New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
Title 18 - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Chapter II - Regulations of the Department of Social Services
Subchapter C - Social Services
Article 2 - Family and Children's Services
Part 432 - Child Abuse And Maltreatment
Section 432.2 - Child protective service: responsibilities and organization

(i) The child protective service shall be responsible for receiving reports of suspected cases of child abuse and/or maltreatment from the State Central Register on a 24-hour, 7-day per week basis. When oral reports are made initially to the local child protective service, the child protective service shall immediately make an oral or electronic report to the State Central Register.

(ii) Each district is required to designate child protective services casework staff who will be responsible for receiving reports of child abuse and/or maltreatment during and after the district's normal business hours. After a district' s normal business hours, a child protective service worker may receive notification of the existence of a report of child abuse and/or maltreatment from a third party for the purpose of contacting the State Central Register. The use of after-hours third-party answering services must be approved by OCFS.

(iii) Caseworkers at the local district who are not normally employees of the child protective service may be designated to directly receive reports of suspected child abuse and/or maltreatment from the State Central Register after the district's normal business hours, if the organization and administrative requirements of the single organizational unit, as set forth in subdivision (d) of this section are adhered to.

(iv) Intake procedures shall be clearly delineated in the documentation file. At a minimum, such documentation file shall include:

(i) The child protective service must commence or cause the appropriate society for the prevention of cruelty to children to commence, within 24 hours after receiving a child abuse and/or maltreatment report, an appropriate investigation or family assessment response for each report of suspected child abuse and/or maltreatment. Within 24 hours of receiving a child abuse and/or maltreatment report, the child protective service, or the appropriate society for the prevention of cruelty to children must conduct a face-to-face contact or a telephone contact with the subjects and/or other persons named in the report or other persons in a position to provide information about whether the child may be in immediate danger of serious harm. In addition, for any report assigned to the investigative track, within one business day of the oral report date, the child protective service must review State Central Register records pertaining to all prior reports involving members of the family, including legally sealed unfounded and family assessment response reports where the current report involves a subject of the unfounded or family assessment response report, a child named in the unfounded or family assessment response report or a child's sibling named in the unfounded or family assessment response report. Within five business days of the oral report date, the child protective service must review its own child protective service record(s) that apply to the prior reports, including legally sealed unfounded and family assessment response reports where the current report involves a subject of the unfounded or family assessment response report, a child named in the unfounded or family assessment response report or a child's sibling named in the unfounded or family assessment response report. For prior reports in which case records are maintained by another social services district, including legally sealed unfounded and family assessment response reports, the child protective service with investigative responsibility must request relevant portions of such record(s) within one business day of the oral report date. The social services district maintaining the case record must provide the inquiring child protective service with the requested pertinent portions of their records within five business days of receiving such request.

(ii) The full child protective investigation must include the following activities:

(iii) Prior to making a determination that a report of abuse and/or maltreatment assigned to the investigative track should be indicated or unfounded, the investigation to be conducted by the child protective service shall include, but not be limited to:

(iv) The child protective service has the sole responsibility for making a determination within 60 days after receiving the report as to whether there is some credible evidence of child abuse and/or maltreatment so as either to "indicate" or "unfound" a report of child abuse and/or maltreatment.

(v) A child protective service supervisor must review and approve the decision to either indicate or unfound the allegation(s) of child abuse and/or maltreatment.

(vi) The child protective service worker shall, in all cases where a child abuse or maltreatment report is being investigated, assess whether the best interests of the child require Family Court or Criminal Court action and shall initiate such action, whenever necessary.

(vii) Such investigation/assessment procedures shall be clearly delineated in the documentation file and shall support the district's assurances which are set forth in the district's consolidated services plan relating to child protective services. At a minimum, such documentation file shall include:

(i) The child protective service shall be responsible for the provision and coordination of rehabilitative services and foster care services, where appropriate, or arranging for the provision and coordination of rehabilitative services and foster care services, where appropriate, to any child who is named in an indicated child abuse and/or maltreatment report and his/her family, including other children in the same household, in order to safeguard and ensure a child's well-being and development and to preserve and stabilize family life whenever appropriate.

