Bill Text: NY S08084 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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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; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-07 - SUBSTITUTED BY A8484 [S08084 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S08084-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8084

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 5, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. BRISPORT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        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 amend a chapter of  the  laws  of  2023  amending  the
          social  services  law  relating to reporting of youth placed in foster
          care settings and recruitment of foster parents, as proposed in legis-
          lative bills numbers S. 5897 and A. 2176, in relation  to  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. Subdivision (l) of section 17 of the social  services  law,
     2  as  added  by a chapter of the laws of 2023 amending the social services
     3  law relating to reporting of youth placed in foster  care  settings  and
     4  recruitment  of foster parents, as proposed in legislative bills numbers
     5  S. 5897 and A. 2176, is amended to read as follows:
     6    (l) [submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the
     7  temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of  the  assembly
     8  and  the minority leader of the senate] make information publicly avail-
     9  able on its website beginning December thirty-first, two thousand [twen-
    10  ty-four] twenty-three, and biannually thereafter, regarding youth placed
    11  in foster care settings and the  recruitment  of  foster  parents.  Such
    12  report  shall be made publicly available online and shall provide infor-
    13  mation, as required pursuant to this subdivision,  aggregated  by  local
    14  social  services districts and foster care settings. For the purposes of
    15  this subdivision, foster care settings shall include, but not be limited
    16  to, foster boarding homes, approved relative homes, group  homes,  group
    17  residences,  agency  operated  boarding  homes,  supervised  independent
    18  living arrangements, [therapeutic foster care]  and  child  care  insti-
    19  tutions.  The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following
    20  information:
    21    (i) the total number of youth placed in a foster care setting  at  the
    22  time of the report, as well as a comparison to the total number of youth
    23  in care since the previous report was submitted;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03463-02-4
        S. 8084                             2

     1    (ii)  to  the extent practicable, the reasons why such youth have been
     2  placed in a foster care setting, with the  total  number  of  youth  per
     3  category  at  the  time of the report. Such reasons [shall] may include,
     4  but not be limited to, voluntary placement  pursuant  to  section  three
     5  hundred  fifty-eight-a of this chapter, a termination of parental rights
     6  pursuant to section three hundred eighty-four-b of this chapter,  place-
     7  ments  pursuant  to  articles  ten and ten-C of the family court act, or
     8  pursuant to a contract,  grant  or  other  agreement  with  the  federal
     9  government;
    10    (iii) to the extent such information is available, the total number of
    11  youth  placed  in a foster care setting [at the time of the report] that
    12  are in need of or receiving specialized  educational  services[,  either
    13  due  to  a  mental  health  illness or another disorder that may require
    14  additional supports  and  services,  including  specialized  educational
    15  services];
    16    (iv)  to  the  extent  such information is [available] applicable, how
    17  many youth [at the time of the report] have been previously placed in  a
    18  foster care setting in the state;
    19    (v)  the  total number of foster families that are currently certified
    20  in the state at the time of the  report  and  whether  that  number  has
    21  increased or decreased since the previous report was submitted;
    22    (vi)  to  the  extent such information is available, how many children
    23  and/or families have received preventive services through a local social
    24  services district, and of those children and/or families, how many youth
    25  [were successfully kept out of] subsequently entered foster care [due to
    26  such services] within the last calendar year for the initial report, and
    27  then since the previous report was submitted for all subsequent reports;
    28    (vii) the total number of placement options that have  been  certified
    29  as  a  qualified residential treatment program, as defined by [42 USCS §
    30  672] subdivision four of section four hundred nine-h  of  this  chapter;
    31  and
    32    (viii)  a  description  of  the  efforts the state has taken to assist
    33  local social services districts and voluntary agencies  to  recruit  and
    34  retain foster parents in the state.
    35    §  2.   Section 3 of a chapter of the laws of 2023 amending the social
    36  services law relating to  reporting  of  youth  placed  in  foster  care
    37  settings  and  recruitment of foster parents, as proposed in legislative
    38  bills numbers S. 5897 and A. 2176, is amended to read as follows:
    39    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
    40  deemed repealed December 31, 2025.
    41    §  3.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
    42  section one of this act shall take effect on the same date  and  in  the
    43  same  manner  as  a  chapter  of  the  laws of 2023, amending the social
    44  services law relating to  reporting  of  youth  placed  in  foster  care
    45  settings  and  recruitment of foster parents, as proposed in legislative
    46  bills numbers S. 5897 and A. 2176, takes effect.