Press Conference: Family Defense Advocates Urge Albany to Reform Family Regulation System

Impacted parents and advocates from across New York State called on lawmakers in Albany to pass three critical bills that they say will help counter the racial-based surveillance inherent in the family regulation system, and empower Black and brown families.
The advocates are calling for the passage of three bills before the end of the 2021 legislative session:
S4821 / A4285, to prohibit non-consensual drug and alcohol testing and screening of pregnant and prenatal people and newborns.
S5572 (2020 bill number, 2021 number pending) which would require all callers to provide identifying information when reporting allegations of child maltreatment.
S5484-A / A6792, requiring caseworkers investigating child maltreatment to notify parents and caretakers of their rights.
These bills are a part of a larger effort in New York to shrink the pathways through which families are funneled into the family regulation system, which has historically been and continues to be used to surveil and target Black and brown families.