NY State Senate Bill 2025-S5437

Senate Bill S5437

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Allows prospective and current agency personnel receive certification through remote training methods

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Social Services Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 21, 2025	referred to social services

2025-S5437 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Social Services
Law Section:: Social Services Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §409-g, Soc Serv L

2025-S5437 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows prospective and current agency personnel receive certification through remote training methods; requires the establishment of rules and regulations of such remote training.

2025-S5437 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5437

SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to allowing
prospective and current agency personnel complete training through
remote training methods

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this bill is to allow agency personnel to complete neces-
sary training requirements through remote training methods.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends section 409-g of the social services law to
outline professions and agency personnel, including caseworkers involved
in the provision or supervision of preventive services, foster care
services and adoption services, to obtain required trainings through
distance learning methods.

Section 2 of the bill establishes the effect date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Voluntary agency staff, similar to county CPS workers are required to
receive training related to the safety, permanency and well-being, the
three pillars of child welfare practice. Last year, legislation was
enacted (Chapter 470 of the Laws of 2024) to allow county CPS workers to
complete certain required training through distance learning methods.
This same flexibility should apply across the child welfare sector.

Allowing virtual training would remove the geographic and financial
barrier that prevents many potential workers from joining these
professions. This bill would increase accessibility, creating the poten-
tial for more case workers to join in this work. It will help provide
some relief to already overburdened work force.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL:

To Be Determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
on or before such date.

2025-S5437 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5437
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 21, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services
 
 AN ACT to amend  the  social  services  law,  in  relation  to  allowing
   prospective  and  current  agency  personnel complete training through
   remote training methods

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 409-g of the social services law, as added by chap-
 ter 611 of the laws of 1979, is amended to read as follows:
   §  409-g.   Training of child welfare personnel. 1. Within the amounts
 appropriated therefor, including all federal reimbursement  received  or
 to  be  received  on  account  thereof, the department shall develop and
 implement a plan for  the training of social services district and other
 authorized agency  personnel,  including  caseworkers  involved  in  the
 provision  or  supervision  of preventive services, foster care services
 and adoption services.   Such training shall include  but  need  not  be
 limited to:
   [1.    Permanence]  (A)  PERMANENCE casework:   casework methodologies
 focused on activities designed to prevent placement in foster care or to
 shorten the length of stay  in  care  for  those  children  who  can  be
 returned home or freed for adoption;
   [2.    Development]  (B) DEVELOPMENT of skills to facilitate rehabili-
 tation or restoration of the family unit;
   [3.  Development] (C) DEVELOPMENT of knowledge and skills  in  legally
 freeing children for adoption and providing adoption services;
   [4.    Development] (D) DEVELOPMENT of knowledge and skills to prepare
 for court processes necessary in foster care and adoption; and
   [5.  Development] (E) DEVELOPMENT of case management skills  including
 planning for permanence for each child.
   2.  THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF THE
 OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, SHALL ESTABLISH RULES AND  REGU-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD06807-01-5

 S. 5437                             2
 
 LATIONS  FOR  ALLOWING  PROSPECTIVE  AND  CURRENT  AGENCY  PERSONNEL  TO
 COMPLETE ANY REQUIRED TRAINING FOR  CERTIFICATION  AS  AGENCY  PERSONNEL
 THROUGH  REMOTE  TRAINING METHODS WHICH EVINCE THAT ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE
 IN ATTENDANCE FOR THE DURATION OF THE TRAINING AND ARE ABLE TO ASK QUES-
 TIONS  OF  THE  INSTRUCTOR,  AND  FOR  PROVIDING  CERTIFICATION UPON THE
 COMPLETION OF SUCH TRAINING THROUGH REMOTE TRAINING METHODS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal  of  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of
 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made  and  completed
 on or before such date.

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