[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 240 (Thursday, December 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65436-65438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31487]



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Part II





Department of Justice





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Office of Justice Programs



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Fiscal Year 1996 Missing and Exploited Children's Program Final Program 
Plan and Announcement of Discretionary Competitive Assistance Grant; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 12, 1996  

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs
[CJP (OJJDP) No. 1107]
ZRIN No. 1121-ZA54


Notice of the Fiscal Year 1996 Missing and Exploited Children's 
Program Final Program Plan and Announcement of Discretionary 
Competitive Assistance Grant

AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention, Justice.

ACTION: Notice of final program plan and announcement of a 
discretionary assistance grant.

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SUMMARY: The Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) pursuant to the Missing Children's 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5771-5780) is authorized to support research, 
demonstration, or services programs to educate parents, provide 
information, aid communities, increase knowledge, address the needs of 
missing children and their families, and establish or operate statewide 
clearinghouses to assist in locating and recovering missing children. 
OJJDP published its Title IV Missing and Exploited Children's Program 
Fiscal Year 1996 Proposed Program Plan in the Federal Register on July 
17, 1996, for a 60-day period of public comment. The Office received 
three letters commenting on the Proposed Plan. All comments have been 
considered in the development of the Final Program Plan for the Title 
IV Missing and Exploited Children's Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 1996.

DATES: Applications under this program must be received by 5 p.m. 
e.s.t., February 10, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be received by mail or hand-delivered to: 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Missing and 
Exploited Children's Program, c/o Juvenile Justice Resource Center, 
1600 Research Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K, Rockville, Maryland, 20850. 
Application kits can be obtained by contacting the Juvenile Justice 
Resource Center at the above address or at 301-251-5535.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shay Bilchik, Administrator, Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 633 Indiana Avenue NW., 
7th Floor, Washington, D.C., 20531.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments on Proposed Fiscal Year 1996 Program Plan

    One letter contained several comments on the Proposed Plan, while 
the other two letters provided just one comment each. One of the 
single-comment letters commented on Goal 1 of the Proposed Plan, 
Increase Awareness of Problems Relating to Missing and Exploited 
Children, and one expressed interest in the proposed Parent Resource 
Support Network Program.
    The following is a summary of the substantive comments on the 
Proposed Plan and OJJDP's responses. Each comment was made by a single 
respondent.
    Comment: Support was expressed for OJJDP's goal of ``increasing 
awareness of problems relating to missing and exploited children'', 
with a suggestion that this goal would be furthered by the inclusion of 
parents of children who are victims of violent crimes.
    Response: OJJDP agrees and will include parents of children who are 
victims of violent crime in this goal.
    Comment: Strong support was given to the proposed Parent Resource 
Support Network Program.
    Response: The Final Program Plan includes establishment of this 
Network through a competitive award.
    Comment: With regard to the establishment of a Parent Resource 
Support Network, a data bank of missing children should be established 
by the grantee. The grantee should work closely with the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
    Response: The successful applicant will be expected to establish a 
working relationship with NCMEC because NCMEC serves as the national 
clearinghouse and resource center for missing and exploited children 
under a cooperative agreement with OJJDP. Cooperation between the 
Parent Resource Support Network and NCMEC will eliminate service 
duplication and enhance coordination of the national response to 
missing children cases. Applicants for the award to establish the 
Parent Resource Support Network may address the need for access to a 
missing children data base in their applications.
    NCMEC currently has procedures that its case managers use to 
provide followup information to parents of missing children. In 
addition, OJJDP plans to work with its grantees, other missing children 
agencies or organizations, and interested parties to develop protocols 
for State clearinghouses, nonprofit organizations, and NCMEC and to 
incorporate joint followup procedures and to provide information to 
parents of missing children and to law enforcement officials.
    Comments: Three specific recommendations were made concerning the 
proposed Parent Resource Support Network: (a) Develop a computerized 
listing of all parents of missing children; (b) fund an annual 
conference for the parents of missing children; and (c) provide 
detailed information about how the money is to be spent for training 
and technical assistance.
    Response: (a) Absent compelling evidence, OJJDP believes that the 
development of an computerized listing of parents of missing children 
would duplicate ongoing NCMEC efforts and would not be a prudent use of 
OJJDP funding.
    (b) Because of the limited amount of available funds, OJJDP 
believes that a national conference for missing children parents would 
not be the best use of Title IV funding.
    (c) Because the provision of accurate and appropriate advice is 
critical to the goals of the Parent Support Network, Missing Children 
program staff will have significant involvement with the grantee in 
curriculum development and the delivery of training. The successful 
applicant will set aside funds for training purposes.
    Comment: Concern was expressed over the continuing need to rely on 
figures from the 1988 National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, 
Runaway, and Thrownaway (NISMART) Children.
    Response: Under an OJJDP grant, Temple University was awarded a 
competitive cooperative agreement in F.Y. 1995 to undertake the second 
NISMART study. The study is scheduled to be completed by 1999.
    Comment: More information is needed about NCMEC's operations. The 
fact that so much program responsibility has been placed in the hands 
of one agency requires a system of checks and balances to assure 
NCMEC serves both missing children and their parents and law 
enforcement.
    Response: As stated in the proposed plan, OJJDP will continue 
funding NCMEC in FY 1996, the third year of funding under a 
competitively awarded cooperative agreement. NCMEC's activities are 
carried out under the terms of that agreement. Some information 
maintained by NCMEC is confidential and not available for 
dissemination. NCMEC's access to various databases and its strong 
working relationships with law enforcement agencies

