NY State Senate Bill 2017-S7406

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 03, 2018	print number 7406a
May 03, 2018	amend (t) and recommit to finance
May 01, 2018	reported and committed to finance
Jan 12, 2018	referred to children and families

Votes

- May 1, 2018 - Children And Families Committee Vote
  S7406
  
  6
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  1
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Children And Families Committee Vote: May 1, 2018
      
      aye (6)
      
      Avella
      
      Bonacic
      
      Helming
      
      Montgomery
      
      Serino
      
      Tedisco
      
      aye wr (1)
      
      Persaud

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

2017-S7406 - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Social Services

2017-S7406 - Summary

Creates a temporary state taskforce on child protective services caseworker caseload management.

2017-S7406 - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7406

SPONSOR: GOLDEN
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act creating a temporary state taskforce on child
protective services caseworker caseload management; and providing for
the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To establish a temporary taskforce to study the use of technology in
both the provision of child protective services and caseload management
and report its findings to the Governor, the Temporary President of the
Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill establishes the "Taskforce on Child Protective
Services and Technology" (the "Taskforce").

Section two of the bill provides that the Taskforce shall consist of
members who have expertise in the fields of social work and child

protection, with adequate geographic representation to be appointed as
follows: The Taskforce is to be chaired by the head of the Office of
Children and Family Services. Three members to be appointed by the
Governor; three members appointed by the Temporary President of the
Senate; three members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. Each
appointing authority must appoint at least one person from one of the
counties with the highest child protective services caseloads and one
person who has experience using wireless technologies to assist in the
performance of their job duties. Section two further provides that the
members of the Taskforce shall receive no compensation for their
services, but shall be remitted for their actual and necessary expenses.

Section 3 of the bill provides that the Taskforce shall meet and may
hold public hearings, and may undertake any studies, inquiries, surveys,
or analyses it deems relevant in cooperation with or by agreement with
any other public or private agency.

Section 4 of the bill provides that the Taskforce shall focus on issues
related to improving caseload management, including but not limited to
the following:

a. Determine the total number of caseworkers employed in each county

b. Determine, on a quarterly basis the number of caseworkers, by county,
who currently handle 5 or fewer cases, 6-9 cases, and more than 10
cases.

c. Investigate the use of technology to assist caseworkers with their
job duties.

d. Determine which counties are currently using such technologies, and
how the technologies are actually being used.

e. Special focus should be placed on those technologies that are port-
able, or can be used by portable devices, and are adaptable to various
tasks.

f. Discuss and develop best practices for the management of caseloads.
g. Discuss and develop best practices for the integration of technology
in the provision of child protective services

Section 5 of the bill provides that the Taskforce shall make a report of
its findings to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and
the speaker of the assembly, no later than two years after the effective
date of this act. Such report shall include any recommendations for any
regulatory or statutory changes or changes in funding for the purpose of
regulating the caseloads of child protective services caseworkers.

Section 6 provides that this act shall take effect immediately and shall
expire and be deemed repealed three years after such effective date.

 
EXISTING LAW:

New law

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The care and welfare of the children of the State of New York is of the
greatest importance. Every minute a child protective services caseworker
spends on routine administrative tasks such as transcribing case notes
or updating contact information, is a minute that cannot be spent inves-
tigating alleged abuse, or meeting face to face with a child in need of
help. A similar temporary taskforce was convened over a decade ago in
2006. At that time, technologies such as dictation to text and truly
portable laptop computers were in their infancy. Tablets and smartphones
did not even exist in 2006.  The technology solutions of that time are
now as out of date as the use of carbon paper or the fountain pen.  It
is vital for the State of New York to examine the best and most up to
date means to allow the first line of defense for New York State's most
vulnerable children to focus less on daily paperwork, and devote as much
time as possible to being advocates for as many children as possible.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed three years after such effective date.

