[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 122 (Monday, June 25, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29559-29562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13526]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Notice; Children's Bureau Proposed Research Priorities for Fiscal 
Years 2018-2020

AGENCY: Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Children's Bureau (CB) within the Administration on 
Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) announces the proposed priorities 
for research on the causes, prevention, assessment, identification, 
treatment, cultural and socio-economic distinctions, and the 
consequences of child abuse and neglect, and solicits comments 
regarding the prioritization.

DATES: In order to be considered, comments must be received no later 
than August 24, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, identified by the RIN or dockets 
number in the subject line, by email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dori Sneddon, 202-205-8024, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 104(a)(4) of the Child Abuse 
Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), as amended by the CAPTA 
Reauthorization Act of 2010, Public Law (Pub. L.) 111-320, requires the 
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to 
establish proposed priorities for research activities, provide an 
opportunity for public comment on those proposed activities, and 
maintain an official record of received public comment concerning the 
priorities. The proposed priorities are being announced for the 2-year 
period required by CAPTA. Because the amount of federal funds available 
for discretionary activities in fiscal years (FY) 2018-2020 is expected 
to be limited, respondents are encouraged to recommend how the proposed 
issues should be prioritized.
    The actual solicitation of grant applications will be posted 
electronically each fiscal year and will be available online through 
http://www.Grants.gov. Solicitations for contracts will be announced at 
later dates, online at FedBizOps. No proposals, concept papers, or 
other forms of application should be submitted at this time.
    No acknowledgement will be made of the comments submitted in 
response to this notice, but all comments received by the deadline will 
be reviewed and given thoughtful consideration in the preparation of 
the final funding priorities for the announcements.

I. Background

    As noted above, section 104(a)(4) of CAPTA requires the Secretary 
to publish proposed priorities for research activities for public 
comment every 2 years. In response to this legislative mandate, CB has 
undertaken a review of the current legislative language, the results of 
the CAPTA-funded research since the last CAPTA announcement of research 
priority areas, findings from other relevant research, and input from 
the field. Based on this review, this notice of proposed research is 
being disseminated for comment. The FY 2018 President's Budget 
requested $32,937,267 for child abuse discretionary activities to 
support efforts designed to assist and enhance national, state, and 
local efforts to prevent, identify, and treat child abuse and neglect. 
The program funds projects to compile, publish, and disseminate 
training materials; provide technical assistance; and demonstrate and 
evaluate improved methods and procedures to prevent and treat child 
abuse and neglect. Under discretionary funds, CB will continue to fund 
the following clearinghouse and technical assistance activities:
     The Child Welfare Information Gateway;
     Family Resource Information, Education, and Network 
Development Service (FRIENDS); and
     National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) 
technical assistance and technical support program.
    In addition, the child abuse discretionary activities' account 
funds a number of research and demonstration

[[Page 29560]]

grants and contracts. For those members of the public interested in 
responding to this announcement, information on previous and continuing 
projects supported by CB are available through the following websites:
     The Child Welfare Information Gateway (http://www.childwelfare.gov); and
     Children's Bureau Reports/Publications (http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/index.htm).