(ii) The child protective service may, where appropriate, provide for or arrange for and coordinate services to children named in child abuse and/or maltreatment reports and their families prior to a determination as to whether some credible evidence exists as to the alleged abuse or maltreatment.

(iii) The provision of child protective services shall be limited to any child named in a child abuse and/or maltreatment report or any member of the child's family, including other children in the same home.

(iv) The child protective service worker shall, in all cases where subjects of an indicated abuse and/or maltreatment report refuse to accept rehabilitative services and/or foster care services, assess whether the best interests of the child require Family Court action to compel the subjects of the report to accept rehabilitative services and/or foster care services and shall initiate such action whenever necessary, unless there is insufficient evidence to initiate a Family Court petition to compel involvement in such service(s).

(v) In directly providing services to children named in an abuse and/or maltreatment report and their families, the child protective service worker must ensure:

(vi) In cases where the child protective service is the primary service provider to children named in indicated child protective services cases and their families, the child protective service worker must make casework contacts which, at a minimum, consist of at least two separate face-to-face contacts per month with the subject(s) and other persons named in the report, at least one of which must take place in the subject's home. Where the child protective service is coordinating the delivery of rehabilitative services pursuant to subparagraph (viii) of this paragraph, by providers of specialized rehabilitative services, supportive services and probation services as defined by section 432.1(x), (y) and (z) of this Part, such providers may make up to six of the contacts required during a six-month period. However, only contacts made by the case planner or caseworker, as directed by the case planner, may be counted as the required in-home contact and only two of the contacts made by other service providers may be made by supportive service providers. For purposes of this subparagraph, the first six-month period commences at the case initiation date or at the opening of an indicated child protective service case; subsequent six-month periods will be calculated from the service plan due date.

(vii) In cases where the child protective service is the primary service provider to children named in indicated child protective services cases and their families, the child protective service worker shall be responsible for the case management of the case.

(viii) In cases where the child protective service is the primary service provider to children named in indicated child protective services cases and their families, the child protective service is responsible for identifying, utilizing and coordinating other services in the community and provided by the social services district, to assist in the rehabilitation of individuals named in an indicated child abuse and/or maltreatment report and to reduce risk to children named in such cases. In coordinating the delivery of rehabilitative services, the child protective service worker must ensure that the roles, responsibilities and tasks and activities of all service providers are clearly defined and that the established plan of service is being implemented.

(ix) In cases where the child protective service is the primary service provider to children named in indicated child protective services cases and their families, a child protective service supervisor must review casework decisions made by the child protective service worker. Such review must include, at a minimum, a review of the family and children's services plan for the case and of the information periodically reported to the State central register.

(x) Any child protective service caseworker may provide and arrange for preventive services in addition to protective services for children to his own protective services case, as long as the case is eligible for mandated preventive services pursuant to section 430.9 of this Title and the caseworker is directly providing services to the children named in indicated abuse and/or maltreatment reports and their families.

(xi) Any child protective service caseworker may provide foster care services in addition to protective services for children in his own protective service case, as long as it has been determined that foster care placement was necessary pursuant to department standards set forth in section 430.10 of this Title.

(xii) For those cases under court-ordered supervision, where a child protective service worker is not the primary service provider of a child protective services case, a child protective service worker shall monitor the provision of the rehabilitative services being provided to children named in indicated abuse and/or maltreatment reports and their families, pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (b)(5) of this section.

(xiii)

(i) The child protective service shall be responsible for monitoring the provision of services, including foster care services, to children named in open indicated abuse and maltreatment reports and their families, when the child protective service worker is not the primary service provider for the case.

(ii) The purpose of monitoring is to ensure the continued safety of the child(ren) that risk reduction activities and services are being implemented in the established plan for services, and that the service plan is modified when progress has been insufficient.

(iii) Monitoring includes, but is not limited to, all of the following tasks:

(i) Activities completed by child protective services casework staff, such as the completion of the appropriate reporting forms to be sent to the statewide central register, the investigation of abuse and/or maltreatment reports and monitoring tasks as prescribed in paragraph (5) of this subdivision, shall be considered activities solely reimbursable as a protective service for children.

