This bill would require an interagency task force to develop and submit to the Mayor and the Speaker recommendations for improving services for youth in foster care and outcomes for youth aging out of foster care. The task force would include representatives of ACS, DSS, DOE, DYCD, DOMHM, NYCHA, the City Council, the Public Advocate, foster care providers, advocacy organizations, and youth who are in foster care and youth who have recently aged out of foster care, and a parent with child welfare experience. The task force would submit recommendations regarding education, housing, financial literacy, health and mental health services, parenting, decreasing the number of youth who age out of foster care, and prioritizing permanent placements of youth with families before they age out. The task force would submit follow-up reports regarding implementation of the recommendations one and two years after the submissions of the initial report, and would then cease to exist.
- Enacted
History
Affirmative
- Inez D. Barron
- Joseph C. Borelli
- James G. Van Bramer
- Fernando Cabrera
- Margaret S. Chin
- Andrew Cohen
- Costa G. Constantinides
- Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.
- Elizabeth S. Crowley
- Laurie A. Cumbo
- Chaim M. Deutsch
- Inez E. Dickens
- Daniel Dromm
- Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.
- Mathieu Eugene
- Julissa Ferreras-Copeland
- Daniel R. Garodnick
- Vincent J. Gentile
- Vanessa L. Gibson
- David G. Greenfield
- Barry S. Grodenchik
- Corey D. Johnson
- Ben Kallos
- Andy L. King
- Peter A. Koo
- Karen Koslowitz
- Rory I. Lancman
- Brad S. Lander
- Stephen T. Levin
- Mark Levine
- Alan N. Maisel
- Melissa Mark-Viverito
- Steven Matteo
- Darlene Mealy
- Carlos Menchaca
- Rosie Mendez
- I. Daneek Miller
- Annabel Palma
- Antonio Reynoso
- Donovan J. Richards
- Ydanis A. Rodriguez
- Deborah L. Rose
- Helen K. Rosenthal
- Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
- Ritchie J. Torres
- Mark Treyger
- Eric A. Ulrich
- James Vacca
- Paul A. Vallone
- Jumaane D. Williams
- Ruben Wills
Affirmative
Absent
Int. No. 1192-A
By Council Members Levin, Richards, Dickens, Dromm, Salamanca, Eugene, Chin, Grodenchik, Miller, Johnson, Cohen, Menchaca, Lander, Van Bramer, Rosenthal and Kallos
A Local Law in relation to a foster care task force
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. a. There shall be an interagency task force to issue recommendations for improving services for youth in foster care and outcomes for youth aging out of foster care.
b. The task force shall consist of 21 members which shall be:
1. the commissioner of children’s services, or their designee, who shall serve as chair;
2. the commissioner of the department of social services, or their designee;
3. the chancellor of the city school district, or their designee;
4. the commissioner of youth and community development, or their designee;
5. the commissioner of health and mental hygiene, or their designee;
6. the chairperson of the New York city housing authority, or their designee;
7. six members appointed by the mayor, including one member who shall represent foster care service providers, one member who shall represent advocacy organizations with relevant expertise, one youth currently in foster care and two youth who have aged out of the system in the previous 48 months, and one member who shall be a birth parent of a child who has spent a period of time in the child welfare system;
8. six members appointed by the speaker of the city council, including one member who shall represent foster care service providers, one member who shall represent advocacy organizations with relevant expertise, one youth currently in foster care and two youth who have aged out of the system in the previous 48 months, and one member who shall be a birth parent of a child who has spent a period of time in the child welfare system;
9. the speaker of the city council, or their designee, and the chairperson of the council committee on general welfare, or their designee; and
10. the public advocate, or their designee.
c. All members shall be appointed within 60 days of the enactment of this local law. All members of such task force shall serve without additional compensation. No member of the task force shall be removed except for cause and upon notice and hearing by the appropriate appointing official. Any vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
d. Such task force shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the mayor and the council no later than 14 months after the effective date of the local law that added this section. Such recommendations shall address areas including, but not limited to education, housing, financial literacy, health and mental health services, parenting, decreasing the number of youth who age out of foster care, post-permanency services, and prioritizing permanent placements of youth with families before they age out. Annual reports on the implementation of such recommendations shall be submitted to the mayor and the council no later than 12 and 24 months following the submission of the initial report, after which the task force will cease to exist. Each report required pursuant to this section shall be posted on the administration for children’s services’ website.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately and is expired and deemed repealed three years after the date of the local law that added this section.
AV
LS #6167/6757
10/19/16, 7:48pm