Senate Bill S4246

2009-2010 Legislative Session

Establishes an incremental funding schedule to make home visiting programs available to at-risk children

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2010	referred to children and families
Apr 20, 2009	referred to children and families

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A242
Current Committee:: Senate Children And Families
Law Section:: Social Services Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §429, Soc Serv L

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Increases funding for home visit programs across the state by establishing funding for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 and requiring the office of children and family services to develop a statewide plan by January 31, 2011.

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S4246

 TITLE OF BILL :
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing
incremental funding for home visiting programs available to children
at risk of child abuse and neglect


 PURPOSE OF BILL :
To increase funding for home visit programs across the state by
establishing funding amounts for the years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 and
requiring the office of children and family services to develop a
statewide plan by 2011.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :
Adds a new paragraph 8 to section 429 of the social services law to
establish specific funding levels for home visiting programs for the
2010-11 and 2011-12 fiscal years. Adds a new paragraph 9 to require
the office of children and family services to develop a statewide plan
for home visiting by January 31, 2011.

 JUSTIFICATION :
Approximately 1,300 children die each year in this country as a result
of child abuse and neglect, and many others suffer serious injuries.
In New York state, 75,000 children are maltreated each year. These are
only the cases that are reported.

Regrettably child abuse and neglect continue to be a significant
problem in this state and around the country. Insufficient resources
are invested to prevent the abuse from occurring in the first place,
while a huge financial cost is placed upon taxpayers to treat the
consequences of child abuse including: Medicaid costs, court costs,
incarceration, foster care, child protective services, and more. It is
estimated that New York spends more than $2.5 billion to treat the
consequences of child abuse, but about $25 million in primary
prevention money.

Nicholas T., an eighteen month old, from Oswego county was a victim of
abuse. His death at the hands of a caregiver could have potentially
been prevented has the Department of Social Services had the resources
to make the home visits enabled by this legislation.

Research in the last decade has concluded that child abuse can in many
cases be prevented. Home visits by trained personnel made to families
at risk of abuse and neglect is the most successful approach. Two
programs that send trained personnel to visit the homes of at risk
mothers to provide parenting skills and other advice--the Nurse Family
Partnership and Healthy Families New York--have operated in New York
for more than a decade. They have undergone stringent, randomized
evaluations and have been proven to improve the quality of life for
children at risk of being maltreated in their homes.

Funding for home visiting has been limited to nominal increases and
subject to state budget negotiations. Currently, home visiting is not
available in many counties across the state.  Establishing funding in
statute and working toward a statewide plan would prevent cases of
child maltreatment and save resources that follow cases of abuse. This
is especially true in rural counties where abuse goes under reported.

The specific provisions of this bill providing for home visits with
parents of children at risks will help prevent future tragic cases
like Nicholas T.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
2007-2008: A.8741

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
Increases in home visiting will be offset by savings in the areas of
incarceration, Medicaid, foster care, special education and more.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4246

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             April 20, 2009
                               ___________

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

AN  ACT  to  amend  the social services law, in relation to establishing
  incremental funding for home visiting programs available  to  children
  at risk of child abuse and neglect

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Subdivisions 1, 2 and  3  of  section  429  of  the  social
services law, subdivisions 1 and 2 as amended by chapter 141 of the laws
of  2000  and subdivision 3 as added by chapter 170 of the laws of 1994,
are amended and two new subdivisions 8  and  9  are  added  to  read  as
follows:
  1.  In  accordance with a plan developed by the office of children and
family services [and approved by the director of the budget  and  within
the  amounts  which the director of the budget determines should be made
available therefor, such office], in conjunction with the department  of
health,  SUCH  OFFICE  is  authorized  to issue grants for home visiting
programs to prevent  child  abuse  and  maltreatment,  enhance  positive
parent  child  interactions,  increase healthy outcomes for families and
empower families to develop and achieve their self-sufficiency goals. To
the extent  that  federal  funds  are  used  to  support  home  visiting
programs, such programs must be operated in accordance with all applica-
ble  federal  laws and regulations. To the extent possible and appropri-
ate, funding for the home visiting program  shall  be  coordinated  with
other  available funding to maximize the effective use of federal, state
and local moneys and to promote the program's purposes.
  2. Each home visiting program funded under this section shall include,
but not be limited to, the following activities:
  (a) providing screening of families in the targeted geographical  area
upon the birth of a child and prenatally, if possible;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD00531-01-9

S. 4246                             2

  (b)  engaging  those  expectant  parents  and  families with an infant
determined to be at risk of child  abuse  or  maltreatment  and/or  poor
health outcomes to participate in the home visiting program;
  (c)  providing home visits by nurses or by community workers under the
supervision of a health or social services professional to those at risk
expectant parents and families who choose to participate in the program;
  (d) requiring the home visitors to:
  (i) assist parents in learning about child development principles;
  (ii) assist parents in accessing appropriate  preventive  health  care
for their children and themselves; and
  (iii) link the families to other supports and activities in the commu-
nity;
  (e)  determining  the frequency of the home visiting services provided
to each participating family based on the family's needs;
  (f) continuing home visits for a particular family MINIMALLY until the
child IS TWO YEARS OF AGE AND UP TO THE TIME THE CHILD enters school  or
a head start program, when necessary; and
  (g) assisting families to develop and obtain the necessary supports to
achieve their self-sufficiency goals.
  3. A request for proposals shall be issued to solicit applications for
home  visiting  programs.  Priority for funding shall be given to appli-
cants from communities identified as high need by such factors as pover-
ty rates, rates of  adolescent  pregnancy,  rates  of  child  abuse  and
maltreatment, immunization rates and infant mortality rates AND PRIORITY
SHOULD  BE  GIVEN TO THOSE COUNTIES WHERE HOME VISITING PROGRAMS ARE NOT
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.
  8. FUNDS SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR THE PURPOSES  OF  PROVIDING  HOME
VISITING  PROGRAMS  TO FAMILIES AT RISK OF CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT.
SUCH FUNDS SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE AS FOLLOWS: FOR THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND
TEN--TWO THOUSAND  ELEVEN,  THIRTY-FIVE  MILLION  TWO  HUNDRED  THOUSAND
DOLLARS;  AND  FOR  THE  YEAR  TWO THOUSAND ELEVEN--TWO THOUSAND TWELVE,
FIFTY MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
  9. THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES,  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH
THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH,  SHALL  PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO THE
GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE ON OR BEFORE JANUARY THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND
ELEVEN TO IMPLEMENT A SYSTEM OF HOME VISITING  PROGRAMS  INCLUDING,  BUT
NOT  LIMITED  TO,  HEALTHY  FAMILIES,  NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP, AND THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER PROGRAM TO MEET THE NEEDS
OF ALL HIGH NEED AREAS ACROSS THE STATE.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S4246

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families Committee

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2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Details

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Darrel J. Aubertine

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Children And Families Committee

Actions

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Details

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2009-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments