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.