§ 21-914 Preventive services surveys.
AC § 21-914
a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the term "preventive services" means supportive and rehabilitative services provided, in accordance with title four of the social services law, to children and their families for the purposes of: averting an impairment or disruption of a family which will or could result in the placement of a child in foster care; enabling a child who has been placed in foster care to return to his family at an earlier time than would otherwise be possible; or reducing the likelihood that a child who has been discharged from foster care would return to such care. b. Commencing 18 months after the effective date of the local law that added this section, ACS shall provide to all families receiving preventive services an annual survey regarding the family's experiences with each preventive services provider that provided the family services during the preceding calendar year. Such surveys may be administered online or through a mobile application. ACS shall not attribute survey responses to families without their consent. In addition to questions, such surveys shall provide space for such families to provide ACS with any additional information they wish to share. c. Such survey shall include but not be limited to questions regarding the following: interactions with caseworkers, the type and quality of services, and suggestions for how services may be improved. d. No later than six months following the first administration of the survey required pursuant to this section, and annually thereafter, ACS shall submit to the speaker of the council and post on its website aggregated data from such surveys and any steps ACS had taken in response to the information provided in such surveys. e. Not later than six months after the effective date of the local law that added this section, ACS shall submit to the speaker of the council a report on its plan for the implementation of the survey required pursuant to this section. f. No information that is otherwise required to be reported pursuant to this section shall be reported in a manner that would violate any applicable provision of federal, state or local law relating to the privacy of information respecting families or children receiving preventive services or that would interfere with law enforcement investigations or otherwise conflict with the interests of law enforcement. If any category requested contains between 1 and 5 families or children receiving preventive services, or allows another category to be narrowed to between 1 and 5 families or children receiving preventive services, the number shall be replaced with a symbol. (L.L. 2018/017, 12/31/2017, eff. 12/31/2017)
