Rural Area Flexibility Analysis

RURAL AREA FLEXIBILITY ANALYSIS

1. Types and estimated number of rural areas:

Social services districts in rural areas and voluntary authorized agencies contracting with such social services districts to provide residential foster care services to children, authorized agencies providing juvenile detention services, runaway and homeless youth shelters and adult family type homes will be affected by the proposed regulations, as well as state operated juvenile justice facilities.

2. Reporting, recordkeeping and compliance requirements and professional services:

No anticipated impact. Mandated reporters have a duty to report reportable incidents immediately upon discovery to the Justice Center’s Vulnerable Persons’ Central Register. The proposed regulatory changes provide necessary guidance on the duty to report when there are multiple mandated reporters who witness a suspected reportable incident or have reasonable cause to suspect that a vulnerable person has been subjected to a reportable incident and allows for procedures to relieve the necessity for multiple reports.

3. Costs:

The proposed regulatory changes are not expected to have an adverse fiscal impact. All affected programs such as provider agencies and facilities are currently subject to requirements governing reporting, record keeping, management of approved procedures and policies. As such, the proposed regulatory changes should not impose any additional costs associated with those functions. There may potentially be some savings for facilities and provider agencies serving rural communities as the proposed regulatory changes may reduce the likelihood of employees needing to be paid overtime in order to make required reports.

4. Minimizing adverse impact:

The proposed changes to the regulations will not impose additional costs or operating requirements on authorized agencies and facilities that serve rural areas; therefore, it is designed on its face to minimize adverse impact.

5. Rural area participation:

Potential changes to the regulations will be thoroughly addressed through statewide trainings and guidance documentation distributed to local representatives of social services, authorized agencies and facilities, including those that serve rural communities.