II. Proposed Child Abuse and Neglect Research Priorities for Fiscal 
Years 2016-2018

A. Legislative Topics

    A number of research topics are suggested in the 2010 
reauthorization of CAPTA, section 104 (42 U.S.C. 5105). The legislation 
states that the Secretary shall, in consultation with other federal 
agencies and recognized experts in the field, carry out a continuing 
interdisciplinary program of research, including longitudinal research, 
that is designed to provide information needed to better protect 
children from abuse or neglect and to improve the well-being of victims 
of abuse or neglect, with at least a portion of such research being 
field initiated. Suggested research includes:
     The nature and scope of child abuse and neglect;
     The causes, prevention, assessment, identification, 
treatment, cultural and socio-economic distinctions, and the 
consequences of child abuse and neglect, including the effects of child 
abuse and neglect on a child's development and the identification of 
successful early intervention services or other services that are 
needed;
     Effective approaches to improving the relationship and 
attachment of infants and toddlers who experience child abuse or 
neglect with their parents or primary caregivers in circumstances where 
reunification is appropriate;
     Appropriate, effective, and culturally sensitive 
investigative, administrative, and judicial systems, including 
multidisciplinary, coordinated decision making procedures with respect 
to cases of child abuse and neglect;
     The evaluation and dissemination of best practices, 
including best practices to meet the needs of special populations, 
consistent with the goals of achieving improvements in child protective 
services systems of the states in accordance with CAPTA, section 
106(a), Grants to States for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention and 
Treatment Programs [42 U.S.C. 5106a], paragraphs (1) through (14), 
which include:
    i. The intake, assessment, screening, and investigation of reports 
of child abuse and neglect;
    ii. Creating and improving the use of multidisciplinary teams and 
interagency, intra-agency, interstate, and intrastate protocols to 
enhance investigation, and improving legal preparation and 
representation; and improving legal preparation and representation;
    iii. Case management, including ongoing case monitoring and 
delivery of services and treatment provided to children and their 
families;
    iv. Enhancing the general child protective system by developing, 
improving and implementing risk and safety assessment tools and 
protocols, including the use of differential response;
    v. Developing and updating systems of technology that support the 
program and track reports of child abuse and neglect from intake 
through final disposition and allow interstate and intrastate 
information exchange;
    vi. Developing, strengthening and facilitating training;
    vii. Improving the skills, qualifications, and availability of 
individuals providing services to children and families, and the 
supervisors of such individuals, through the child protection system, 
including improvements in the recruitment and retention of caseworkers;
    viii. Developing, facilitating the use of, and implementing 
research-based strategies and training protocols for individuals 
mandated to report child abuse or neglect;
    ix. Developing, implementing, or operating programs to assist in 
obtaining or coordinating necessary services for families of disabled 
infants with life threatening conditions;
    x. Developing and delivering information to improve public 
education relating to the role and responsibilities of the child 
protection system and the nature and basis for reporting suspected 
incidents of child abuse and neglect, including the use of differential 
response;
    xi. Developing and enhancing the capacity of community-based 
programs to integrate shared leadership strategies between parents and 
professionals to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect at the 
neighborhood level;
    xii. Supporting and enhancing interagency collaboration between the 
child protection system and the juvenile justice system for improved 
delivery of services and treatment, including methods for continuity of 
treatment plans and services as children transition between systems;
    xiii. Supporting and enhancing interagency collaboration among 
public health agencies, agencies in the child protective service 
system, and agencies carrying out private community-based programs
    a. To provide child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment 
services (including linkages with education systems) and the use of 
differential response; and
    b. To address the health needs, including mental health needs, of 
children identified as victims of abuse or neglect, including 
supporting prompt, comprehensive health and developmental evaluations 
for children who are the subject of substantiated child maltreatment 
reports; or
    xiv. Developing and implementing procedures for collaboration among 
child protective services, domestic violence services, and other 
agencies in
    a. Investigations, interventions, and the delivery of services and 
treatment provided to children and families, including the use of 
differential response, where appropriate; and
    b. The provision of services that assist children exposed to 
domestic violence, and that also support the caregiving role of their 
non-abusing parents.
     Effective approaches to interagency collaboration between 
the child protection system and the juvenile justice system that 
improve the delivery of services and treatment, including methods for 
continuity of treatment plans and services as children transition 
between systems;
     Effective practices and programs to improve activities 
such as the identification, screening, medical diagnosis, forensic 
diagnosis, health evaluations, and services, including activities to 
promote collaboration between--
    i. The child protective service system; and
    ii. (I) The medical community, including providers of mental health 
and developmental disability services; and
    iii. (II) Providers of early childhood intervention services and 
special education for children who have been victims of child abuse or 
neglect;
     An evaluation of the redundancies and gaps in services in 
the field of child abuse and neglect prevention in order to make better 
use of resources;
     Effective collaborations, between the child protective 
system and domestic violence service providers, that provide for the 
safety of children exposed to domestic violence and their non-abusing 
parents that improve the investigations, interventions, delivery of

