[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 55081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21755]



[[Page 55081]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[CFDA Number: 93.293]


Announcing the Award of a Single-Source Cooperative Agreement to 
the American Public Human Services Association for the Association of 
Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children 
(AAICPC) in Washington, DC

AGENCY: Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and 
Families, ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of the award of a single-source cooperative agreement to 
the American Public Human Services Association to support the 
development and implementation of a national inter-jurisdictional 
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) electronic 
system.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), 
Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Children's 
Bureau (CB), Division of Capacity Building announces the award of a 
single-source cooperative agreement in the amount of $1,250,000 to the 
American Public Human Services Association for its affiliate the 
Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the 
Placement of Children (AAICPC), Washington, DC, for the development and 
implementation of an inter-jurisdictional electronic system to improve 
administrative efficiency in the interstate process of the ICPC. The 
ICPC ensures safe and suitable interstate placements for children in 
foster care.
    Award funds will support the development and implementation of a 
national inter-jurisdictional Interstate Compact on the Placement of 
Children (ICPC) electronic system to improve administrative efficiency 
in the interstate process via the ICPC.
    This pilot, ``Supporting Permanent Placement of Foster Care 
Children Through Electronic Records Exchange,'' implements real-time, 
on-line data exchange for States to share records and other information 
to support permanent placements of foster care children in homes across 
state lines. The Association of Administrators of the Interstate 
Compact on the Placement of Children (AAICPC) has identified current 
paper-based processes as causing excessive delays. Children may wait an 
unnecessarily long time for the paperwork for placement in a permanent 
home to be executed manually. The pilot will test whether an automated 
system reduces the time to process such cross-state exchanges to 
determine whether a placement is safe and suitable.
    The pilot evaluation will measure timeliness of communication, 
expeditious exchange of case documentation and similar immediate 
outcomes as well as utilization and adherence to streamlined ICPC 
processes. Additional questions, such as those related to the 
permanency of child placements and the associated savings, may be 
addressed if it is feasible to do so within the project period. 
Results, which will be included in a final public report, will inform 
further adoption of the system across states.
    The initial pilot will include at least 5 states and ultimately, 
beyond the pilot period, the system will be used by all 50 states, the 
District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands (ICPC Compact 
Members). The system will serve and benefit children, families, the 
public, private and tribal child welfare agencies nationwide and other 
multidisciplinary groups that work in support of the and throughout the 
child placement continuum.

DATES: The 17 month period of support for this award is September 30, 
2013 through February 28, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June Dorn, National Adoption 
Specialist, Division of Capacity Building, 1250 Maryland Avenue SW., 
Suite 8150, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: 202-205-9540; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Partnership Fund, administered by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), supports pilot projects that 
test improvements in how Federal assistance programs are administered. 
The pilot projects address the four goals of improving service 
delivery, improving payment accuracy, improving administrative 
efficiency and reducing barriers to access for eligible people. Using 
$32.5 million appropriation, the Partnership Fund allows Federal, 
state, and local government agencies to pilot innovative ideas in a 
controlled environment. Pilot projects funded by the Partnership Fund 
address Federal assistance programs that have a substantial State role 
in eligibility determination or administration, or where Federal-State 
cooperation could otherwise be beneficial. Ideas for pilots are 
developed through a collaborative process involving Federal, state, 
local, and private stakeholders. The OMB consults with a Federal 
Steering Committee to select pilots for funding. Funds are then 
transferred to lead Federal agencies, which in turn select states and 
localities to implement each pilot. Based on careful evaluation, 
successful pilots serve as models for other states and agencies and 
inform future policy decisions by the Administration and Congress.
    Statutory Authority: The transfer of funding from the Partnership 
Fund for Program Integrity Innovation by the OMB to Federal agencies is 
authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-
117) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Pub. L. 112-74)

Joseph Bock,
Associate Acting Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and 
Families.
[FR Doc. 2013-21755 Filed 9-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P