(ii) Rehabilitative service, as defined by section 432.1(i) of this Part, may be considered activities reimbursable as a protective service for children, pursuant to the definition of protective services for children contained in section 432.1(p) of this Part.

(i) General standards for case closing when all rehabilitative services are to be terminated to children named in indicated reports of abuse and/or maltreatment and their families. A case may be closed to the statewide central register only:

(ii) Standards when one or more children named in abuse and/or maltreatment reports are in foster care. A case may be closed with the statewide central register when one or more children named in abuse and/or maltreatment report(s) are in foster care, if all such children are:

(iii) Standard when one or more children named in abuse and/or maltreatment reports are receiving mandated preventive services. A case may be closed with the statewide central register when one or more children named in abuse and/or maltreatment report(s) are receiving mandated preventive services if all such children are presently at risk of foster care because of reasons which are unrelated to circumstances set forth in paragraph (1) or (4) of section 430.9(c) of this Title.

(i) In considering the closing of a case with the State central register, the child protective services shall:

(ii) Approval by a supervisor of the child protective services worker must be obtained prior to the case being closed with the State central register.

(i) General. Upon closing a case with the statewide central register, the local child protective service shall provide documentation to the department that the requirements of this subdivision were met. Such documentation shall include notifying the State central register, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, that the standards in this subdivision have been adhered to.

(ii) In documenting that children named in abuse and/or maltreatment report(s) are not placed in foster care due to a circumstance set forth in paragraph (1) or (4) of section 430.10(c) of this Title, the child protective service must document, or ensure that such documentation exists, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, that, if the child were to be returned home, the child would not be in danger of serious physical or emotional harm. In (re)assessing the risk to the child, the child protective service worker must cite one or more of the following factors: the parent's or caretaker's willingness to maintain regular contact with the child, their favorable behavior during visits, their favorable response to services offered or provided by the district or other involved agencies, their expressed willingness to take the child home and to plan for his or her welfare, the present favorable evaluation of safety factors and risk elements which in the past contributed to the original problems which necessitated the placement, and the overall progress of the parent toward achieving the outcomes established in the family and children's service plan.

(iii) In documenting that children named in abuse and/or maltreatment report(s) are not at risk of foster care because of a circumstance set forth in paragraph (1) or (4) of section 430.10(c) of this Title, the child protective service worker must document, in a form and manner prescribed by the department, that such children are not in danger of serious emotional or physical harm, or ensure that such documentation exists. In cases where such danger previously existed, the child protective service worker must document that the emotional, physical or mental condition which had impaired the ability of the child's parents or caretaker to function no longer places the child in danger of serious emotional or physical harm. In addition, if the ability to care for a child had been impaired because of prior financial problems, including a lack of adequate housing, the child protective service worker must document that such impairment no longer places the child in danger of serious emotional or physical harm.

(iv) A child protective service supervisor shall approve, in writing, that the case closing decision has been made in accordance with the requirements of this subdivision.

(i) Supervisors must, at case conferences with staff and when reviewing case records, examine the caseworkers' use of risk assessment for arriving at key case decisions.

(ii) When a child protective service is the primary service provider, case records must contain documentation that key decisions were reached through consideration of the items described in paragraph (2) of this subdivision. This subparagraph does not apply to a determination that a report is to be indicated or unfounded.

(iii) When a child protective service is monitoring the provision of child protective services, it is responsible for ensuring that the items described in paragraph (2) of this subdivision are considered when making key case decisions.

(iv) Risk assessment activities for reports assigned to the investigative track must be documented in the form and manner required by OCFS pursuant to Part 428 of this Title and clause (b)(3)(iii)(b) of this section. Risk assessment activities for reports assigned to the family assessment response track must be completed and documented in the form and manner required by OCFS pursuant to section 432.13 of this Part.

(i) After a district's normal working hours, a child protective service worker may receive notification of the existence of reports of child abuse and/or maltreatment from a third party for the purpose of contacting the State Central Register. Such arrangement cannot be used unless it is approved by OCFS.

