A 744: Relates to collecting data regarding alternative living arrangements for children who are at a substantial risk of maltreatment.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 744 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to collecting data regarding alternative living arrangements for children who are at a substantial risk of maltreatment The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 412 of the social services law is amended by adding 2 a new subdivision 10 to read as follows: 3 10. An "alternative living arrangement" means an agreed upon out- 4 of-home-living arrangement for a child developed as a result of or in 5 the context of: (a) an investigation of child maltreatment by the child 6 protective service; (b) a differential response program, including, but 7 not limited to Family Assessment Response and Collaborative Assessment, 8 Response, Engagement & Support; (c) a request for respite services; (d) 9 a request for voluntary foster care placement; or (e) an investigation 10 regarding allegations that a child might be destitute. 11 § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 424 of the social services law, as added 12 by chapter 1039 of the laws of 1973, is amended to read as follows: 13 2. maintain and keep up-to-date a local child abuse and maltreatment 14 register of all cases reported under this title together with any addi- 15 tional information obtained and a record of the final disposition of the 16 report, including services offered and accepted and any alternative 17 living arrangement made for the care of any child; 18 § 3. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 424-c 19 to read as follows: 20 § 424-c. Alternative living arrangements. 1.(a) The office of chil- 21 dren and family services shall collect the following data regarding 22 alternative living arrangements and compile an annual report for the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01349-01-5 
 A. 744 2 1 preceding calendar year on such data with respect to each local social 2 services district: 3 (i) total number of alternative living arrangement agreements made; 4 (ii) total number of children who were the subject of alternative 5 living arrangement agreements; 6 (iii) total number of children in an alternative living arrangement at 7 the end of the calendar year, and, for such children, an indication of 8 the average number of days they have been in an alternative living 9 arrangement; 10 (iv) total number of children for whom an alternative living arrange- 11 ment ended during calendar year, and, for such children, an indication 12 of the average number of days they spent in an alternative living 13 arrangement; 14 (v) total number of alternative living arrangements made during an 15 investigation of child abuse or maltreatment pursuant to article ten of 16 the family court act and the number of those allegations which were 17 ultimately indicated, and the total number of alternative living 18 arrangements made after an indication; 19 (vi) number of children placed with a relative or other suitable adult 20 identified by the parent or child pursuant to an alternative living 21 arrangement agreement; 22 (vii) number of children placed in respite care pursuant to section 23 four hundred nine-a of this article; 24 (viii) number of children placed in Host Family Homes pursuant to 25 regulations of the office of children and family services; 26 (ix) total number of children who were returned home from an alterna- 27 tive living arrangement agreement; 28 (x) total number of children removed pursuant to section one thousand 29 twenty-one of the family court act; 30 (xi) total number of children removed pursuant to section one thousand 31 twenty-four of the family court act regarding whom no proceeding was 32 initiated under article ten of the family court act within one day of 33 the removal; 34 (xii) total number of children who were the subject of a proceeding 35 pursuant to article ten of the family court act following removal pursu- 36 ant to an alternative living arrangement agreement; 37 (xiii) total number of children who were the subject of a voluntary 38 placement agreement pursuant to section three hundred eighty-four-a of 39 this article following removal pursuant to an alternative living 40 arrangement agreement; 41 (xiv) total number of children who were the subject of a destitute 42 child petition pursuant to article ten-C of the family court act follow- 43 ing removal pursuant to an alternative living arrangement agreement; 44 (xv) total number of children who were the subject of a custody 45 proceeding pursuant to article six of the family court act following 46 removal pursuant to an alternative living arrangement; 47 (xvi) a descriptive list of preventive services and their utilization 48 rates, if practicable, that were provided to parents, children and rela- 49 tives or suitable persons who were the subject of an alternative living 50 arrangement agreement in each local social services district; and 51 (xvii) any other information the commissioner may deem necessary to 52 include. 53 (b) If practicable, such information shall be disaggregated by age, 54 sex, race, ethnicity, and allegation type. For each local social 55 services district with a population of over five hundred thousand 56 people, such information shall be disaggregated by zip code. 
 A. 744 3 1 2. The office of children and family services shall publish the report 2 on its website no later than ninety days following the end of the calen- 3 dar year and submit such report to the governor, the speaker of the 4 assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the chairperson and 5 ranking member of the assembly children and families committee, and the 6 chairperson and ranking member of the senate children and families 7 committee, and the chairperson and ranking member of the assembly ways 8 and means committee, and the chairperson and ranking member of the 9 senate finance committee, by no later than September first, two thou- 10 sand twenty-six and annually thereafter. 11 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 12 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 13 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 14 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed 15 on or before such date.