RESPONDENT: Carol McCarthy, Assistant Director of Adoption Services New York State Office of Children and Family Services Pat O’Brien, Board President
New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children
I. General Information (Background on State Service System)
County-based vs. statewide system
The state of New York provides overall administration for a county-based system through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Each county provides either an adoption or permanency unit, which provides services for children to be adopted. There are “state-level” services provided by New York State Adoption Services Office (NYSAS), which are primarily focused on the adoption process, but also includes a resource listing for post-adoption services and adoption subsidy review and approval. Direct service provision is by the counties.
OCFS divides its responsibilities into two main areas: program and support. The program divisions/offices include: Division of Child Welfare and Community Services (DCWCS).
In New York City, services are administered by the Administration for Children’s Services, which services all five boroughs and which comprises the largest population of children in the state.
Uniformity of services across the state
OCFS operates 12 Community Multi-Services Offices (CMSOs) with four satellite offices statewide, and one Evening Reporting Center (ERC) as well as regional offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Spring Valley, Long Island and New York City.
There is a state plan for service provision. Counties are mandated to provide certain services, but it varies by county in actual delivery. Counties must determine the priority for services in their area; some have more limited services such as in rural areas.
Children on subsidy as of June 2013
Over 35,000 children received adoption subsidies, with the majority being IV-E eligible. The majority of children are eligible for adoption subsidy, which includes Medicaid insurance. This is provided up to age 21 as long as they are receiving subsidy. If children are not IV-E eligible or on COBRA, then they may be determined to be “medically eligible” for services. In this situation, the local OCFS office reimburses the parent for services they purchased for the child at the Medicaid rate; this is a very small subset of children. If the child has a “worsening condition,” then the family may come back to the state to renegotiate adoption subsidy.
New York also has a “Bridges to Health” Medicaid Waiver Program. If a child has severe issues that are identified in foster care, then after adoption the child can receive in-home services – 900 adopted children benefit from this program in New York City. This program is available for a limited number of children.
Are public child welfare adoption workers expected to provide post-adoption services?
Families in need of services are directed back to the local department where the child was adopted. According to the state website, “the Office of Children and Family Services is committed to identifying connections to the services most frequently sought by adoptive families in need of
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support.” The majority of service delivery is provided by assisting the family to locate and be referred to appropriate services in their community.
II. Post-Adoption Services Funded by the State for Adoptive Families
As stated above, most adoptive families are referred to services in their communities.
Information and Referral:
The Parent and Kin Connection Helpline (1-800-345-KIDS) provides information and referral services. The OCFS website lists a variety of services for “youth” and for “parents and families” which can be utilized by any family if the service meets their needs. Also, some information and referral services are provided by local OCFS offices.
Another resource is the New York State Citizen’s Coalition for Children (NYSCCC), which created an online Resource Guide on Post Adoption Services, through grant funds provided by the U.S. Children’s Bureau, New York State Office of Children and Family Services, and A Parent for Every Child Recruitment Project. The website of the NYSCCC updates this resource listing foster and adoptive family support services and therapeutic services in each county statewide at: http://nysccc.org/map/.
Educational Programs or Materials
NYSCCC provides a listing of trainings provided statewide by community resources on its website. The coalition sponsors an adoption conference each year, for which it receives some state funds.
Support Programs
NYSCCC maintains an online map where parents can locate support groups and services in their county: http://nyscc.org/map/.
Therapeutic Interventions
The state child welfare system refers and coordinates referrals for families to therapy services. Most families will seek a therapy provider who takes Medicaid, which is often difficult to find, especially in rural areas, or often the provider might take Medicaid insurance, but may not be “adoption competent.”
Advocacy
There is no state-funded post-adoption advocacy program.
Respite
There is no state-funded specialized post-adoption respite program.
Residential Treatment
Does the state pay for residential treatment for children adopted from foster care? What is the process for obtaining this?
The state child welfare department does not pay for residential. It is accessible if a child qualifies through Medicaid payment.
If yes, what is required to obtain this?
Parents talk to the local OCFS Department to access services. Parents also access the system of care directly through the state Mental Health system using their Medicaid insurance.
Does the child have to re-enter state custody?
Children do not have to re-enter state custody in order to obtain residential services, as they are usually paid for by Medicaid. It is very rare, but could sometimes happen.
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III. Qualifications for Post-Adoption Services
A. What are the eligibility criteria for receiving services?
Information and referral services are accessible to everyone through the state OCFS/adoptions website and phone number. Direct services are not available to private and International adoptive families.
B. Under what circumstances, if any, are these services provided to children who were not adopted through your state’s Department of Children’s Services?
If a family is in a placement disruption crisis, the Department would provide support and preservation services, as it would to any family residing in the state that is in crisis and requests assistance through their local OCFS office.
Children adopted from another state’s child welfare system usually would be referred for services; in cases where direct services/supports are needed, it would depend on case specifics.
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IV. Support for Post-Adoption Services
A & B: No detailed information was obtained for funding sources, other than the fact that local
offices of OCFS sometimes can use prevention funds to support families in placement crisis, and TANF funds support some post-adoption services in New York City.
C. Which, if any, of these services is legally stipulated in state law? If any post-adoption services are included in state law, please describe:
The New York Code of Rules and regulations, within Title 18, 421 gives a definition of post- adoption services: Post-adoption services means counseling, training parents on how to care for
children with special needs, providing clinical and consultative services, and coordinating access to community supportive services for the purpose of ensuring permanence of the placement. Such services may be designed to treat problems which developed after the date of the
adoption decree. Post-adoption services may extend for three years from the date of the adoption decree.
D. Have there been significant cutbacks in post-adoption services or adoption subsidies in the state in the past 10 years? If so, please describe:
The state used to fund 15 TANF post-adoption programs at just under $5 million, but this funding ended in 2013. Now there are only two TANF-funded post-adoption programs – a Permanency Center and Comprehensive/Intensive Prevention Services, both in New York City. The NYSCCC website facilitates an advocacy program to create permanent statewide post-adoption services. It states: “Despite NYSCCC’s ongoing advocacy efforts, it appears NYS has only added $106,000 to the 2014 budget for Post Adoption Services. Unfortunately this is much less than NYS has spent in past years on post-adoption resource centers.”
V. In your state, are there noteworthy practice models or research reports related to adoption support and preservation that you could share with us?
A. Please describe practice models:
NY State Citizens’ Coalition for Children provides support, information and advocacy for foster and adoptive families; however, these services are not state-funded.
B. Significant findings of program evaluations or other post-adoption studies conducted in the State in the past 10 years:
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Respondent is not aware of any conducted by the state. A survey was undertaken by NYSCCC to help determine the post-adoption service needs of families in New York State in December 2009/January 2010. The final report is on the coalition’s website.
http://nysccc.org/adoption/post-adoption-services/postadoptsurvey/
C. Contact persons who could give us more information about noteworthy practice models or research and their phone number:
NY State Citizen’s Coalition for Children: http://nyscc.org/.
VI. Please share any strategies that you have used to successfully advocate for post-adoption services in your state.
The respondent noted that the NY State Citizen’s Coalition has provided advocacy for post-adoption services in the state of New York.