NY Soc Serv L § 429 (2021)
2021 New York Laws SOS - Social Services Article 6 - Children Title 6-A - Home Visiting 429 - Home Visiting.

§  429.  Home  visiting. 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, 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 applicable federal  laws  and  regulations.  To  the extent  possible  and appropriate, 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;  (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 community;  (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 until 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 applicants  from  communities identified as high need by such factors as poverty rates, rates of adolescent pregnancy, rates of child  abuse  and maltreatment, immunization rates and infant mortality rates.   4.  Not-for-profit  organizations  and  local  public agencies such as community-based organizations, family  resource  centers,  local  health departments,  local  social services departments, schools, hospitals and other health  agencies  shall  be  eligible  to  apply  for  the  grants available pursuant to this section.   5. Each applicant shall demonstrate among other things:  (a)  a  working  relationship with the applicable local departments of health and social services and key services providers in the community;  (b) the commitment of local  hospitals,  prenatal  clinics  and  early intervention  programs  servicing  families in the targeted geographical area to promote the effective screening of families so that the  program can  be  offered  to the maximum number of at-risk expectant parents and families possible;  (c) its  administrative  and  fiscal  viability  and  the  community's support for the home visiting program; and  (d)  how  the  home  visiting  program  would be integrated with other available services, programs and funding streams.   6.  The  commissioner  of  the  office of children and family services shall   establish   policies    governing    enrollees'    rights    and confidentiality,  and  each  home  visiting program shall, in accordance with such policies, inform  enrollees  of  their  rights,  and  of  such policies governing confidentiality.   7.  The  office  of  children  and family services shall submit to the governor and the legislature by December first, two thousand, and  every three years thereafter, a report which shall include a review of all the home  visiting  programs  funded  under  this  section; and comments and recommendations based on a comprehensive evaluation regarding  the  most effective  models  for  providing  home  visiting services and statutory changes which could improve the state's ability to prevent  child  abuse and  maltreatment,  improve  healthy  outcomes  for families and empower families to develop and obtain their self-sufficiency goals.   8. Any home visiting program that meets  the  criteria  delineated  in this  section as determined by factors set by the office of children and family services and the department of health, regardless of whether such program contracts with or receives funding from the state,  may  provide the  necessary information to such offices as is required by subdivision (i) of section seventeen of this chapter or paragraph (w) of subdivision one of section two hundred one of the public health  law  in  order  for their  program  to  be  made  available on the internet mapping resource maintained by the council on children and families pursuant  to  section four hundred eighty-three-h of this chapter.