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improves its capacity to assist in the recovery of missing children and 
ability to deliver services to parents.
    Further, NCMEC's quarterly fiscal and program reports are available 
to the public and NCMEC provides additional information through annual 
reports and other publications. Interested parties should contact NCMEC 
at 703-235-3900. In addition, OJJDP program staff provide ongoing 
oversight of NCMEC expenditures and activities. NCMEC provides services 
that Title IV establishes as the responsibility of a national resource 
center and clearinghouse. OJJDP believes that NCMEC has always carried 
out these responsibilities conscientiously, responsibly, and in a 
manner intended to serve the best interests of Americas missing 
children and their families.

Introduction to the Fiscal Year 1996 Program Plan

    In 1995, local law enforcement reported 969,264 persons as missing 
to the FBI's National Crime Information Center Missing Person File. The 
FBI estimates that 85-90 percent of these reports represented persons 
under the age of 18. Many of these children were runaways, others are 
taken by noncustodial parents and used as pawns in contentious domestic 
situations, and still others are abducted by nonfamily members. 
Whatever the reason, each day in America too many children are reported 
missing to law enforcement.
    Title IV of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 
1974, as amended by the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984, 
established the Missing and Exploited Children's Program in the Office 
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). In addition to 
providing assistance for research, demonstration, and service programs, 
the Missing Children's Assistance Act authorizes the use of Title IV 
funds to establish and support a national resource center and 
clearinghouse dedicated to missing and exploited children issues.
    Fiscal Year 1996 Title IV funding is focused primarily on programs 
that are national in scope. The Office will continue to support the 
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which 
serves as the national clearinghouse and resource center. Since 1984 
NCMEC has assisted in the recovery of more than 32,000 children, 
disseminated millions of publications, promoted information sharing 
through their online communications network linking 49 State 
clearinghouses, and provided technical assistance to parents, state and 
local missing children service agencies, and law enforcement 
professionals. OJJDP recently awarded NCMEC additional funding to 
enhance the technical capacity of State clearinghouses communications 
network through the provision of new computers, scanners, and software.
    As the competitively funded Title IV Training and Technical 
Assistance grantee, Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) of Appleton, 
Wisconsin will offer training courses pertaining to investigation of 
child abuse and of missing and exploited children and provide technical 
assistance to jurisdictions upon request. FVTC annually trains more 
than 4,000 prosecutors and professionals from law enforcement and child 
services agencies. FVTC also facilitated OJJDP's national training 
workshop for State clearinghouses and nonprofit organizations held in 
September 1996.
    OJJDP has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Association 
of Missing and Exploited Children Organizations (AMECO) to develop 
national standards for nonprofit organizations that serve missing and 
exploited children and their families. AMECO will develop a 
standardized intake form, produce a quarterly newsletter covering 
missing and exploited children issues, and set standards for nonprofit 
