[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 210 (Monday, October 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67192-67194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28038]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Administration on Children, Youth and Families Announces the 
Award of Five Single-Source Expansion Supplement Grants To Support 
Expanded Technical Assistance Activities in the Field of Child Welfare

AGENCY: Children's Bureau, ACYF, ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Notice announcing the award of five single-source expansion 
supplement grants to support expanded technical assistance activities 
that will address emerging issues, and technical assistance needs for 
States and Tribes as they seek to implement legislation and changing 
programs that support children and families in the child welfare 
system.

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    Project Period: September 30, 2011-September 29, 2012.
    CFDA Numbers: 93.556; 93.648; 93.556; 93.658; 93.674; 93.652 .
    Statutory Authorities: Fostering Connections to Success and 
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-351). Section 
476(c)(2)(iii) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Fostering 
Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 
110-351). Section 476(c)(2)(iii) of the Social Security Act, as amended 
by the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 
2008 (Pub. L. 110-351). Section 203 (42 U.S.C. 5113) of the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act (CAPTA) of 1978, (Pub. 
L. 95-266), as amended. Section 203 (42 U.S.C. 5113) of the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act (CAPTA) of 1978, (Pub. 
L. 95-266), as amended.
SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), 
Administration on Children, Youth and

[[Page 67193]]

Families (ACYF), Children's Bureau (CB) announces the award of five 
single-source program expansion supplement grants to the following 
organizations:

University of Oklahoma, National Resource Center for Youth Services, 
Tulsa, Oklahoma

    Award Amount: $157,739.
    Award funds will support expanded technical assistance to address 
emerging technical assistance needs for States and Tribes as they seek 
to implement legislation and changing programs dedicated to former 
foster youth. The grantee is the recipient of a cooperative agreement 
to administer the National Resource Center for Youth Development 
(NRCYD). The grantee has been providing technical assistance services 
through a cooperative agreement since September 30, 2009, pursuant to 
the legislative authority of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families 
Program, Section 435(d), Title IV-B, subpart 2, of the Social Security 
Act [42 U.S.C. 629e].
    In February 2008, the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) 
final regulation was promulgated. NYTD requires States to begin 
collecting information from youth in foster care and young adults 
formerly in foster care every six months, beginning October 1, 2010. 
State representatives continue to identify implementation of NYTD as a 
significant challenge, particularly since it will require State 
agencies to remain in contact with youth who may no longer be receiving 
services from the agency. The implementation of NYTD over the next four 
years will require the NRCYD to continue to provide additional 
technical assistance to States to implement this regulation 
effectively. The supplement will allow the NRCYD to provide more 
intensive technical assistance and on-site consultation to States and 
Tribes to continue to assist them in implementing these provisions.

Research Foundation of CUNY on Behalf of Hunter College School of 
Social Work, New York, NY

    Award Amount: $466,311.
    Award funds will support expanded technical assistance to address 
continuing challenges in the field as child welfare programs work to 
implement the requirements of new legislation. The Research Foundation 
of CUNY on behalf of Hunter College is the recipient of a cooperative 
agreement to act as the administrator for National Resource Center for 
Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC), which provides technical 
assistance services pursuant to the legislative authority of the 
Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 629e).
    The supplemental funding will allow the NRCPFC to:
    1. Provide focused technical assistance to Family Connections 
grantees.
    2. Engage States that did not receive discretionary grants in on-
site consultation regarding effectively involving relatives in child 
welfare practice.
    3. Proactively transfer the knowledge developed under the 
discretionary grant program to States to assist in meeting new plan 
requirements.
    The supplemental funding will allow NRCPFC to increase technical 
assistance efforts to enhance the achievement of permanency by 
assisting agencies to better locate, notify, and involve families and 
relatives in the engagement and planning process while maintaining 
awareness of confidentiality issues.

