STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          9287
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 11, 2016
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  RICHARDSON  -- 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    § 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
    23  issues relating to foster care. In each of the six  office  of  children
    24  and family services regions the youth in progress regional team or teams
    25  shall  nominate  up  to  four  youth  members and their adult mentors to
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02293-01-5