A 5560: Requires training in developmental disability awareness and sensitivity and cultural competency, sensitivity and implicit bias for child protective services workers.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5560 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. JACKSON -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring child protective services workers to receive training in developmental disa- bility awareness and sensitivity and cultural competency, sensitivity and implicit bias The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subdivision 5 of section 421 of 2 the social services law, paragraph (b) as amended by chapter 470 of the 3 laws of 2024, paragraph (c) as amended by chapter 67 of the laws of 4 2019, are amended to read as follows: 5 (b) promulgate regulations setting forth training requirements which 6 shall specify, among other things, that all persons hired by a child 7 protective service on or after April first, nineteen hundred eighty-six 8 shall have satisfactorily completed a course approved by the department 9 within the first three months of employment, in the fundamentals of 10 child protection, provided, however, that on or after April first, two 11 thousand twenty-five, such course may be satisfactorily completed 12 through distance learning methods which evince that all participants are 13 in attendance for the duration of the course and are able to ask ques- 14 tions of the instructor. Each county shall be authorized to adopt a 15 local law, ordinance or resolution to provide for a local department of 16 social services to fulfill the training requirement established by this 17 paragraph through a distance learning method, excluding the annual in 18 service training requirement. Such course shall include at least basic 19 training in the principles and techniques of investigations, including 20 relationships with other investigative bodies, legal issues in child 21 protection, and methods of remediation, diagnosis, treatment and 22 prevention. Such regulations shall also specify that all persons 23 employed by a child protective service [on or after December first, two EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07587-01-5 
 A. 5560 2 1 thousand six] shall satisfactorily complete [six] eight hours of annual 2 [in service] in-service training, beginning in their second year of 3 employment. Such annual [in service] in-service training shall include, 4 but is not limited to, review of the protocols for identification and 5 investigation of child abuse and maltreatment, any developments in 6 legal, treatment and prevention issues in child protection, [and] review 7 and analysis of field experiences of child protective services workers, 8 developmental disability awareness and sensitivity, and cultural compe- 9 tency, sensitivity and implicit bias training. 10 (c) require all persons assigned to be a supervisor by a child protec- 11 tive service on or after April first, nineteen hundred eighty-six, shall 12 have satisfactorily completed, within the first three months of employ- 13 ment as a supervisor or within three months of the effective date of 14 this paragraph, whichever shall occur first, a course in the fundamen- 15 tals of child protection developed by the office of children and family 16 services. All supervisors must complete eight hours of annual in-ser- 17 vice training beginning in their second year of employment as a supervi- 18 sor. Such training course shall, among other things, strengthen and 19 expand current training procedures for child protective service supervi- 20 sors; provide the skills, knowledge and standards to practice effective 21 case planning and case management; provide comprehensive assessment 22 tools needed in critical decision making; require participation in the 23 existing next generation training required by child protective service 24 caseworkers; strengthen recognition and response to safety and risk 25 indicators; improve skills to promote consistent implementation of 26 training and practice; provide the necessary tools and assistance to 27 build the ability to coach and monitor child protective service case- 28 workers and model effective investigation practice; increase cultural 29 competency and sensitivity; increase developmental disability awareness 30 and sensitivity; and establish an annual [in service] in-service train- 31 ing program specifically focused on child protective service supervi- 32 sors. 33 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.