(ii) A local district may assign casework staff other than staff of the child protective service to perform the intake and/or the investigation functions during afterhours if OCFS has approved a district's after-hours organizational structure. For the purpose of this paragraph:

(i) that appropriate information is received by the child protective service from other service units in the social services district and other provider agencies, in a timely manner, including but not limited to documentation of risk assessment activities and any component of the family and children's services plan, as defined by section 432.1(l) of this Part, so as to permit the child protective service to monitor the provision of services to children and families as described in paragraph (b)(5) of this section;

(ii) that the monitor and service providers receive information as to the kind and nature of reports being investigated or assessed in family assessment response, and the determinations of such investigations, except that such information may only be disclosed in conformity with subdivisions 4 and 5 of section 422 of the Social Services Law, subdivision 5 of section 427-a of the Social Services Law, and sections 357.5 and 432.13 of this Title;

(iii) that the child protective service is notified of the time and place of service plan reviews that are held for children in foster care who are named in indicated abuse and/or maltreatment reports open with the State Central Register;

(iv) that the child protective service receives appropriate information from other service providers, including information concerning contacts with children named in an indicated report and their family, to allow for the planning, administration and evaluation of the various components of the child and family services plan, and information concerning contacts with children named in a family assessment response report, to allow for implementation of assistance identified through a FLAG;

(v) that other units or bureaus in the district, and other agencies outside the district, receive information relating to the child protective aspects of the case, so as to facilitate continuity of service provision; provided, however, that the confidentiality restrictions in subdivision 4 of section 422 and subdivision 5 of section 427-a of the Social Services Law are adhered to;

(vi) a formal method of effectuating case planning decisions, when the child protective service and other service units within a local district do not agree on a plan for care, pursuant to the requirements set forth in paragraph (b)(5) of this section;

(vii) the timely and expeditious transfer of cases from the child protective service to other service units within the district or to other service agencies outside the district after the investigation of or family assessment response to the abuse and/or maltreatment report has concluded and such transfer is deemed to be appropriate; and

(viii) that the child protective service staff be notified of any court petition filed pursuant to article 10 of the Family Court Act by any other child protective agency as defined by subdivision (i) of section 1012 of the Family Court Act or by any other person so directed by the court to originate an article 10 proceeding as determined by section 1032 of the Family Court Act. In addition, the child protective service shall be notified of any complaint which initiates Criminal Court action involving subjects of abuse and/or maltreatment reports. Such notice shall occur prior to the time of the filing.

(i) Each local child protective service must have sufficient qualified staff to fulfill the purposes of title 6 of article 6 of the Social Services Law. The staffing qualifications in this paragraph apply to all employees hired to work in the child protective service on or after January 1, 1986. These requirements also apply to staff of the local social services district who are transferred from other units to employment in the local child protective service.

(ii)

(iii) Each non-supervisory child protective service worker must have a baccalaureate or equivalent college degree and/or must have relevant human services experience. Persons employed as supervisory staff of the child protective service prior to the effective date of this regulation must have a baccalaureate or equivalent degree or must have a minimum of one year of experience in child welfare services. Supervisory staff of the child protective service hired on or after the effective date of this regulation must have a baccalaureate or equivalent college degree and a minimum of two years of relevant work experience in child welfare services.

(i) Staff review and evaluation. Each local child protective service must establish a procedure to review and evaluate the backgrounds of and information supplied by all applicants for employment in the local child protective service. This procedure must take into account any appropriate collective bargaining agreements and applicable provisions of the Civil Service Law. As part of this procedure, the child protective service must require such applicants to submit all of the following information:

(ii) If an applicant discloses in the sworn statement furnished in accordance with subparagraph (i) of this paragraph that he/she has been convicted of a crime, the local child protective service must determine, in accordance with guidelines developed and disseminated by OCFS, whether to hire any such applicant, except that any local child protective service which had guidelines for the review of persons with conviction records in use prior to January 1, 1986 may continue to use the district guidelines in making the required determination. If the service determines it will hire the applicant, the service must maintain a written record, as part of the application file or employment or other personnel record of such person, of the reason(s) why such person was determined to be appropriate and acceptable as an employee.