2017-S7406 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7406
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 12, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  GOLDEN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
 
 AN ACT creating a temporary state taskforce on child protective services
   caseworker caseload management; and providing for the repeal  of  such
   provisions upon expiration thereof
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. A temporary state taskforce on  child  protective  services
 caseworker  caseload  management is hereby established to study the rise
 of technology in both the provision of  child  protective  services  and
 caseload management and make a report of its findings.
   §  2. The taskforce shall be chaired by the commissioner of the office
 of children and family services  and  shall  consist  of  the  following
 members,  with  adequate  geographic  representation, to be appointed as
 follows:  five members to be appointed by the governor; four members  to
 be  appointed by the temporary president of the senate; and four members
 to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly. The members  shall  have
 demonstrated  experience  and expertise in the fields of social work and
 child protection. The governor, temporary president of  the  senate  and
 speaker  of the assembly shall each appoint no less than one member from
 one of the counties that have  the  highest  child  protective  services
 caseloads  and  no  less  than  one member from one of the counties with
 experience using wireless or portable technology to  assist  caseworkers
 in  the  performance  of  their job duties. The members of the taskforce
 shall receive no compensation for their services,  but  shall  be  reim-
 bursed  for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the perform-
 ance of their duties under this act.
   § 3. The taskforce shall meet and may hold public  hearings,  and  may
 undertake  any studies, inquiries, surveys or analyses it deems relevant
 in cooperation with or by agreement with any   other public  or  private
 agency.
   §  4.  The  taskforce shall focus on issues related to improving child
 protective services caseworkers' caseload  management  and  the  use  of
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD14062-02-8

 S. 7406                             2
 
 technology  in  the  provision  of  child protective services statewide,
 including but not limited to, an examination of the following:
   (a)  the  total  number  of child protective services cases statewide,
 reported on a quarterly basis and broken down by county;
   (b) the total number of child protective services caseworkers employed
 by each county;
   (c) by county and on a quarterly basis, the number of child protective
 services caseworkers, with caseloads of seven or fewer cases,  eight  to
 eleven cases, and twelve or more cases;
   (d)  the counties that are currently using technology in the provision
 of child protective services, and how such technology is being employed;
   (e) investigate technology that has yet to be deployed to assist case-
 workers with their job duties to determine the viability of  such  tech-
 nology  in  the  provision  of  child protective services. Special focus
 should be placed on those technologies that are portable, or can be used
 by portable devices, and are adaptable to various tasks;
   (f) best practices for the management of caseworker caseloads  and  to
 develop guidelines for such best practices; and
   (g)  best practices for the integration of technology in the provision
 of child protective services and to develop  guidelines  for  such  best
 practices.
   §  5.  The taskforce shall make a report of its findings to the gover-
 nor, the temporary president of the  senate,  and  the  speaker  of  the
 assembly,  no later than two years after the effective date of this act.
 Such report shall include any  recommendations  for  any  regulatory  or
 statutory  changes  or  changes  in  funding for the purpose of managing
 child protective services caseworkers' caseloads and employing technolo-
 gy in the provision of child protective services.
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
 deemed repealed three years after such date.

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Social Services

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Creates a temporary state taskforce on child protective services caseworker caseload management.

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7406A

SPONSOR: GOLDEN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act creating a temporary state taskforce on the use of portable
information technology for child protective services caseworkers; and
providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To create a temporary taskforce to build on the 2008 report regarding
the portable information technology for child protective services case-
workers pilot program and report its findings to the Governor, the
Temporary President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one of the bill establishes the taskforce on the use of portable
information technology for child protective services workers (the "Task-
force").

Section two of the bill provides that the Taskforce, which will be
chaired by the Commissioner of the Office of Children and Family
Services, shall consist of members who have expertise in the fields of
social work and child protection, with adequate geographic represen-
tation, to be appointed as follows: five members to be appointed by the
Governor, four members appointed by the Temporary President of the
Senate and four members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
Section two further provides that the members of the Taskforce shall
receive no compensation for their services, but shall be remitted for
their actual and necessary expenses.