Tribal Law and Policy Institute, West Hollywood, CA

    Award Amount: $602,643.
    Award funds will provide more intensive technical assistance to 
Tribes. The Tribal Law and Policy Institute administers the National 
Resource Center for Tribes under a cooperative agreement where 
technical assistance is provided to Tribes to assist in building 
organizational capacity so that Tribes may operate their own foster 
care programs under title IV-E of the Social Security Act. Under the 
agreement, Tribal Law and Policy Institute identifies promising 
practices in Tribal child welfare systems, identifies and effectively 
implements community, and culturally-based strategies and resources 
that strengthen Tribal child and family services.
    Supplemental funding will support Regional Roundtables and build 
Tribal capacity in the following areas:
    1. In-depth overview of the Fostering Connections Act, the Social 
Security Act, and Title IV-B & IV-E provisions and requirements to 
increase the knowledge and understanding of Tribal leaders, Tribal 
child welfare staff, and Tribal judges concerning these Federal laws 
and the requirements of this Federal funding.
    2. Capacity building on developing infrastructure within the Tribal 
child welfare system, including policies and procedures, licensing 
standards, Tribal child welfare code, case management skill building 
and data collection.
    3. Training for Tribal caseworkers and Tribal legal/judicial staff 
on the Fostering Connections Act and Title IV-B and IV-E Program 
requirements in order to document the eligibility and continue funding 
of Title IV-E eligible children and assure that all appropriate 
services are provided to children in care.

Research Foundation of SUNY, University of Albany, Albany, NY

    Award Amount: $600,000.
    Grant funds will allow the grantee to provide more intensive 
technical assistance to Tribes. The Research Foundation of SUNY 
administers the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute under a 
cooperative agreement. The goal of the National Child Welfare Workforce 
Institute is to build the capacity of the nation's child welfare 
workforce and improve outcomes for children, youth, and families 
through activities that support the development of skilled child 
welfare leaders.
    Supplemental funding for the Workforce Institute will be focused on 
building the capacity of the Tribal child welfare workforce. The 
additional support will begin to address capacity needs as Tribes 
prepare to operate their own foster care, adoption, and guardianship 
assistance programs under title IV-E of the Social Security Act. 
Supplemental activities will expand services and supports for 
university traineeships for Native American students, and expand the 
Leadership Academy for Middle Managers (LAMM) to increase training and 
supports for Tribal middle managers in child welfare. There are five 
traineeship universities supporting American Indian students that will 
increase the total number of student stipends by at least 12 students, 
increase student stipend amounts, and increase student travel awards 
for travel to and from classes and field education placements and for 
relevant State Tribal conferences and meetings. The LAMM training will 
further build the capacity of Tribal Middle Managers who have already 
completed the basic Leadership Academy of Middle Managers by providing 
a three-day follow up residential advanced training and six months of 
coaching, as well as evaluation of this cultural adaptation of the 
current LAMM model for tribal participants.

Regents of the Board of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

    Award Amount: $300,000,
    Award funds will support the grantee to provide more intensive 
technical assistance and conduct a rigorous evaluation of research and 
demonstration sites. The Regents of the University of Michigan 
administers the National Quality Improvement Center on the 
Representation of Children in the

[[Page 67194]]

Child Welfare System (QIC-ChildRep) under a cooperative agreement. The 
purpose of the QIC-ChildRep is to improve the quality of legal 
representation for children and youth in child welfare cases so that 
States and Tribes achieve the best safety, permanency, and well-being 
outcomes for children and youth. This systems improvement model funds 
three research and demonstration sites, each involving a rigorous 
evaluation. Given the complexity of the models being implemented, 
considerable training, technical assistance, monitoring and support are 
necessary for each site to design and implement evaluation plans. 
Supplemental funds will allow for an increased level of effort in 
conducting evaluations to meet the requirements of the cooperative 
agreement. Additional training, technical assistance, and support to 
each research and demonstration site, coupled with more intensive 
monitoring of site specific evaluation efforts, will enhance the depth 
and rigor of all evaluation results.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jan Shafer, Children's Bureau, 1250 
Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 205-8172; 
Email: [email protected].

    Dated: October 13, 2011.
Bryan Samuels,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 2011-28038 Filed 10-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-29-P