N.Y. Social Services Law § 458-n: Funding for family support services programs

§ 458-n. Funding for family support services programs. 1.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, to the

extent that funds are available for such purpose and specifically

appropriated therefor, the office of children and family services shall

distribute funding to the highest need municipality which shall mean a

county or a city with a population of one million or more to contract

with not-for-profit corporations to operate family support services

programs in accordance with the provisions of this title and the

specific program model requirements issued by the office.

2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, when

determining the highest need municipality pursuant to this subdivision,

the office may consider factors that may include, but are not

necessarily limited to:

(a) the total amount of available funding and the amount of funding

required for family support services programs to meet the objectives

outlined in section four hundred fifty-eight-m of this title;

(b) relevant, available statistics regarding each municipality, a

group of two or more municipalities that jointly seek to fund and

administer a family support services program in accordance with

subdivision four of this section which may include, but not necessarily

be limited to:

(i) the availability of services within such municipality to prevent

or reduce detention or residential placement of youth pursuant to

article seven of the family court act; and

(ii) relative to the youth population of such municipality:

(1) the number of petitions filed pursuant to article seven of the

family court act; or

(2) the number of placements of youth into residential care or

detention pursuant to article seven of the family court act as

applicable, over the last five years;

(c) any reported performance outcomes reported to the office pursuant

to subdivision three of this section for programs that previously

received funding pursuant to this title; or

(d) other appropriate factors as determined by the office.

3. Municipalities receiving funding under this title shall report to

the office of children and family services, in the form and manner and

at such times as determined by the office, on the performance outcomes

of any family support service program located within such municipalities

that receives funding under this title.

4. Two or more eligible municipalities within a close geographic

within a close geographic proximity to each other may enter into an

agreement to jointly seek funding for and jointly administer family

support services programs to service eligible youth and families within

such municipalities in accordance with this section. Such agreements

shall include provisions for the proportionate cost to be borne by each

municipality and for the manner of employment of personnel and may

provide that a fiscal officer of one such municipality shall be the

custodian of the moneys made available for expenditure for such purposes

by all such municipalities and that such fiscal officer may make

payments therefrom upon audit of the appropriate auditing body or

officer of his or her municipality. In making claims for state aid

pursuant to section, each such municipality shall claim for its

proportionate share of the total joint expenditures so made. However,

where it is provided that there shall be a disbursing municipality, such

disbursing municipality shall claim for the total joint program

expenditures so made and shall disburse such state aid to each

participating municipality based upon the proportionate share of

expenditures so made.

5. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivisions two, three and four

of this section, a municipality, consistent with its approved plan for

supervision and treatment services for juveniles program, may utilize

any funding available to such municipality pursuant to section five

hundred twenty-nine-b of the executive law to fund family support

services programs pursuant to this title.