Limits the number of cases a foster care worker may have under their supervision at any one time to 16 cases; directs the office of children and family services to promulgate regulations relating to caseload standards for foster care workers.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6753--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 21, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. BRISPORT, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and
Families -- recommitted to the Committee on Children and Families in
accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to limitations on
the number of cases handled by foster care workers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 20-a of the social services law, as added by chap-
2 ter 107 of the laws of 1971, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 20-a. Local personnel; limitations on department's power. Notwith-
4 standing any inconsistent provision of this chapter, the board, the
5 commissioner or the department, acting singly or in unison, shall not
6 have the power, directly or indirectly to prescribe the number of
7 persons to be employed in any social services district providing the
8 district complies with the minimum federal standards relating thereto;
9 provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not apply
10 to the regulations of the office of children and family services estab-
11 lishing caseload standards for foster care workers promulgated pursuant
12 to paragraph (a) of subdivision nine of section four hundred twenty-one
13 of this chapter.
14 § 2. Section 421 of the social services law is amended by adding a new
15 subdivision 9 to read as follows:
16 9. promulgate regulations in consultation with local social services
17 districts, relating to caseload standards for foster care workers. Such
18 standards shall include, but not be limited to:
19 (a) limitations on the number of foster care cases that can be
20 assigned to foster care workers, provided however, to the extent possi-
21 ble and within amounts appropriated therefor, no more than sixteen
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11227-02-6
S. 6753--A 2
1 foster care cases may be assigned to a foster care worker at any one
2 time; and
3 (b) guidance as it relates to how such foster care cases are assigned,
4 taking into consideration the foster care worker's current caseload, as
5 well as the complexity of the particular cases. Nothing in this subdivi-
6 sion shall be construed to prohibit the office from prescribing local
7 social services districts from establishing caseload standards that are
8 less than what is required in this subdivision.
9 § 3. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
10 have become a law.
