Albany County, NY

Child Protective Services investigates allegations of suspected abuse or maltreatment, assesses children’s safety and risk of harm, evaluates the capacity for families to participate in services, and coordinates those services and interventions for the child and his or her family. Caseworkers monitor and arrange for necessary rehabilitative services to families in need.

Our Children’s Mental Health Division is committed to Safety, Recovery, and Family Preservation for children in partnership with families and the community.

Our diverse array of individualized treatment options includes crisis support, on-going services and community referrals.

Single Point of Access (SPOA)

• Aims to identify those children with the highest risk of placement in out-of-home settings and seeks to develop appropriate strategies to safely manage those children in their communities.
• Access to high end case management services including Home and Community Based Waiver supports.
• Access to Youth Assertive Community Treatment (Y-ACT), Community Residences and Residential Treatment Facilities.
• SPOA referrals can be faxed to (518) 447-2045; Children's Single Point of Access Application 

Case Management Services

• Case Management services and Health Home Care Management services are available for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances; who are at risk for hospitalization or out of home placement.
• Case managers provide crisis intervention/management and referral/linkage to community resources.
• Case managers provide advocacy and support to assist families in obtaining services to safely maintain the child with their family in the community.

Child Forensic Services

Forensic psychologists conduct assessments and participate in consultation regarding children and families involved with Albany Family Court, Probation and/ or child protective services.

Suicide Prevention Education Committee

The Albany County Suicide Prevention Education Committee (SPEC) is an active coalition with diverse membership dedicated to promote community wide suicide awareness, education and prevention. SPEC works towards ending suicide by providing coordinated services, awareness, education and hope for residents at risk and impacted by suicide in Albany County.

• SPEC Brochure
• Albany County Community Resource Directory for Mental Health Services

This directory has been put together by the Suicide Prevention Education Committee (SPEC), a group of community service providers in Albany County that seeks to find ways to make the existing network of services work efficiently and effectively to support people who may be considering suicide and families and friends who may be grieving the loss of someone to suicide. 

Learn more about the Suicide Prevention Education Committee.

Early Intervention Program: A statewide program that provides a broad array of services to eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. (Children ages 0-3)

Preschool Special Education: In conjunction with local school districts an evaluation and services are provided to eligible children with disabilities. (Children ages 3-5). Special Education Contact Information »

Comprehensive Evaluation Services: This service provides confidential, accurate, independent assessment of your child’s development, and makes recommendations for services where indicated. (Children ages 0-5).

Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN): These programs perform various functions to assure that children up to the age of 21 with certain disabilities and/or chronic health conditions receive quality care while limiting the financial impact on families.

Forms

These forms are provided in PDF format.

Evaluation Forms

• Social History
• Permission to Evaluate
• Permission to Release Information
• Permission to Obtain Information
• Transportation Survey (Early Intervention ONLY)

Committee on Preschool Education (CPSE) Forms

• Preschool Evaluation Summary
• Child Notification
• Annual Review/ESY document
• Physician Script for Services
• Speech Language Pathologist Script for Services
• One-to-One Aide Justification
• AAC Justifciation

The Healthy Families Albany County is an in-home support program to promote healthy families. It is offered through a partnership with Parsons Child and Family Center and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center.

The program assists parents with improving their parenting skills and increasing family support and strength.

The goal of Prevention Services is to insure the safety of the child, and preserve, support and strengthen the family unit by:

• Preventing child abuse and neglect.
• Reducing the number of placements into foster care for children receiving prevention services.
• Promoting the optimal health, well-being and development of children.

Prevention Services include:

• clinical counseling,
• respite,
• home management,
• case management,
• parent advocacy,
• family preservation,
• parent training or parent aid, and
• 24-hour access to emergency services.

These services are provided to families with children at risk of foster care placement.

Prevention Services Referrals Intake Form

Email: CYFPreventionServices@AlbanyCountyNY.gov

The Youth Bureau plans, develops and funds a variety of programs and initiatives for youth under the age of 21. Programming includes:

Recreation Programs: After school activities and summer programs for youths.

Youth Services: Recreation, cultural and social programs; referral services and informal educational opportunities.

Youth Initiatives: Programs include drop in centers for at-risk youth, short-term crisis intervention services; and the utilization of art as a primary preventive tool for youth from Albany’s South End.

Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs: Provide crisis intervention, short-term emergency shelter and case management services to runaway youth and their families; assists youth transitioning to independent living situations or services.

Special Delinquency Prevention: Programs designed to address individual needs in order to prevent incarceration and re-incarceration.