Section 3 of the bill provides that the Taskforce shall meet and may
hold public hearings, and may undertake any studies, inquiries, surveys,
or analyses it deems relevant in cooperation with or by agreement with
any other public or private agency.

Section 4 of the bill provides that the Taskforce shall focus on issues
related to improving child protective services caseworkers' caseload
management through the use of portable information technology, including
but not limited to an examination of the following:

a. The local departments of social services that participated in the
Pilot Program authorized in 2006 and expanded in 2007 to determine
whether those districts are employing portable information technology
and how such technology is being used. For those departments that are
not using portable information technology, the reasons why such technol-
ogy is not being used.

b. The local departments of social services that did not participate in
the Pilot Program that are employing portable information technology in
the provision of child protective services, how such technology is being
used.

c. The local departments of social services that did not participate in
the Pilot Program that are not employing portable information technology
in the provision of child protective services, the reasons why such
technology is not being used.
d. Available portable information technology, including software, that
can be used to assist child protective services caseworkers manage their
caseloads and the viability of such technology and software for such
purpose.

e. Best practices for the integration of portable information technology
and software in the provision of child protective services to improve
the caseloads of child protective services caseworkers and to develop
best practice guidelines.

Section 5 of the bill provides that the Taskforce shall make a report of
its findings to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, and
the speaker of the assembly, no later than two years after the effective
date of this act. Such report shall include any recommendations for any
regulatory or statutory changes or changes in funding for the purpose of
managing the caseloads of child protective services caseworkers through
the use of portable information technology.

Section 6 provides that this act shall take effect immediately and shall
expire and be deemed repealed three years after such effective date.

 
EXISTING LAW:

New law

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In 2006, the Legislature enacted a pilot program for child protective
services caseworkers to "include the use of technology, such as laptop
computers, blackberries, and cellular phones that allow such caseworkers
to complete effectively tasks necessary for their investigations of
allegations of child abuse and maltreatment from field locations." Part
G, Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2006.  Participation in the program was
limited to New York City, Monroe County, and Westchester County. At the
end of the program, the Commissioner of the Office of Children and Fami-
ly Services (OCFS) was required to issue a report discussing the impact
of the pilot program on caseworkers' efficiency. The report was also
"required to include the commissioner's recommendation as to whether the
pilot program should be continued as it exists, expanded, or discontin-
ued". Id.

In 2007, the Legislature expanded the program to allow the Commissioner
of OCFS to include additional local social services districts. In March
2008, the Commissioner issued the Report on the program.

As the report details, OCFS "deployed a total of 464 laptop PCs and 53
tablet PCs to CPS caseworkers and supervisors in 23 local districts."
Portable Information technology Pilot Program Report to the Governor and
Legislature, March 2008, p.6. Regarding the ability of portable informa-
tion technology to assist caseworkers with their caseloads, the Commis-
sioner reported that case closings increased by 32%, the volume of
progress notes that were completed increased by 14%, and 81% of the
child protective services caseworkers who participated in the program
were satisfied with the portable information technology devices. Addi-
tionally, worker productivity and satisfaction increased. Id., at
pp.7-8.


The report also included specific steps that OCFS would "seek to
pursue." Id., at p.8. It is now ten years later. Over the past ten
years, portable information technology has changed. For many people, the
use of cellular phones are a part of every day life.  Additionally,
tablets that are connected to the Internet are commonplace. With the
rise of the use of cellular phones and tablets by the public, the cost
of acquiring and using these devices has decreased.

It is time to examine the use of portable information technology by
child protective services caseworkers again to ensure that when technol-
ogy is being used, it is helping caseworkers manage their caseloads.
When portable information technology is not being used, we need to
determine the reasons why such technology is not being employed. Final-
ly, we need to create a best practice for the use of portable informa-
tion by child protective services caseworkers.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed
repealed three years after such effective date.

