Terms Used In New York Laws > Social Services > Article 6 > Title 8-A - Safe Harbour For Exploited Children Act

• advocate: means an employee of the short-term safe house defined in subdivision two of this section that has been trained to work with and advocate for the needs of sexually exploited children. See N.Y. Social Services Law 447-A
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Authorized agency: means
  
  (a) Any agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization which is incorporated or organized under the laws of this state with corporate power or empowered by law to care for, to place out or to board out children, which actually has its place of business or plant in this state and which is approved, visited, inspected and supervised by the office of children and family services or which shall submit and consent to the approval, visitation, inspection and supervision of such office as to any and all acts in relation to the welfare of children performed or to be performed under this title; provided, however, that on and after June first, two thousand seven, such term shall not include any for-profit corporation or other for-profit entity or organization for the purposes of the operation, management, supervision or ownership of agency boarding homes, group homes, homes including family boarding homes of family free homes, or institutions which are located within this state;
  
  (b) Any court or any social services official of this state authorized by law to place out or to board out children or any Indian tribe that has entered into an agreement with the department pursuant to section thirty-nine of this chapter;
  
  (c) Any agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization which is not incorporated or organized under the laws of this state, placing out a child for adoption whose admission to the United States as an eligible orphan with non-quota immigrant status pursuant to the federal immigration and nationality act is sought for the purpose of adoption in the State of New York or who has been brought into the United States with such status and for such purpose, provided, however, that such agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization is licensed or otherwise authorized by another state to place out children for adoption, that such agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization is approved by the department to place out such children with non-quota immigrant status for adoption in the State of New York, and provided further, that such agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization complies with the regulations of the department pertaining to such placements. See N.Y. Social Services Law 371
• Child: means a person actually or apparently under the age of eighteen years;
  
  2. See N.Y. Social Services Law 371
• community-based program: means a program operated by a not-for-profit organization that provides services such as street outreach, voluntary drop-in services, peer counseling, individual counseling, family-therapy and referrals for services such as educational and vocational training and health care. See N.Y. Social Services Law 447-A
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Custody: means custody in pursuance of or in compliance with expressed provisions of law;
  
  12. See N.Y. Social Services Law 371
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• safe house: means a residential facility operated by an authorized agency as defined in subdivision ten of § 371-a of the executive law or a not-for-profit agency with experience in providing services to sexually exploited youth and approved in accordance with the regulations of the office of children and family services that provides shelter for sexually exploited children. See N.Y. Social Services Law 447-A
• sexually exploited child: means any person under the age of eighteen who has been subject to sexual exploitation because he or she:
  
  (a) is the victim of the crime of sex trafficking as defined in § 230. See N.Y. Social Services Law 447-A
• short-term safe house: means a residential facility operated by an authorized agency as defined in subdivision ten of § 371-a of the executive law or a not-for-profit agency with experience in providing services to sexually exploited youth and approved in accordance with the regulations of the office of children and family services that provides emergency shelter, services and care to sexually exploited children including food, shelter, clothing, medical care, counseling and appropriate crisis intervention services at the time they are taken into custody by law enforcement and for the duration of any legal proceeding or proceedings in which they are either the complaining witness or the subject child. See N.Y. Social Services Law 447-A
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.