Bill Text: NY A03169 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the youth in progress advisory board and regional teams for adolescents in foster care to provide mentorship of youths in foster care; requires reporting.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - referred to children and families [A03169 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A03169-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3169
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 23, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  SCARBOROUGH -- read once and referred to the
         Committee on Children and Families
       AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
         youth in progress advisory board and regional teams for adolescents in
         foster care for the state
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Article 6 of the social services law is amended by adding a
    2  new title 1-B to read as follows:
    3                                  TITLE 1-B
    4                              YOUTH IN PROGRESS
    5  SECTION 394. YOUTH IN PROGRESS.
    6    S 394. YOUTH IN PROGRESS.  1. THE YOUTH IN PROGRESS STATEWIDE ADVISORY
    7  BOARD  IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED FOR THE PURPOSES OF BRINGING TOGETHER YOUTH
    8  AGE FOURTEEN AND OLDER WHO ARE OR HAVE BEEN IN FOSTER CARE IN  ORDER  TO
    9  DISCUSS  COMMON  EXPERIENCES,  IDEAS  AND  CONCERNS.  THE  LOCAL  SOCIAL
   10  SERVICES DEPARTMENTS, AUTHORIZED AGENCIES SERVING ADOLESCENTS IN  FOSTER
   11  CARE, THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, AND CONTRACTORS OF THE
   12  OFFICE  MAY  RECRUIT  APPROPRIATE  YOUTH  TO PARTICIPATE IN THE YOUTH IN
   13  PROGRESS ADVISORY BOARD AND REGIONAL TEAMS ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS.
   14    2. THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY  SERVICES  SHALL  FACILITATE  THE
   15  FORMATION  OF REGIONAL YOUTH IN PROGRESS TEAMS AND ASSIST IN IDENTIFYING
   16  AN ADULT MENTOR FOR EACH  YOUTH  TEAM  MEMBER.  THE  REGIONAL  YOUTH  IN
   17  PROGRESS TEAMS AND ADULT MENTORS SHALL MEET ON A REGULAR BASIS AND SHALL
   18  CONDUCT  PERIODIC  REGIONAL FORUMS FOR FOSTER CARE YOUTH TO SPEAK OUT ON
   19  ISSUES OF INTEREST TO ADOLESCENTS IN FOSTER CARE.
   20    3. THE YOUTH IN PROGRESS STATEWIDE ADVISORY  BOARD,  SHALL  INCLUDE  A
   21  REPRESENTATIVE  FROM  THE  REGIONAL TEAMS THAT WILL ADVISE THE OFFICE OF
   22  CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES AND THE COUNCIL ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ON
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD03890-01-3
       A. 3169                             2
    1  ISSUES RELATING TO FOSTER CARE. IN EACH OF THE SIX  OFFICE  OF  CHILDREN
    2  AND FAMILY SERVICES REGIONS THE YOUTH IN PROGRESS REGIONAL TEAM OR TEAMS
    3  SHALL  NOMINATE  UP  TO  FOUR  YOUTH  MEMBERS AND THEIR ADULT MENTORS TO
    4  PARTICIPATE  IN THE STATEWIDE YOUTH IN PROGRESS ADVISORY BOARD. IN ADDI-
    5  TION, FOUR YOUTH CURRENTLY OR FORMERLY PLACED WITH THE OFFICE  OF  CHIL-
    6  DREN AND FAMILY SERVICES' DIVISION OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND OPPORTUNITIES
    7  FOR  YOUTH  SHALL  BE  SELECTED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE STATEWIDE YOUTH IN
    8  PROGRESS ADVISORY BOARD, TO BE MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY  BOARD'S  MEMBER-
    9  SHIP.  THE  STATEWIDE  YOUTH IN PROGRESS ADVISORY BOARD SHALL HAVE UP TO
   10  TWENTY-EIGHT YOUTH PARTICIPANTS AND SHALL MEET AT LEAST THREE TIMES EACH
   11  YEAR.
   12    4. (A) THE STATEWIDE YOUTH IN  PROGRESS  BOARD  MAY  ISSUE  AN  ANNUAL
   13  REPORT  WITH ITS RECOMMENDATIONS ON ISSUES OF INTEREST TO ADOLESCENTS IN
   14  FOSTER CARE. THE REPORT MAY INCLUDE OTHER INFORMATION ON THE  ACTIVITIES
   15  OF  THE  YOUTH  IN  PROGRESS  BOARD.  THE  OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY
   16  SERVICES SHALL PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE  STATEWIDE  YOUTH  IN
   17  PROGRESS  BOARD,  INCLUDING  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  ANNUAL  REPORT. SUCH
   18  REPORTS SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO:
   19  THE GOVERNOR, THE LEGISLATURE, THE DIRECTOR OF THE COUNCIL  ON  CHILDREN
   20  AND  FAMILIES,  AND  THE  MEMBER AGENCIES OF THE COUNCIL ON CHILDREN AND
   21  FAMILIES. THE CONTENTS OF THE YOUTH IN PROGRESS ANNUAL REPORT  SHALL  BE
   22  SOLELY  THE WORK PRODUCT OF THE YOUTH IN PROGRESS BOARD AND ITS MEMBERS,
   23  AND SHALL NOT BE REVISED OR EDITED BY THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND  FAMILY
   24  SERVICES.
   25    (B)  AT  LEAST  SIXTY  DAYS PRIOR TO THE COMMISSIONER OF THE OFFICE OF
   26  CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES FINAL APPROVAL  OF  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS
   27  PERTAINING  TO  FOSTER  CARE OR SERVICES FOR ADOLESCENTS WHO ARE OR HAVE
   28  BEEN IN FOSTER CARE, OTHER THAN EMERGENCY  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS,  THE
   29  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  SUBMIT  THE  PROPOSED  RULES AND REGULATIONS TO THE
   30  STATEWIDE YOUTH IN PROGRESS ADVISORY BOARD  FOR  REVIEW.  THE  STATEWIDE
   31  YOUTH  IN  PROGRESS  BOARD MAY REPORT ITS RECOMMENDATIONS THEREON TO THE
   32  COMMISSIONER OF THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES WITHIN  SIXTY
   33  DAYS.
   34    S  2.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
   35  have become a law.