Role
OCFS has wide-ranging responsibilities for the provision of services to children, youth, families, and vulnerable adults. The agency is responsible for programs and services involving foster care, adoption, and adoption assistance; child protective services, including operating the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment; preventive services for children and families; child care and referral programs; and protective programs for vulnerable adults. Additionally, OCFS is responsible for the state’s juvenile justice programs, administering and managing residential facilities located across New York State for youth remanded to the agency’s custody by family and criminal courts. The agency also supports and monitors detention, aftercare, and a range of community-based programs. OCFS also coordinates, in part, the state government response to the needs of Native Americans and their children on reservations and in communities.
Prevention and rehabilitation efforts are joint ventures with local and county government, supported by federal, state, county, and municipal funds, as well as private contributions. OCFS provides technical and financial assistance to agencies involved in community youth programs and monitors activities of voluntary child-care and detention agencies in New York State. The agency divides its responsibilities into two main areas: program and support. The program divisions/offices include: • Division of Child Welfare and Community Services • Division of Juvenile Justice and Opportunities for Youth • Office of Juvenile Justice Oversight and Improvement • Division of Child Care Services, and the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped
The support divisions/offices include: • Division of Administration • Division of Legal Affairs • Office of Communications • Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Development • Office of Special Investigations • Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Development • Office of the Ombudsman
Regional Offices OCFS has regional offices in Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, and Spring Valley. The Regional Offices help districts and agencies keep children safe, achieve permanency, and improve the quality of life for children and families. Regional Offices provide “oversight” to local districts and voluntary agencies. The responsibility to provide oversight is defined as (1) assuring compliance with OCFS regulations, (2) reinforcing good practice standards, and (3) improving district/agency capacity to achieve positive outcomes for children and families.
The agency's Bureau of Training maintains the Parker Training Academy. Located on the Academy grounds is a Dutch barn added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Read more about this topic: New York State Office Of Children And Family Services
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—Alison Clarke-Stewart (20th century)
“Nothing is ever simple. What do you do when you discover you like parts of the role you’re trying to escape?”
—Marilyn French (b. 1929)