(iii) Each local child protective service must inquire of OCFS whether any person who is actively being considered for employment or any person who is employed by an individual, corporation, partnership or association which provides goods or services to the local child protective service and who will have the potential for regular and substantial contact with children being cared for by the child protective service is the subject of an indicated report of child abuse or maltreatment on file with the State Central Register. The local child protective service may make such an inquiry to OCFS regarding any current employee or a person who is being considered for use as a volunteer or for hiring as a consultant and who has or will have the potential for regular and substantial contact with children being cared for by the service. An inquiry regarding any current employee may be made only once in any six-month period. Inquiries made pursuant to this paragraph shall be subject to the following provisions.

(iv) Reimbursement by OCFS will be withheld from a local social services district for the salary of any employee of the local child protective service who does not comply with the background review, educational, experience or training requirements of this paragraph or paragraph (5) of this subdivision.

(i) input from consultation with law enforcement agencies, the Family Court, and appropriate public or voluntary agencies;

(ii) a summary of the required public hearing, indicating the composition of the audience, the nature of the testimony given, and the impact the public hearing had in the development of the plan or annual implementation report. The summary shall include documentation that notice of the public hearing was provided at least 15 days prior to the date of the hearing and that such notice specified the time and place for the discussion of the child protective services component. The summary should also include copies of newspaper clippings related to the public hearings;

(iii) an organizational chart of the child protective service, including the total number of professional staff involved in the provision of such services, as well as any anticipated or planned changes in the structure of the child protective service;

(iv) a list of services that would be necessary and appropriate to help fulfill the function and responsibilities of the child protective service which are not available through the district or the community;

(v) information concerning the financing of local protective services for children, including the amount of money allocated for purchasing services from other agencies and the amount of money allocated by the local district for the direct provision of services;

(vi) the legal assurances set forth in paragraph (3) of this subdivision;

(vii) a listing of the sworn police officials of a city police department other than the police department of the City of New York, or of a county, town or village police department or county sheriff's department who have received permission from the local social services district to receive records and reports of child abuse and maltreatment. Such permission may be granted only for records and reports that have been assigned to the investigative track and only when such officer certifies that the records and reports are necessary in order to conduct a criminal investigation of the subject of the report, and that such investigation is reasonably related to the allegations contained in the report;

(viii) a summary of the understanding between the local social services district and the district attorney's office, which outlines the cooperative procedures to be followed by both parties in investigating incidents of child abuse and maltreatment consistent with their respective obligations for the investigation or prosecution of such incidents, as required by law and in accordance with the responsibilities of the child protective service as set forth in subdivision (b) of this section or a summary of the reasons why such an understanding has not been developed in spite of a good faith effort being made to do so; and

(ix) a description of the terms and conditions to be set forth in any written agreement between the local district and a provider or coordinator of services which authorizes redisclosure of child protective services information including records, reports or other information by such service provider or coordinator to other persons or agencies providing services to the child and family.

(i) that a separate organizational unit responsible for child protective services operates within the local district according to the requirements specified in this section;

(ii) [Reserved]

(iii) that the State Central Register is kept fully informed and up-to-date concerning the receipt and disposition of reports by the entry of all appropriate reports and information into CONNECTIONS;

(iv) that the appropriate district attorney is immediately informed by telephone of any child who has died as a result of suspected child abuse and/or maltreatment, and that copies of all reports on such children are forwarded to the district attorney's office;

(v) that the appropriate medical examiner or coroner is informed if there is a reasonable cause to suspect that a child has died as a result of suspected child abuse and/or maltreatment;

(vi) that the findings from the medical examiner or coroner are secured on any case where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child has died as a result of child abuse or maltreatment;

(vii) that telephone notice is provided and a copy of any or all reports of suspected abuse or maltreatment that have been assigned to the investigative track are forwarded immediately to the appropriate district attorney if a prior request in writing for such notice and copies has been received by the child protective service and provided that such request specifies the kinds of allegations concerning which the district attorney requires such notice and copies and provides a copy of the relevant provisions of law;

