TCA in the News

by Christian Garzone

November 10, 2025

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Of the 6,768 Child Protective Services investigations in Monroe County in 2024, 76% were unfounded with no abuse or neglect, according to a report published by HOPE585 and The Children’s Agenda.

“That is real economic loss, pulling directly from families who are already living in the margins,” said Ashley Cross, executive director of HOPE585. “The total cost: $13.76 million in taxpaying dollars.”

Davis Craig, the report’s co-author, said that’s roughly $2,676 per case.

“Each investigation still triggered a full-scale response, staffing, travel documentation, legal review,” he said.

Cross said investigations run 60 days at least, with understaffed investigators pulling children out of school and keeping families apart — families already living on the edge.

“This county spent roughly $11.5 million responding to investigations that ultimately found no safety concerns,” Cross said. “Families themselves lost an estimated $2.2 million in wages due to lost time at work, travel and appointments tied to the investigative process.”

Cross said children being taken from classrooms or getting approached by investigators erodes trust and can prevent families in need from asking for help. The fear is that with seeking assistance, a CPS investigation could then be launched.

“It changes how families see schools, health care providers and social service workers in neighborhoods with high rates of CPS involvement,” Cross said. “Families learn that asking for help can lead to surveillance.”

“When CPS knocks on your door, they’re not showing up with groceries and a bus pass and cash for housing,” she added. “They’re showing up to launch an investigation.”

Assemblymember Sarah Clark, D-Rochester, said money spent on CPS investigations could be used elsewhere.

“We’re doing more damage with our public dollars than we are good,” Clark said. “We are actually doing the opposite of what we want when it comes to keeping children and families safe.”

Clark said housing insecurity is the No. 1 root cause of familial instability.

“(If) we can put all our resources there, we would have so many more better outcomes than you could even imagine,” said Clark.

Larry Marx, CEO of The Children’s Agenda, said there are dozens of other uses for $13 million in Monroe County.

“Things like establishing an $8 million contingency fund for child care assistance when the state funding runs out,” said Marx, adding another idea, like supplementing emergency food systems, to help families in crisis during a government shutdown.

Cross hopes she and other community leaders working with state lawmakers can accomplish the following:

• Ask Monroe County to expand access to support
• Reinvest public dollars back into community programs.
• Ensure reports on CPS cases are done every year, and accessible and transparent.
• Advance state legislation like the Supporting Families Together Act.

The Supporting Families Together Act would help remove penalties for mandated reporters — those required in New York State to report suspected child abuse — and allow the reporters to choose alternatives in the community, like HOPE585 and The Children’s Agenda, to help families.

“Don’t report families over homelessness,” said Cross. “Don’t report families because their children are coming to school dirty. Those are things in which … the community can wrap around those families.”

Original story here: https://13wham.com/news/local/76-of-cps-cases-unfounded-in-monroe-county-cost-taxpayers-1376-million-child-protective-services-report-childrens-agenda-hope-585-rochester