Deserted or abandoned children; special provisions

§ 352. Deserted or abandoned children; special provisions. 1. A social services official who makes a family assistance allowance for the benefit of a child who has been abandoned or deserted by a parent shall promptly give notice thereof to the appropriate district attorney where there is reason to believe such parent may have violated the provisions of section 260.00 of the penal law.

2. The social services official providing family assistance allowances pursuant to the provisions of this title, for the benefit of a child who has an absent parent, shall have and shall perform the following duties and powers in addition to others imposed or conferred upon him or her by or pursuant to other provisions of this chapter or other law:

(a) to take such steps and make such efforts to locate any parent of such child whose whereabouts are unknown to such official as all available means will allow; such means shall include, and there shall be utilization of, appropriate services offered by the department, by agencies of other states and by the federal government;

(b) to determine the ability and potential ability of the parents of each such child to support or to contribute to the support of such child;

(c) to establish cooperative arrangements with the family court, county attorneys, corporation counsels and other law enforcement officials, for the location of missing parents of such children and for the enforcement of their obligations to support or contribute to support of such children to the extent of their ability;

(d) to provide pertinent information to such court and law enforcement officials to enable them to assist in locating absent parents of such children and in securing support payments therefrom, provided that there is an agreement between such social services official and such court and such law enforcement officials insuring that such information will be used only for the purpose intended;

(e) to reimburse, to the extent that state and federal requirements authorize or require, appropriate courts and law enforcement officials for activities related to the requirements of this chapter and the family court act with respect to enforcement of support obligations and for services they have undertaken on behalf of such official.

3. For purposes of this section, "absent parent" shall mean any person who is legally responsible for a spouse or child, who is absent from the household, whether such person's location is known or unknown, and fails to provide for the support of such spouse or child.