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7406--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 12, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  GOLDEN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and  Families  --
   reported  favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee
   on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
   amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT creating a temporary state  taskforce  on  the  use  of  portable
   information  technology for child protective services caseworkers; and
   providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. A temporary state taskforce on the use of portable informa-
 tion  technology  for  child  protective  services caseworkers is hereby
 established to study the use of portable information technology by child
 protective services caseworkers and make a report of its findings.
   § 2. The taskforce shall be chaired by the commissioner of the  office
 of  children  and  family  services  and  shall consist of the following
 members, with adequate geographic representation,  to  be  appointed  as
 follows:   five members to be appointed by the governor; four members to
 be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; and four  members
 to  be  appointed by the speaker of the assembly. The members shall have
 demonstrated experience and expertise in the fields of social  work  and
 child  protection. The members of the taskforce shall receive no compen-
 sation for their services, but shall be reimbursed for their actual  and
 necessary  expenses  incurred  in  the performance of their duties under
 this act.
   § 3. The taskforce shall meet and may hold public  hearings,  and  may
 undertake  any studies, inquiries, surveys or analyses it deems relevant
 in cooperation with or by agreement with any   other public  or  private
 agency.
   §  4.  The  taskforce shall focus on issues related to improving child
 protective services caseworkers' caseload management through the use  of
 portable information technology statewide, including but not limited to,
 an examination of the following:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD14062-03-8

 S. 7406--A                          2
 
   (a)  the local departments of social services that participated in the
 program established pursuant to part G of chapter 58 of the laws of 2006
 and expanded pursuant to part K-2 of chapter 57 of the laws of  2007  to
 determine  whether the child protective services caseworkers employed by
 such  departments are currently using portable information technology to
 assist with their job duties, how such technology is being used, and for
 any such department whose child protective services caseworkers are  not
 using  portable  information  technology, the reason or reasons why such
 technology is not being used;
   (b) the local departments of social services that did not  participate
 in  the  program  established  in  2006  and  expanded  in 2007 that are
 currently using portable information  technology  in  the  provision  of
 child protective services, and how such technology is being employed;
   (c)  the local departments of social services that did not participate
 in the program established in 2006 and  expanded  in  2007  whose  child
 protective services caseworkers are not using portable information tech-
 nology  to  determine  the  reason or reasons why such technology is not
 being used;
   (d) available information technology, including  software,  to  assist
 caseworkers  with  their  job duties or caseload management to determine
 the viability of such technology in the provision  of  child  protective
 services.  Special focus should be placed on those technologies that are
 portable, and on software that can be used by portable devices; and
   (e) best practices for the integration of portable  information  tech-
 nology  and  software  in  the provision of child protective services to
 improve the workload of child protective  services  caseworkers  and  to
 develop guidelines for such best practices.
   §  5.  The taskforce shall make a report of its findings to the gover-
 nor, the temporary president of the  senate,  and  the  speaker  of  the
 assembly,  no later than two years after the effective date of this act.
 Such report shall include any  recommendations  for  any  regulatory  or
 statutory  changes  or  changes  in  funding for the purpose of managing
 child protective services caseworkers' caseloads and employing technolo-
 gy in the provision of child protective services.
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall  expire  and  be
 deemed repealed three years after such date.

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Senate Bill S7406

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

May 1, 2018 - Children And Families Committee Vote

Children And Families Committee Vote: May 1, 2018

Bill Amendments

2017-S7406 - Details

2017-S7406 - Summary

2017-S7406 - Sponsor Memo

2017-S7406 - Bill Text download pdf

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7406

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Martin J. Golden

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Bill Amendments

2017-S7406 - Details

2017-S7406 - Summary

2017-S7406 - Sponsor Memo

2017-S7406 - Bill Text download pdf

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S7406A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments