N.Y. Social Services Law § 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.