STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7406--A
IN SENATE
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:
1 Section 1. A temporary state taskforce on the use of portable informa-
2 tion technology for child protective services caseworkers is hereby
3 established to study the use of portable information technology by child
4 protective services caseworkers and make a report of its findings.
5 § 2. The taskforce shall be chaired by the commissioner of the office
6 of children and family services and shall consist of the following
7 members, with adequate geographic representation, to be appointed as
8 follows: five members to be appointed by the governor; four members to
9 be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; and four members
10 to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly. The members shall have
11 demonstrated experience and expertise in the fields of social work and
12 child protection. The members of the taskforce shall receive no compen-
13 sation for their services, but shall be reimbursed for their actual and
14 necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties under
15 this act.
16 § 3. The taskforce shall meet and may hold public hearings, and may
17 undertake any studies, inquiries, surveys or analyses it deems relevant
18 in cooperation with or by agreement with any other public or private
19 agency.
20 § 4. The taskforce shall focus on issues related to improving child
21 protective services caseworkers' caseload management through the use of
22 portable information technology statewide, including but not limited to,
23 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
1 (a) the local departments of social services that participated in the
2 program established pursuant to part G of chapter 58 of the laws of 2006
3 and expanded pursuant to part K-2 of chapter 57 of the laws of 2007 to
4 determine whether the child protective services caseworkers employed by
5 such departments are currently using portable information technology to
6 assist with their job duties, how such technology is being used, and for
7 any such department whose child protective services caseworkers are not
8 using portable information technology, the reason or reasons why such
9 technology is not being used;
10 (b) the local departments of social services that did not participate
11 in the program established in 2006 and expanded in 2007 that are
12 currently using portable information technology in the provision of
13 child protective services, and how such technology is being employed;
14 (c) the local departments of social services that did not participate
15 in the program established in 2006 and expanded in 2007 whose child
16 protective services caseworkers are not using portable information tech-
17 nology to determine the reason or reasons why such technology is not
18 being used;
19 (d) available information technology, including software, to assist
20 caseworkers with their job duties or caseload management to determine
21 the viability of such technology in the provision of child protective
22 services. Special focus should be placed on those technologies that are
23 portable, and on software that can be used by portable devices; and
24 (e) best practices for the integration of portable information tech-
25 nology and software in the provision of child protective services to
26 improve the workload of child protective services caseworkers and to
27 develop guidelines for such best practices.
28 § 5. The taskforce shall make a report of its findings to the gover-
29 nor, the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the
30 assembly, no later than two years after the effective date of this act.
31 Such report shall include any recommendations for any regulatory or
32 statutory changes or changes in funding for the purpose of managing
33 child protective services caseworkers' caseloads and employing technolo-
34 gy in the provision of child protective services.
35 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
36 deemed repealed three years after such date.
