§ 207 — Foster grandparents program for vulnerable infants and children

§ 207. Foster grandparents program for vulnerable infants and\nchildren. 1. Definitions. For purposes of this section the following\nterms shall have the following meanings:\n (a) "Qualified area agencies on aging" shall mean those agencies which\noperate a foster grandparent program for the care of vulnerable infants\nand children and for the assistance of high risk mothers.\n (b) "Foster grandparents program" shall mean those activities for\nwhich grants may be provided pursuant to subdivision six of section two\nhundred three of this title, and shall include, but not be limited to,\n(1) visiting participating hospitals or other interim care facilities\nfor a specified number of hours and providing care, love and stimulation\nto one or more vulnerable infants and children; and (2) visiting high\nrisk mothers in their homes for a specified number of hours in order to\nassist such mothers in developing parenting skills and in providing a\nsafe and suitable home for their children.\n (c) "Vulnerable infants and children" shall mean infants or children\nwho reside in hospitals or other interim care facilities because no\nsuitable foster home or other appropriate placement is available.\n (d) "High risk mothers" shall mean single young women for whom the\nteaching of parenting skills is necessary either to prevent family\nbreakdown or to enable them to assume responsibility for their own child\nor children who are in or awaiting foster care.\n 2. The director, in consultation with the commissioner of the office\nof children and family services, is hereby authorized and directed,\nwithin appropriations which are available therefor, to award grants to\nqualified area agencies on aging to operate foster grandparent programs\nfor the care of vulnerable infants and children and for the assistance\nof high risk mothers.\n 3. The duties of the director shall include, but not be limited to:\n (a) the selection of qualified area agencies on aging to receive\ngrants for the operation of foster grandparent programs for the care of\nvulnerable infants and children and for the assistance of high risk\nmothers, which programs have been approved pursuant to this subdivision.\nApplications for such grants shall demonstrate to the extent possible:\nthe need within the jurisdiction of the qualified area agency to provide\nservices to infants and children left in hospitals beyond medical\nnecessity and the need to provide services to infants and children\nplaced in interim care facilities, the experience of such agency in\nproviding such services to this or related populations, the capacity of\nsuch agency in providing such services to effectively operate and\nadminister such program, the capacity of such agency to coordinate its\nservices with hospitals which provide social work counseling and home\nvisit assessments by social work staff to high risk mothers; and\n (b) the reviewing of foster grandparent programs for the care of\nvulnerable infants and children and for the assistance of high risk\nmothers conducted by qualified area agencies on aging and the approval\nof such programs for funding pursuant to paragraph (a) of this\nsubdivision.\n 4. The director may promulgate such rules and regulations as he or she\ndeems necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section.\n