372-A - Child welfare research advisory panel. - New York Statutes

§ 372-a. Child welfare research advisory panel. 1. The commissioner shall appoint a child welfare research advisory panel which shall consist of not less than ten or more than fifteen members and shall include individuals recommended by commissioners of social services districts. The panel shall also include, but not be limited to, representatives of the following categories: (a) agencies providing child welfare services, including child protective services, foster care, preventive services and adoption services; (b) advocates for, and recipients of, services to children and families; and (c) social science and child welfare research professionals. 2. The responsibilities of the child welfare research advisory panel shall include: (a) developing guidelines for the review by the department of research projects that seek access to identifying information relating to child protective services, preventive services, foster care and other child welfare programs; (b) developing guidelines for ensuring that research projects with access to identifying information protect client privacy and confidentiality; (c) developing guidelines for ensuring that research projects satisfactorily address the administrative and fiscal impact of the research project on the agency which maintains the information sought by such project; (d) recommending procedures for facilitating access to child welfare records by approved researchers and for ensuring the cooperation of public and private agencies providing access to research projects approved by the department; (e) making recommendations concerning dissemination and utilization of the findings of research projects subject to this section; and (f) developing an agenda for child welfare research in consultation with state and local officials.