STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1850 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 23, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. JEAN-PIERRE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring child protective services workers to receive training in developmental disa- bility awareness and sensitivity and cultural competency, sensitivity and implicit bias The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (c) and of subdivision 5 of section 421 2 of the social services law, paragraph (b) as amended by chapter 525 of 3 the laws of 2006, paragraph (c) as amended by chapter 67 of the laws of 4 2019, are amended to read as follows: 5 (b) promulgate regulations setting forth training requirements which 6 shall specify, among other things, that all persons hired by a child 7 protective service on or after April first, nineteen hundred eighty-six 8 shall have satisfactorily completed a course approved by the department 9 within the first three months of employment, in the fundamentals of 10 child protection. Such course shall include at least basic training in 11 the principles and techniques of investigations, including relationships 12 with other investigative bodies, legal issues in child protection, and 13 methods of remediation, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Such regu- 14 lations shall also specify that all persons employed by a child protec- 15 tive service [on or after December first, two thousand six] shall satis- 16 factorily complete [six] eight hours of annual [in service] in-service 17 training, beginning in their second year of employment. Such annual [in 18 service] in-service training shall include, but is not limited to, 19 review of the protocols for identification and investigation of child 20 abuse and maltreatment, any developments in legal, treatment and 21 prevention issues in child protection, [and] review and analysis of 22 field experiences of child protective services workers, developmental EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02940-01-3
A. 1850 2 1 disability awareness and sensitivity, and cultural competency, sensitiv- 2 ity and implicit bias training. 3 (c) require all persons assigned to be a supervisor by a child protec- 4 tive service on or after April first, nineteen hundred eighty-six, shall 5 have satisfactorily completed, within the first three months of employ- 6 ment as a supervisor or within three months of the effective date of 7 this paragraph, whichever shall occur first, a course in the fundamen- 8 tals of child protection developed by the office of children and family 9 services. All supervisors must complete eight hours of annual in-ser- 10 vice training beginning in their second year of employment as a supervi- 11 sor. Such training course shall, among other things, strengthen and 12 expand current training procedures for child protective service supervi- 13 sors; provide the skills, knowledge and standards to practice effective 14 case planning and case management; provide comprehensive assessment 15 tools needed in critical decision making; require participation in the 16 existing next generation training required by child protective service 17 caseworkers; strengthen recognition and response to safety and risk 18 indicators; improve skills to promote consistent implementation of 19 training and practice; provide the necessary tools and assistance to 20 build the ability to coach and monitor child protective service case- 21 workers and model effective investigation practice; increase cultural 22 competency and sensitivity; increase developmental disability awareness 23 and sensitivity; and establish an annual [in service] in-service train- 24 ing program specifically focused on child protective service supervi- 25 sors. 26 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.