In re Andrea D

In In re Andrea D., 25 Misc 3d 503, 508, 883 N.Y.S.2d 696 [Fam Ct, Monroe County 2009], the Family Court, citing Family Court Act 255 and 1015-a, directed the Department of Social Services to provide the child with a certified copy of her birth certificate, assist her in registering for a driver's education class and pay for the class. The court found that the Department had the authority to assist the child in obtaining a driver's license (Id., citing 18 NYCRR 427.3 [a]). Although the Department's comprehensive annual services program plan did not specifically authorize or require that driver's education be provided for adolescents in foster care, the plan emphasized that self-sufficiency was one of four major goals, and the court held that driver's education was the first step to a driver's license and "a key component of self-sufficiency" (Id.).