Bill Text: NY S07141 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the peer advocacy and mentoring program; provides peer support, advocacy and mentoring for youth in residential care.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES [S07141 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S07141-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7141

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 18, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families

        AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the  peer
          advocacy and mentoring program

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

     1    Section 1.  The executive law is amended by adding a new section 522-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 522-a. Peer advocacy and  mentoring  program.  1.  There  is  hereby
     4  created  within the office of children and family services, a peer advo-
     5  cacy and mentoring program.
     6    2. The office of children and family services shall,  in  consultation
     7  with  the  office  of  mental health and within the amounts appropriated
     8  therefor, contract with a not-for-profit organization  or  organizations
     9  specializing  in  providing  peer  support and advocacy to youth and the
    10  needs of youth, including but not limited to  emotional  and  behavioral
    11  needs,  to establish a peer advocacy and mentoring program. Such program
    12  shall be designed to provide peer support, advocacy  and  mentoring  for
    13  youth residing in residential care.
    14    3.  Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary,
    15  priority for services under the  peer  advocacy  and  mentoring  program
    16  shall  be given to youth who were placed in residential care pursuant to
    17  section 353.3 of the family court act,  and  who  reside  in  facilities
    18  described in section five hundred four of this article.
    19    4.  Peer advocates acting as employees or volunteers in the peer advo-
    20  cacy and mentoring program shall: (a) be individuals between the ages of
    21  sixteen and thirty who have:
    22    (i) previously been placed in residential care;
    23    (ii) experienced disabilities or behavioral health needs; and
    24    (iii) successfully completed training that has been  approved  by  the
    25  commissioners  of the office of mental health and the office of children

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07993-01-3
        S. 7141                             2

     1  and family services, qualifying such individuals to  work  in  the  peer
     2  advocacy and mentoring program;
     3    (b)  have  reasonable  and  appropriate access to youth in residential
     4  facilities and the opportunity to meet with youth in a  private,  confi-
     5  dential setting;
     6    (c)  serve  as  a  link for youth and their families to other supports
     7  including the attorney for the child and the office of the ombudsman  as
     8  described in section five hundred twenty-three-b of this title; and
     9    (d)  not identify, in any way, outside of their scope of employment or
    10  duties as a peer advocate, the name or  identity  of  any  youth  served
    11  within the peer advocacy and mentoring program without the express writ-
    12  ten consent of such youth.
    13    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    14  have become a law.