N.Y. SOS Law § 440

§ 440. Findings; purpose. 1. The legislature finds that children\nwho are in care away from their own homes on a full time basis, whether\ntemporarily or for a prolonged period, require effective supervision and\nreview of their status in care and of the plans for them. It is the\npolicy of the state of New York to assure that such children are\nappropriately placed, that needed services are provided to them and\ntheir families, and that unnecessary and prolonged placements are\navoided. The legislature further finds that this policy is often\nfrustrated, and fiscal and program accountability have not been promoted\nbecause of divergent and overlapping jurisdictions of various government\nand private agencies; the lack of coordination among programs of these\nagencies; and the excessive workloads of judicial personnel, social\nservices workers, and others responsible for reviewing the status in\ncare of these children.\n 2. To assist in overcoming these difficulties, it is the intent of\nthe legislature to establish a statewide management assistance system to\nbe called the child care review service. The service shall be designed\nand operated to effectuate the following purposes:\n (a) identification and assessment of the needs and problems of\nchildren in care and their families, to effectuate meaningful case\nplanning;\n (b) case management and supervision by child care agencies of\nchildren in full-time care away from their homes;\n (c) supervision and evaluation by state agencies of local and\nvoluntary child care agency performance;\n (d) planning and policy making by state agencies, the governor and\nthe legislature;\n (e) meeting in a timely manner all judicial review requirements of\nthis chapter, the family court act and any other applicable provisions\nof law;\n (f) reduction of the need for manual form preparation; and\n (g) meeting federal reporting requirements so as to qualify for\nfederal funds under the federal social security act.\n