Bill > S09498

This bill establishes a statewide supervised visitation initiative, overseen by the Office of Victim Services in collaboration with the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, to ensure safe and structured parenting time for children involved in court cases, particularly those concerning family offenses, child protection, and custody disputes. The initiative aims to address the current lack of such programs in many counties and expand existing services to meet demand, offering culturally sensitive support, language access for those who need it, and affordability for individuals with limited financial means. Counties and New York City will be required to submit annual assessments of their local needs for supervised visitation, along with plans to meet those needs, collect data on program usage and effectiveness, and specify the services to be provided, the number of families to be served, and the estimated costs, including fee waivers for those unable to pay. These programs will be available to comply with court orders for supervised access to children, and the Office of Victim Services will report annually to the legislature and governor on the initiative's effectiveness and provide recommendations for improvement.