agency efforts to locate and return missing children.
    Under an interagency agreement with the FBI, OJJDP is providing 
funding to support new research by the Bureau's Child Abduction Serial 
Killer Unit (CASKU) to broaden law enforcement's understanding of 
homicidal pedophiles. This information will be used in FBI and OJJDP 
training initiatives. CASKU will also provide research-based 
information regarding investigative and interview strategies to law 
enforcement agencies.
    Several important initiatives for missing children were initiated 
in FY 1995. OJJDP formed the Federal Agency Task Force for Missing and 
Exploited Children to complement the investigative work of the Morgan 
P. Hardiman Task Force, which was created by the 1994 Crime Act to 
assist State and local law enforcement with the most difficult missing 
and exploited children cases. The Federal Agency Task Force also 
focuses on broad coordination and policy issues. In May 1996, the 
Federal Agency Task Force released Federal Resources on Missing and 
Exploited Children: A Directory for Law Enforcement and Other Public 
and Private Agencies. The Directory contains information regarding 
services ranging from the immediate delivery of specialized forensic 
and investigative services at the scene of an abducted child 
investigation to longer term training and prevention programs that 
improve community safety and enhance investigative resources of 
available Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies.
    Fiscal Year 1996 Title IV funds will support the establishment of a 
support network to assist parents of missing children. This program, 
which is described in the request for proposals that follows this Plan, 
will further OJJDP's strategic vision of programs that provide services 
on a national scope.
    Grant Program Announcement: Parent Resource Support Network
    Purpose: To provide information, advice, and technical assistance 
to parents who are searching for a missing child.
    Background: The National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, 
Runaway, and Thrownaway (NISMART) Children (Finkelhor, Hotaling, and 
Sedlak, 1990) estimated that in 1988 there were 4,600 nonfamily child 
abductions, 354,000 family child abductions, and 450,000 runaway 
children. NISMART also estimated that 200-300 stereotypical kidnappings 
take place annually of which an estimated 43 to 147 resulted in the 
murder of the child. Although these categories of missing children 
should be treated individually, a common factor links them: The victim 
parents who are searching for their children.
    Research indicates that almost all families of missing children 
rely primarily on law enforcement personnel for information, support, 
and intervention following a child's disappearance. Indeed, State and 
local law enforcement agencies have the primary responsibility to 
investigate missing children cases. However, in an era of dwindling 
budgets and high violent crime rates, law enforcement agencies are hard 
pressed to concentrate resources on investigating missing children 
cases. Particularly for longer-term cases, this concentration of 
resources on violent crime often unintentionally places parents in a 
self-help status.
    OJJDP has conducted several focus groups composed of parents 
representing the categories of stereotypical kidnaping, nonfamily 
abductions, and family abductions. The focus group members discussed 
government's response to their missing child incidents and suggested 
areas for enhancement. A common theme expressed in these focus groups 
was the need for a system to put victim parents in touch with one 
another. Victim parents cited support and advice from

