What's happening
This bill requires courts to appoint a child advocate to mediate disputes between healthcare professionals and child protective services about a child's care.
Why it matters
Creates a formal process for resolving disagreements between healthcare professionals and child protective services about a child’s care, ensuring that such conflicts don’t stall or derail timely decisions for the child’s welfare.
By requiring a court-appointed child advocate, the bill introduces an impartial third party whose sole focus is the child’s best interests, potentially reducing bias or institutional pressure from either side.
May improve communication and trust among families, medical providers, and child protective workers by establishing mediation as a structured, legal requirement rather than an optional step.
Could lead to more consistent and child-centered outcomes in complex medical or protective cases, as the advocate’s involvement ensures all perspectives are considered and the child’s health, safety, and well-being remain the primary concerns.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Appoint Child Advocates in Disputes
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to children and families
- Referred to children and families
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Appoint Advocates for Children
In Senate Committee · Finance · Sponsor Tony Avella
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
164
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law and the family court act, in relation to the appointment of a child advocate
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 421 of the social services law is amended by adding a new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
9. report to family court for the appointment of a child advocate pursuant to section one thousand eighteen of the family court act, following an incident that requires the care of a healthcare professional, and where the healthcare professional and child protective services do not agree on an appropriate course of action for the child.
§ 2. Section 1018 of the family court act, as added by section 11 of part A of chapter 3 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
§ 1018. Conferencing and mediation. 1. In any proceeding initiated pursuant to this article, the court may, at its discretion, authorize the use of conferencing or mediation at any point in the proceedings to further a plan for the child that fosters the child's health, safety, and well-being. Such conferencing or mediation may involve interested relatives or other adults who are significant in the life of the child.
2. A child advocate shall be appointed by the court, when a report pursuant to subdivision nine of section four hundred twenty-one of the social services law, is received. Such advocate shall mediate any disputes between health care professionals and child protective services workers on the best course of action for the child.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02466-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.