYC ACS - ACS Celebrates 25 Years of Keeping Children Safe & Families Supported, New York City Administration for Children's Services - Wikipedia
Source: Connections, Division of Policy Planning and Measurement/Office of Research and Analytics — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: Number of abuse/neglect investigations conducted. Excludes those reports that have been consolidated based on a set of identified criteria.