In re Tilar M.

41 Misc. 3d 633
CourtNew York City Family Court
DecidedAugust 19, 2013
StatusPublished

This text of 41 Misc. 3d 633 (In re Tilar M.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York City Family Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Tilar M., 41 Misc. 3d 633 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

John M. Hunt, J.

I

By order of disposition dated April 8, 2013 this court adjudicated Tilar M.1 to be a juvenile delinquent and placed him in the custody of the Commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) for a non-secure placement under the ACS Close to Home Initiative for a period of 11 months (Family Ct Act §§ 352.1 [1]; 352.2 [1] [c]; 353.3 [1], [2-a]).2

[635]*635The Commissioner has moved, pursuant to Family Court Act § 355.1 (2), for an order modifying the court’s order of disposition and for a transfer of the custody of the respondent to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. In support of the motion, ACS alleges, in pertinent part, that since respondent’s placement in the Close to Home Initiative program:

“To date, ACS has thus far been unable to consistently provide services and supervision to the respondent pursuant to the order placing the respondent dated April 8, 2013 due to his frequent AWOL’ing.
“The respondent was initially placed on December 6, 2012 with New York Foundling’s non-secure placement facility located at 119 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10304. On December 13, 2012, the respondent left his placement without permission and while AWOL from placement was arrested on December 27, 2012.
“The respondent also left his placement without permission on January 7, 2013 and January 27, 2013, returning on February 4, 2013. On February 6, 2013 due to the respondent’s failure to remain in placement with New York [Foundling] and at the request of the respondent’s mother . . . the respondent was transferred to Boys Town non-secure placement facility located at 289 6th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
“On February 26, 2013, the respondent again left his placement without permission. On April 9, 2013, due to the respondent’s failure to remain in placement with Boys Town, the respondent was transferred to Children’s Village-Collins Cottage non-secure placement facility located [at] 1 Echo Hill, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522.
“While at Children’s Village, the respondent has gone AWOL on three separate occasions: on May 21, 2013, returning May 24, 2013; July 2, 2013 and July 10, 2013, returning August 10, 2013.
“ACS believes that there has been a substantial change of circumstances [and] that placement of the respondent in a limited secure level of care is appropriate and consistent with the need for protection of the community and the needs and best [636]*636interests of the respondent, and that respondent is therefore a person appropriate for transfer of care and custody to [the] New York State Office of Children and Family Services for placement in a limited secure setting.”

On or about May 21, 2013 this court was advised by ACS that respondent had escaped from his placement at Children’s Village (see Social Services Law § 404 [13] [d] [ii]), and the court issued an arrest warrant for the respondent the following day (Family Ct Act § 153). Although the court’s warrant directed that respondent be taken into custody and that he be produced before this court forthwith, he was merely returned to Children’s Village by ACS personnel on July 6, 2013 when he returned from being AWOL.

The court was informed of respondent’s return to Children’s Village subsequent to July 6, 2013, and on July 12, 2013 the court issued an order to show cause pursuant to Family Court Act §§ 353.3 (6) and 355.1, directing that respondent, his attorney, ACS, and the presentment agency appear so that the court could conduct an inquiry as to whether there has been a substantial change of circumstances since his placement on April 8, 2013 as well as the need for continuing the order of disposition which places respondent with ACS for the Close to Home Initiative.

The Commissioner filed this motion prior to any hearing upon the court’s own motion, and a hearing upon the ACS motion was conducted before the court on August 14, 2013.3 ACS, the presentment agency, and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) appeared by counsel, and respondent and his attorney were present at the hearing. Respondent and OCFS opposed the motion, and the presentment agency took no position as to the relief sought by ACS.4

A

ACS called Chad Collins, the program director for the Boys Town “non-secure placement” or “NSP” program as a witness [637]*637in support of the motion. Mr. Collins has known Tilar M. during the period during which he had been placed at the Boys Town NSP program, which was from “February 7, 2013 through February 25, 2013.” Mr. Collins was a “family home consultant” for Boys Town during the period that respondent was placed with that agency, and in that capacity, he had regular interaction with the respondent. Collins explained that, as a family home consultant, he works directly with the resident staff who manage the group or family home, he is responsible for ensuring that the juvenile delinquents placed in the group home receive mandated or necessary services, and he also serves as a liaison between Boys Town and ACS.

Mr. Collins explained that the Boys Town Close to Home Initiative NSP program houses juvenile delinquents in non-secure group home facilities located in neighborhoods in New York City. Respondent was placed in a group home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, by Boys Town. This residence is staffed by a resident “married couple” who lived on the first floor of the house, and respondent and five other juvenile delinquents placed in the Close to Home Initiative reside in bedrooms located on the second floor of the group home. Common areas of the house are shared by agency staff and the juveniles placed in the home.

ACS had notified Boys Town that the respondent had psychological issues, a history of running away from placement, and a history of refusing to comply with prescribed psychotropic medication, at the time that he was transferred to the care of the agency. During the time that respondent was at Boys Town, he received regular counseling from Mr. Collins, as well as a social worker employed by the agency, and from a consulting therapist who is an independent service provider. Mr. Collins indicated that respondent engaged in two to three therapy sessions during the 18 days he was at Boys Town, and that he had been diagnosed with “ADHD, Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder.” Respondent arrived at the agency with prescribed psychotropic medication which he refused to take, and he was examined by a Boys Town consulting psychiatrist on February 19, 2013 who prescribed two psychotropic medications, but respondent refused to take these medications.

According to Mr. Collins, the respondent was in the custody of Boys Town from February 7, 2013 until February 25, 2013, and he ran away from agency staff who were transporting him from an appearance in the Family Court in Queens County on February 25, 2013. The respondent never returned to the custody of [638]*638Boys Town and, according to Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
41 Misc. 3d 633, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-tilar-m-nycfamct-2013.