Substance Abuse Prevention Program: This program’s focus is to reduce or eliminate alcohol and other drug abuse by using evidence-based substance abuse prevention programs and strategies that address the individual, the family and the community. Under this program, planning with community groups to address adolescent problem behaviors – substance abuse, school drop-out/failure, gang involvement, violence and juvenile delinquency is done through an initiative called “Communities That Care.”

More about our Youth Bureau and its programs»

The Department for Children, Youth and Families was created in 2001 from a vision of a seamless, integrated and coordinated approach to serving the families and children of Albany County. Within the department, there are four principal program areas: Children’s Services, Children with Special Needs, Children’s Mental Health and the Youth Bureau. There is also a host of supportive programs that compliment our service delivery system.

The Department is committed to excellence, professionalism, integrity and is uniquely structured to deliver an integrated, diverse, holistic set of services, in collaboration with families and communities to empower families to create a safe, nurturing environment in which children can grow, thrive and reach their full potential.

The Department for Children, Youth and Families contracts with numerous independent providers and agencies throughout the community in our efforts to provide quality, effective and sustainable services to the families we serve. The department is aware of the importance of collaboration with community organizations and continues to engage the community in our efforts to improve services for children and families in Albany County.

A system of Care is a network of community services and supports for children and youth with emotional, behavioral and developmental concerns. Families, youth and providers become partners so each child can function better at home, in school and in the community.

Our core values in the system of care are to be family driven, youth guided, community based, strength based and culturally and linguistically competent.

Located in the Albany County Family Court, this unit services PINS/JD youth who are involved with the court process.

Referral and case management services are provided for youth who ultimately require detention and/or residential foster care placement.

These services will provide the youth with the skills necessary to be reunited with their families in a timely manner.

New York State recently passed legislation that raised the lower age (RTLA) of juvenile delinquency from 7 to 12 years of age. This change went into effect on December 29, 2022.

There are eleven limited exceptions to charge youths seven years of age and less than twelve years of age as juvenile delinquents; these specifically pertain to crimes concerning causation of death (Chapter 810 of the Laws of 2021, as amended by Chapter 38 of the Laws of 2022).

The change requires Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) to establish a Differential Response (DR) for youth under 12 years of age who no longer fall under the definition of juvenile delinquent under section 301.2 of the FCA and whose behavior would otherwise bring them under the jurisdiction of the family court pursuant to Article 3 of the FCA.

The intent of the law is to remove these cases from the juvenile justice and family court system.

To refer eligible youth under age 12 who reside in Albany County to the Albany County Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), please use the referral form (below) and submit it to and any supporting documentation to DCYF at: RTLA@albanycountyny.gov.

Referral Form

It is critical that the referral source complete and submit the referral form to the DR-RTLA program, so the DR-RTLA can offer needed services and supports.

• Referral Form: OCFS-2210

Foster Care Services provide temporary homes to children away from their parents.

Foster care services may be delivered to families due to a child service need or a parent service need.

These services are ordered and monitored by the Albany County Family Court.

Rehabilitative Services and Permanency Planning Services are delivered to families with children in foster care. Diligent efforts are made to reunite families.

When this is not possible, alternative permanent living arrangements are located for children.

Foster care services provide children under the age of 18 with a temporary home in the community.

Settings vary in level and intensity depending on the child's needs. We emphasize permanency and make reasonable and diligent efforts to reunite families.

Prospective foster parents will need to participate in an in-home orientation session. 

Call (518) 447-7515 to learn more about becoming a foster parent in Albany County, or email HomeFinders@AlbanyCountyNY.gov.

For information on how financially struggling parents can get assistance purchasing a baby crib, call (518) 447-7040.

Other Resources

• NICHD Safe to Sleep Public Education Campaign
• Safe Sleep for Your Baby
• Helpful Tips to Keep Your Baby Safe: Safe To Sleep
• What you need to know to keep your baby safe while sleeping.

Serving Women, Teen Girls, Children and Families

The Single Point of Entry (SPOE) is a way for women, teen girls, children and families to connect with programs available through Albany County and community agencies.

The SPOE serves as a point of information for families in need of help.

Community agencies may also access the SPOE for information and resource connections.

An operator is available to offer assistance and support in areas including:

Health Insurance
Child Development
Pregnancy Support
Breast Feeding
Health Care
Parent Education
Domestic Violence
Addiction Support
Supportive Counseling
Healthy Relationships
Nutrition Education
Social Services

To speak with a SPOE operator, please call (518) 447-7777, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Confidential Referral Form

A referral form [PDF] may be electronically completed and confidentially faxed to (518) 447-2515.