(viii) that a copy of any or all reports of suspected abuse and/or maltreatment is forwarded to any appropriate duly incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to children or to any other duly authorized child protective agency, if a prior written request for such copies has been received from such society or agency by the child protective service;

(ix) that the district commences or causes the appropriate society for the prevention of cruelty to children to commence, within 24 hours after receiving a report of child abuse and/or maltreatment, an appropriate investigation or, for approved social service districts, a family assessment response to all reports of suspected child abuse and/or maltreatment. Such investigation or response must meet the requirements of paragraph (b)(3) of this section, or section 432.13 of this Part;

(x) that upon receipt of a report of suspected abuse or maltreatment that is assigned to the investigative track, and after seeing to the safety of the child or children named in the report, but in no event later than seven days after the receipt of the oral report, the local district delivers or mails to the subject(s) and other persons named in the investigative track report, except children under the age of 18 years, a written notification, in such form as required by OCFS, informing them of the existence of the report and of the subject(s)' rights with regard to amendment of information contained in the report; and, upon receipt of a report that is assigned to the family assessment track, and after seeing to the safety of the child or children named in the report, but in no event later than seven days after the receipt of the report, the local district delivers or mails to the parent(s), guardian(s), or other legally responsible person(s) of any child named in the report a written notification, in such form as required by OCFS, informing them of the existence of the report and of the nature of family assessment response; except that, when a new report is received that is consolidated into an open child protective services investigation or family assessment response, the child protective service may provide only verbal notification of the new report to all persons who were notified of the open report unless such person requests written notification;

(xi) that the local district determines, within 60 days, whether a report assigned to the investigative track is "indicated" or "unfounded" and, if "indicated," delivers or mails to the subject(s) and other persons named in the report, except children under the age of 18 years, a written notification, within seven days of the determination, in such form as required by OCFS, informing the subject(s) of their rights to request the commissioner to amend or, for any report received by the State Central Register prior to February 12, 1996, expunge the report and their right to request a fair hearing;

(xii) that upon receipt of written notice from the State Central Register of any expungement or amendment of the record of a report made pursuant to a subject's request or pursuant to a hearing, the local district expunges from or amends as directed all records of the report, and informs, for the same purposes, any other agency or person that received such report or information;

(xiii) that the local district shall take all appropriate measures to protect a child's life and health including, when appropriate, taking or keeping a child in protective custody without the consent of a parent or guardian, if there is reasonable cause to believe that the circumstances or condition of the child are such that continuing in his place of residence or in the care and custody of the parent, guardian, custodian or other person responsible for the child's care presents an imminent danger to the child's life or health;

(xiv) that upon being notified that a child is retained in protective custody, the child protective service staff shall commence a proceeding at the next regular weekday session of the appropriate Family Court, or recommend to the court, at that time, that the child be returned to his parents or guardian;

(xv) that, based upon the investigation and evaluation, the local district offers appropriate services to any child believed to be suffering from abuse or maltreatment and to the child's family, or both, and, in offering these services, explains to the family that the child protective service has no legal authority to compel the family to accept services;

(xvi) that, in those cases in which an appropriate offer of services is refused and the child protective services determines that the best interests of the child require court action, the local district initiates such action or makes a referral to the appropriate district attorney, or both;

(xvii) that the local district assists the Family Court or the Criminal Court during all stages of the court proceeding, in accordance with the purposes of title 6 of article 6 of the Social Services Law;

(xviii) that the local district provides or arranges for, coordinates and monitors rehabilitative services for children and their families on a voluntary basis or under a final or intermediate order of the Family Court according to the standards set forth in paragraphs (b)(1)-(6) of this section;

(xviv) that the local child protective service receives, in accordance with title 6 of article 6 of the Social Services Law and paragraph (b)(2) of this section, reports of suspected abuse or maltreatment on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis;

(xix) that, in local districts in which oral reports are made initially to the local child protective service, all reports are immediately upon receipt transmitted orally or electronically to the State Central Register;

