§ 440. Findings; purpose. 1. The legislature finds that children who are in care away from their own homes on a full time basis, whether temporarily or for a prolonged period, require effective supervision and review of their status in care and of the plans for them. It is the policy of the state of New York to assure that such children are appropriately placed, that needed services are provided to them and their families, and that unnecessary and prolonged placements are avoided. The legislature further finds that this policy is often frustrated, and fiscal and program accountability have not been promoted because of divergent and overlapping jurisdictions of various government and private agencies; the lack of coordination among programs of these agencies; and the excessive workloads of judicial personnel, social services workers, and others responsible for reviewing the status in care of these children.

2. To assist in overcoming these difficulties, it is the intent of the legislature to establish a statewide management assistance system to be called the child care review service. The service shall be designed and operated to effectuate the following purposes:

(a) identification and assessment of the needs and problems of children in care and their families, to effectuate meaningful case planning;

(b) case management and supervision by child care agencies of children in full-time care away from their homes;

(c) supervision and evaluation by state agencies of local and voluntary child care agency performance;

(d) planning and policy making by state agencies, the governor and the legislature;

(e) meeting in a timely manner all judicial review requirements of this chapter, the family court act and any other applicable provisions of law;

(f) reduction of the need for manual form preparation; and

(g) meeting federal reporting requirements so as to qualify for federal funds under the federal social security act.