Bill Text: NY S01617 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides that the return of a child who has been in the care and custody of a social services official for a period of six months or more without visitation by the parent, parents or guardian shall be returned to the care and custody of the parent, parents or guardian pursuant to a transition plan.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-03-28 - referred to children and families [S01617 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S01617-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1617
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   January 13, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. LAVALLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
       AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the return of  a
         child to the care and custody of his or her parent, parents or guardi-
         an
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Subdivision 7 of section 358-a of the social services  law,
    2  as  amended by section 39 of part A of chapter 3 of the laws of 2005, is
    3  amended to read as follows:
    4    (7) Return of child. If an instrument provides for the return  of  the
    5  care and custody of a child by the local social services official to the
    6  parent,  parents  or  guardian  upon  any terms and conditions or at any
    7  time, the local social services official shall comply with such terms of
    8  such instrument without further court order. Every  order  approving  an
    9  instrument providing for the transfer of the care and custody of a child
   10  to  a  local  social  services official shall be served upon the parent,
   11  parents or guardian who executed such instrument in such manner  as  the
   12  family  court judge may provide in such order, together with a notice of
   13  the terms and conditions under which the care and custody of such  child
   14  may  be  returned  to  the parent, parents or guardian. If an instrument
   15  provides for the return of the care and custody of a child by the  local
   16  social  services  official  to  the  parent, parents or guardian without
   17  fixing a definite date for such return, or if the local social  services
   18  official  shall  fail  to  return a child to the care and custody of the
   19  child's parent, parents or guardian in accordance with the terms of  the
   20  instrument,  the  parent,  parents  or  guardian  may seek such care and
   21  custody by motion for return of such child and order to  show  cause  in
   22  such  proceeding or by writ of habeas corpus in the supreme court.  IN A
   23  CASE WHERE A CHILD HAS BEEN IN THE CARE AND CUSTODY OF A SOCIAL SERVICES
   24  OFFICIAL FOR A PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS OR MORE WITHOUT  VISITATION  BY  THE
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00483-01-5
       S. 1617                             2
    1  PARENT, PARENTS OR GUARDIAN, THE INSTRUMENT THAT PROVIDES FOR THE RETURN
    2  OF  THE  CARE  AND CUSTODY OF A CHILD BY THE SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL TO
    3  THE PARENT, PARENTS OR GUARDIAN SHALL PROVIDE FOR A TRANSITION PLAN  FOR
    4  THE RETURN OF THE CHILD TO THE PARENT, PARENTS OR GUARDIAN. SUCH TRANSI-
    5  TION  PLAN  SHALL CONSIST OF A SERIES OF VISITS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME TO
    6  BE DETERMINED BY THE COURT IN ORDER TO PREPARE THE CHILD FOR THE  PERMA-
    7  NENT  RETURN  OF  THE  CHILD  TO HIS OR HER PARENT, PARENTS OR GUARDIAN.
    8  Nothing in this subdivision shall limit the requirement for a permanency
    9  hearing pursuant to article ten-A of the family court act.
   10    S 2. Subdivision 2 of section 384-a of  the  social  services  law  is
   11  amended by adding a new paragraph (i) to read as follows:
   12    (I)  IN  A  CASE  WHERE  A CHILD HAS BEEN IN THE CARE AND CUSTODY OF A
   13  SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL OR SUITABLE PERSON RELATED TO THE CHILD  FOR  A
   14  PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS WITHOUT VISITATION BY THE PARENT, PARENTS OR GUARD-
   15  IAN, THE INSTRUMENT THAT PROVIDES FOR THE RETURN OF THE CARE AND CUSTODY
   16  OF  A  CHILD  BY  THE SOCIAL SERVICES OFFICIAL TO THE PARENT, PARENTS OR
   17  GUARDIAN SHALL PROVIDE A TRANSITION PLAN FOR THE RETURN OF THE CHILD  TO
   18  THE PARENT, PARENTS OR GUARDIAN. SUCH TRANSITION PLAN SHALL CONSIST OF A
   19  SERIES  OF VISITS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME TO BE DETERMINED BY THE COURT IN
   20  ORDER TO PREPARE THE CHILD FOR THE PERMANENT RETURN OF THE CHILD TO  HIS
   21  OR HER PARENT, PARENTS OR GUARDIAN.
   22    S  3.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
   23  have become a law.