(xx) that the local child protective service has sufficient staff, of sufficient qualifications, to fulfill the purposes of title 6 of article 6 of the Social Services Law, and that with respect to such staff the local child protective service has complied with the background review, educational, experience and training requirements of subdivision (d) of this section;

(xxi) that, when necessary, the commissioner of a local district gives consent for medical, dental, health or hospital services for any child who has been found by the Family Court to be an abused or neglected child or has been taken into or kept in protective custody or removed from the place where such child is residing or who has been placed in the custody of such commissioner, pursuant to section 417 of the Social Services Law or section 1022, 1024 or 1027 of the Family Court Act;

(xxii) that the local district conducts continuing publicity and education programs for local department staff, persons required to report cases of suspected abuse and maltreatment, and any other appropriate persons, to encourage the fullest degree of reporting of suspected child abuse or maltreatment, and that such educational programs include, but are not limited to, subjects relating to the responsibilities, obligations and powers imposed by title 6 of article 6 of the Social Services Law, as well as the diagnosis of child abuse and maltreatment and the procedures of the child protective services, the Family Court and other duly authorized agencies;

(xxiv) that the local district shall, when notified by a physician, take custody of any child treated by such physician, whether or not additional medical treatment is required, if such physician has reasonable cause to believe that the circumstances or condition of the child are such that the continuation of the child in his place of residence or in the care and custody of the parent, guardian, custodian, or other person responsible for the child's care presents an imminent danger to the child's life or health;

(xxv) that the local district must, when notified by the person in charge of any hospital or similar institution that such person has retained custody of a child because such person has reasonable cause to believe that the circumstances or conditions of the child are such that continuing in his/her place of residence or in the care and custody of the child's parent, guardian, custodian or other person responsible for the child's care presents an imminent danger to the child's life or health, immediately commence an investigation, and, if no further medical treatment is necessary, take all necessary measures to protect the child's life and health, including, where appropriate, taking custody of the child;

(xxvi) that the local district has made a good faith effort to develop a written understanding between the local district and the district attorney's office which specifies the cooperative procedures to be followed by both parties in investigating incidents of child abuse and maltreatment consistent with the respective obligations for the investigation or prosecution of such incidents as otherwise required by law, and in accordance with the responsibilities of the child protective service as set forth in subdivision (b) of this section;

(xxvii) that the local district makes current procedural manuals and service directories available to employees of the district's child protective service, service providers and professionals involved in the prevention of child abuse and maltreatment; and

(xxviii) that upon receipt of written notice from the State Central Register that a report received by the State Central Register on or after February 12, 1996 has been "unfounded," the local district immediately seals the report and updates, as appropriate, information regarding such report in other records of the district and informs, for the same purposes, any other agency or person that received such report or any information about such report, or for any report received by the State Central Register prior to February 12, 1996, expunges the report and informs, for the same purposes, any other agency or person that received such report or information about such report. Legally sealed unfounded reports may be made available only to:

(xxix) that, upon receiving a written request from the State Central Register for all records, reports or other information maintained by the local child protective service pertaining to an indicated report of child abuse and maltreatment, the local child protective services provides such reports, records or information to the State Central Register within no more than 20 calendar days of receiving the request;

(xxx) that, for those local districts approved for family assessment response, when a report received by the State Central Register has been assigned to the family assessment response track, the local district immediately seals the report and updates, as appropriate, information regarding such report in records maintained by the district and informs the State Central Register, any other agency or person that received such report or any information about such report that the report is legally sealed, in accordance with Social Services Law 427-a(4)(c)(i). Legally sealed family assessment response reports shall be made available only to:

(xxxi) that the local district authorizes a provider or coordinator of services to which it has referred a child reported to the State Central Register to redisclose child protective services information, including records, reports or other information, to other persons or agencies providing services to the child and the family only if the district has a written agreement with the provider or coordinator of services, which includes the specific agencies and categories of individuals to whom redisclosure by the provider or coordinator of services is authorized and which has been reviewed and approved by OCFS; and

(xxxii) that nothing in article 27-F of the Public Health Law limits a social services official's or agency's responsibility or authority to report, investigate, or redisclose information necessary for the provision or monitoring of child protective services.