§ 384-a. Transfer of care and custody of children. 1. Method. The care\nand custody of a child may be transferred by a parent or guardian, and\nthe care of a child may be transferred by any person to whom a parent\nhas entrusted the care of the child, to an authorized agency by a\nwritten instrument in accordance with the provisions of this section.\nSuch transfer by a person who is not the child's parent or guardian\nshall not affect the rights or obligations of the parents or guardian,\nand such transfer shall be deemed a transfer of the care and custody of\nthe child for the purposes of section three hundred fifty-eight-a of\nthis chapter.\n 1-a. Prior to accepting a transfer of care and custody, a local social\nservices official shall commence a search to locate any non-respondent\nparent of the child and shall conduct an immediate investigation to (a)\nlocate relatives of the child, including all of the child's\ngrandparents, all suitable relatives identified by either and any\nrelative identified by a child over the age of five as a relative who\nplays or has played a significant positive role in his or her life, and\nto inform them of the opportunity for becoming foster parents or for\nseeking custody or care of the child, and that the child may be adopted\nby foster parents if attempts at reunification with the birth parent are\nnot required or are unsuccessful; and to determine whether the child may\nappropriately be placed with a suitable person related to the child and\nwhether such relative seeks approval as a foster parent pursuant to this\nchapter for the purposes of providing care for such child, or wishes to\nprovide care and custody for the child until the parent or other person\nresponsible for the care of the child is able to resume custody; and (b)\nidentify minor siblings or half-siblings of the child and to determine\nwhether such siblings or half-siblings have been or are being\ntransferred to the care and custody of such official. Such official\nshall provide or arrange for the provision of care so as to permit the\nchild and his or her minor siblings or half-siblings to be placed\ntogether unless, in the judgment of such official, such placement would\nbe contrary to the best interests of the children; whereupon, such\nofficial shall provide or arrange for regular visitation and other forms\nof regular communication between such children unless, in the judgment\nof such official, such visitation and communication would be contrary to\nthe best interests of such children. Placement or regular visitation and\ncommunication with siblings or half-siblings shall be presumptively in\nthe child's best interests unless such placement or visitation and\ncommunication would be contrary to the child's health, safety or\nwelfare, or the lack of geographic proximity precludes or prevents\nvisitation.\n 1-b. Upon accepting the transfer of care and custody of a child from\nthe parent, guardian or other person to whom care of the child has been\nentrusted, a local social services official shall obtain information to\nthe extent known from such person regarding the other parent, any person\nto whom the parent transferring care and custody had been married at the\ntime of the conception or birth of the child, any person who would be\nentitled to consent to the adoption of the child pursuant to subdivision\none of section one hundred eleven of the domestic relations law, and any\nother person listed in subdivision two of section three hundred\neighty-four-c of this title. Such information shall include, but not be\nlimited to, such parent's or person's name, last-known address, social\nsecurity number, employer's address and any other identifying\ninformation. Any information provided pursuant to this subdivision shall\nbe recorded in the uniform case record maintained pursuant to section\nfour hundred nine-f of this article; provided, however, that the failure\nto provide such information shall not invalidate the tran
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