Bill Text: NY A09800 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to reporting of youth placed in foster care settings and recruitment of foster parents; requires information including the total number of youth placed in foster care, the reasons why such youth were placed and the efforts the state has taken to recruit and retain foster parents; repeals provisions relating to directing the office of children and family services to make information publicly available on the number of youth placed in foster care settings and recruitment of foster parents and the effectiveness thereof.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-05-31 - REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES [A09800 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A09800-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         9800--A

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     April 18, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. EPSTEIN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Children and Families -- reported and referred to the Committee
          on Ways and Means  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the social services law, in relation to reporting of
          youth placed  in  foster  care  settings  and  recruitment  of  foster
          parents;  and  to  repeal section 2 of chapter 11 of the laws of 2021,
          relating to directing the office of children and  family  services  to
          make  information  publicly available on the number of youth placed in
          foster care settings and recruitment of foster parents and the  effec-
          tiveness thereof

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 2 of chapter 11 of the laws of  2021,  relating  to
     2  directing the office of children and family services to make information
     3  publicly available on the number of youth placed in foster care settings
     4  and  recruitment  of  foster  parents  and the effectiveness thereof, is
     5  REPEALED.
     6    § 2. Section 17 of the social services law is amended by adding a  new
     7  subdivision (l) to read as follows:
     8    (l)  submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the
     9  temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of  the  assembly
    10  and  the  minority leader of the senate beginning December thirty-first,
    11  two thousand twenty-three, and biannually  thereafter,  regarding  youth
    12  placed  in  foster  care settings and the recruitment of foster parents.
    13  Such report shall be made publicly available online  and  shall  provide
    14  information,  as  required  pursuant  to this subdivision, aggregated by
    15  local social services  districts  and  foster  care  settings.  For  the
    16  purposes  of  this  subdivision, foster care settings shall include, but
    17  not be limited to, foster boarding homes, approved relative homes, group
    18  homes, group residences,  agency  operated  boarding  homes,  supervised
    19  independent  living arrangements, therapeutic foster care and child care
    20  institutions. The report shall include,  but  not  be  limited  to,  the
    21  following information:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15302-02-2
        A. 9800--A                          2

     1    (i)  the  total number of youth placed in a foster care setting at the
     2  time of the report, as well as a comparison to the total number of youth
     3  in care since the previous report was submitted;
     4    (ii)  the  reasons  why  such  youth have been placed in a foster care
     5  setting, with the total number of youth per category at the time of  the
     6  report.  Such  reasons  shall  include, but not be limited to, voluntary
     7  placement pursuant to section three hundred fifty-eight-a of this  chap-
     8  ter,  a termination of parental rights pursuant to section three hundred
     9  eighty-four-b of this chapter, placements pursuant to articles  ten  and
    10  ten-C of the family court act, or pursuant to a contract, grant or other
    11  agreement with the federal government;
    12    (iii) to the extent such information is available, the total number of
    13  youth placed in a foster care setting at the time of the report that are
    14  in  need  of  or  receiving specialized services, either due to a mental
    15  health illness or another disorder that may require additional  supports
    16  and services, including specialized educational services;
    17    (iv)  to  the  extent such information is available, how many youth at
    18  the time of the report have been previously  placed  in  a  foster  care
    19  setting in the state;
    20    (v)  the  total number of foster families that are currently certified
    21  in the state at the time of the  report  and  whether  that  number  has
    22  increased or decreased since the previous report was submitted;
    23    (vi)  how  many  children  and/or  families  have  received preventive
    24  services through a local social services district, and of those children
    25  and/or families, how many youth were successfully  kept  out  of  foster
    26  care  due to such services within the last calendar year for the initial
    27  report, and then since the previous report was submitted for all  subse-
    28  quent reports;
    29    (vii)  the  total number of placement options that have been certified
    30  as a qualified residential treatment program, as defined by  42  USCS  §
    31  672; and
    32    (viii)  the  efforts  the state has taken to recruit and retain foster
    33  parents in the state.
    34    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.