Andrew M. Cuomo Governor 52 Washington Street rensselaer, NY 12144 Sheila J. Poole Acting Commissioner Administrative Directive Transmittal: 17-OCFS-ADM-13 To: Commissioners of Social Services Executive Directors of Voluntary Authorized Agencies Issuing Division/Office: Strategic Planning and Policy Development Date: October 6, 2017 Subject: Administrative Actions Reporting Mechanism (AARM) Suggested Distribution: Directors of Social Services Child Protective Services Supervisors Child Welfare Supervisors Foster Care Supervisors Staff Development Coordinators Detention Directors Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Directors Family Type Homes for Adults Program Directors Contact Person(s): Justice Center VPCR Resource Group, or Emily Reeb Bray, OCFS Supervising Attorney Attachments: AARM Quick Reference Guide Filing References Previous ADMs/INFs Releases Cancelled NYS Regs. Soc. Serv. Law & Other Legal Ref. Manual Ref. Misc. Ref. 18 NYCRR 433.7 18 NYCRR 441.20 18 NYCRR 450.9 9 180.21 9 NYCRR 182-1.19 9 NYCRR 182-2.18 9 NYCRR 166-1.6 SSL § 490, Chapter 501 of the Laws of 2012 Purpose The purpose of this Administrative Directive (ADM) is to inform residential facilities licensed or certified by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) including congregate care, Close to Home, runaway and homeless youth, and youth detention programs of a specific data reporting requirement under 18 NYCRR 433.7. Background
To assist agencies in providing this information, the Justice Center has created a secure web application, the Administrative Actions Reporting Mechanism (AARM). This application can only be accessed by designated as the provider agency’s Authorized Person(s). Authorized Persons are the persons at the agency who have been identified to conduct the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) checks. The AARM will provide a simple interface to relay the administrative actions to the Justice Center. Included with this ADM is a Quick Reference Guide explaining how the new web application will work. More detailed information and training will be made available on the Justice Center’s website at . When a determination is made to substantiate an allegation of abuse or neglect against a subject, the agency’s Authorized Person(s) will receive an email informing them that they must go to the AARM web application to enter information about any administrative actions that were taken against that subject. OCFS recognizes that the information being collected is highly confidential, and it will be kept securely in the Justice Center’s database. Only a limited number of people will be able to view this highly sensitive information after it is uploaded into the VPCR through the web application, and information will not be made publicly available. Systems Implications When the Authorized Person(s) receives an email notifying them of the need to update the AARM, the email will contain confidential information and must be treated securely. The email will contain the substantiated subject’s name, the investigation serial number, and will confirm that a substantiated determination has been issued. As such, the agency’s Authorized Person(s) must treat the content of these emails in an appropriate manner. The Authorized Person(s) will use the same password information to access the AARM web application as they use to access the SEL check system; the screens will look similar. The Authorized Person(s) will then use the AARM reference number provided in the email notification to select the correct record and will enter the appropriate information relating to the subject listed on the AARM record. Each substantiated individual will have a separate record for each investigation in which they are named as a substantiated subject. Once a record has been submitted to AARM, it is not possible to update that record. Attachments AARM Quick Reference Guide Contacts Justice Center VPCR Resource 518-549-0240 Or Supervising Attorney Emily Reeb Bray