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other victim parents as both useful and credible.
    Parents of missing children often express an interest in supporting 
other parents who are going through the ordeal of locating and 
recovering a missing child. These parents are determined to make their 
personal tragedies and experiences meaningful and actively seek 
opportunities to help other parents. They represent a reservoir of 
experience and caring that goes largely untapped. This program seeks to 
tap that reservoir to provide support to families of missing children.
    Program Strategy: OJJDP will award a single cooperative agreement. 
The successful applicant will be expected to develop a recruiting and 
screening strategy, a case management system to track referrals and 
assistance provided, and a training curriculum for parent volunteers.
    Eligibility Requirements: Applicants must be a State agency or 
local unit of local government, or a private nonprofit organization.
    Goal: To support parents of missing children through the provision 
of accurate and appropriate information and other technical assistance 
services.
    Objectives: The selected grantee will:
    1. Develop a structure composed of parent volunteers who will 
provide support and technical assistance to other parents whose 
children are or have been missing.
    2. Assist parents with support through information and advice 
regarding available programs and services.
    3. Ensure that appropriate support through information and advice 
has been received by parents who are seeking assistance.
    Selection Criteria: Applications will be rated by a peer review 
panel on the extent to which they meet the criteria below.
Problem(s) To Be Addressed (10 points)
    Applicants must clearly identify the need for this project and 
demonstrate an understanding of the program concept.
Goals and Objectives (10 points)
    Applicants must establish goals and objectives for this program 
that are clearly defined, measurable, and attainable.
Project Design (35 points)
    Applicants must present a clear workplan that contains program 
elements directly linked to the achievement of the project objectives. 
Applicants must explain in clear terms how parent volunteers will be 
recruited, screened, trained, and matched with victim parents. The 
workplan must indicate significant milestones in the project, the 
nature of products to be delivered, and due dates for products.
Management and Organizational Capability (35 points)
    Applicants' management structure and staffing must be adequate and 
appropriate for the successful implementation of the project. 
Applicants must present a workplan that identifies responsible 
individuals, their time commitment, major tasks, and milestones. Key 
staff should have significant experience in missing children issues. 
Special preference shall be given to applicants who demonstrate working 
relationships with OJJDP's Title IV national resource center and 
clearinghouse and its training and technical assistance grantees.
Budget (10 points)
    Applicants must provide a proposed budget that is complete, 
detailed, reasonable, allowable, and cost effective for the proposed 
activities.
    Format: The narrative may not exceed 35 pages in length (excluding 
forms, assurances, and appendixes) and must be submitted on 8\1/2\- by 
11-inch paper, double spaced on one side of the paper in a standard 10- 
or 12-point font.
    Award Period: This project will be funded for 18 months and may be 
renewed for another 18 months based on grantee performance and 
availability of funds.
    Award Amount: Up to $125,000 is available for the first 18 months 
of this project.
    Delivery Instructions: All application packages should be mailed or 
delivered to the Office Of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 
c/o Juvenile Justice Resource Center, 1600 Research Boulevard, Mail 
Stop 2K, Rockville, Maryland 20850; 301-251-5535.
    Note: In the lower left hand corner of the envelope, you must 
clearly write ``Parent Support Network.''
    Due Date: Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the original 
and five copies of the application package are mailed or delivered by 5 
p.m. EST on February 10, 1997.
    Contact: For further information call Michael Medaris, Program 
Manager, Missing and Exploited Children's Program, 202-616-3637, or 
send an e-mail inquiry to [email protected].

References

D. Finkelhor, G. Hotaling, and A. Sedlak. 1990. Missing, Abducted, 
Runaway, and Thrownaway (NISMART) Children in America, First Report: 
Numbers and Characteristics, National Incidence Studies. Washington, 
DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. 
Department of Justice.
C. Hatcher, C. Barton, L. Brooks. 1993. Families of Missing Children 
Final Report. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention
L. Girdner and P. Hoff. 1994. Obstacles to the Recovery and Return 
of Parentally Abducted Children: Research Summary. Washington DC: 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. 
Department of Justice.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 1993. Nonprofit 
Services Provider's Handbook: Building an Effective Organization 
Serving Missing and Exploited Children and Their Families. 
Arlington, Va.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 1995. Recovery 
and Reunification of Missing Children: A Team Approach. Arlington, 
Va.

    Dated: December 6, 1996.
Shay Bilchik,
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
[FR Doc. 96-31487 Filed 12-11-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P