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services, and treatments provided for such children and families;
     The nature, scope, and practice of voluntary 
relinquishment for foster care or State guardianship of low-income 
children who need health services, including mental health services.
     The impact of child abuse and neglect on the incidence and 
progression of disabilities;
     The nature and scope of effective practices relating to 
differential response, including future analysis of the following:
    i. What is the underlying hypothesis about the need to engage a 
parent and/or family in order to achieve specific outcomes in Child 
Protective Services (CPS)? Which specific outcomes need to be 
considered?
    ii. Given that ``engagement'' may vary according to the eyes of the 
beholder, can specific aspects of engagement be measured with greater 
consistency and replication, particularly between the two groups who 
are part of the relationship?
    iii. How should engagement be defined in future studies?
    iv. CPS systems, in general, may be providing training to their 
caseworkers, regardless of pathway, to help them better relate to 
families and caregivers. If Alternative Response (AR) and Investigative 
Response (IR) caseworkers receive the same training and use similar 
engagement practices, should one still expect differences in family or 
caseworker perceptions of engagement?
    v. Are there specific micro-practices that should be examined in 
more depth to determine if they make a difference for parents and 
families? As examples: Does setting an appointment to visit a family 
make a difference in engaging a family in early stages of relationship 
building? Does solution-focused casework result in parent willingness 
to engage with caseworkers?
    vi. Should all low-risk families receive AR?
    vii. Should the threshold for providing a family with AR be raised?
    viii. Should CPS caseworkers also have the discretion to reassign 
IR families to AR?
    ix. If families are encouraged to build relationships with their 
CPS caseworkers and are encouraged to contact them in the future, 
should re-referral still be considered a proxy for lack of safety?
     Child abuse and neglect issues facing Indians, Alaska 
Natives, and Native Hawaiians, including providing recommendations for 
improving the collection of child abuse and neglect data for Indian 
tribes and Native Hawaiian communities; or
     The information on the national incidence of child abuse 
and neglect specified in CAPTA, section 104(a) specified in clauses (i) 
through (x) of paragraph (1)(O).

B. Other Topics

    Prevention Practices: CB is interested in research that builds on 
the existing body of knowledge of prevention practices, in particular 
primary prevention. This includes research to measure the efficacy and 
effectiveness of strategies to serve families across a spectrum of risk 
for child maltreatment, and strategies that aim to enhance the capacity 
of communities to address the physical, social, and emotional well-
being of families before the occurrence of child abuse or neglect. In 
addition, CB is interested in research that examines innovative 
techniques for the assessment and detection of the risk of incidences 
of child abuse and neglect, including techniques for the detection of 
household opioid and other substance misuse, and interventions based on 
such risk detection which mitigate or eliminate the incidence of abuse 
and neglect.
    CB has supported a number of research and demonstration projects to 
generate knowledge about effective early prevention strategies and 
interventions. Over 5 years, from 2009-2014, CB funded the Rigorous 
Evaluation of Existing Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs 
grant programs. Through a competitive process, grants were made to 
conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of four well-established, 
community-based child abuse and neglect prevention programs located in 
three regions across the U.S., garnering information on the 
effectiveness of interventions to increase child, parent, and family 
safety and well-being. Additionally, CB has funded research and 
demonstration grants to support initiatives to prevent maltreatment and 
increase the well-being of children and youth, including: 
Infrastructure-building grants between child welfare agencies, early 
education, and schools; supportive housing models for families; and 
interventions to address child trafficking. While this work is 
contributing to the body of knowledge about the type and range of early 
intervention strategies to prevent the occurrence of maltreatment, much 
more can and must be learned at the individual and population level to 
build the protective capabilities of families and communities.
    Research interests may include: The development and demonstration 
of research methodologies that allow for valid and reliable measurement 
of primary prevention activities and assessment of risk for child abuse 
and neglect at the individual, community, and population level; the 
innovative use of data, including administrative and secondary data, to 
inform our understanding of the implementation and outcomes of primary 
prevention strategies; and integrating child abuse and neglect research 
into prevention practices and techniques for the assessment and 
detection of risk for child abuse and neglect.
    Child Protection Systems: CB is interested in research that 
examines effective state-level strategies employed to improve child 
protection systems. Questions may include: The degree to which changes 
in CPS systems' policy and practice are tied to better outcomes; 
determining the variations in local agencies that result in different 
outcomes; and whether or not child safety and well-being are improved 
by privatizing part or all of the child welfare system. Other research 
interests may include: Effective responses for children at risk of 
being harmed; barriers to consistency in CPS operations, such as 
differences in the level of resources; lack of clear laws and policy 
and the competing desire for local autonomy in government functions; 
the means by which CPS agencies try to understand the standards of the 
community they serve through outreach to additional panels and review 
teams (fatality review team, citizen review panels, external case 
reviews); and collaborations between CPS and other agencies.
    Services: CB is interested in research focused on the assessment of 
service needs and services provided. Research questions may include: 
What services are children and families receiving; to what degree are 
services responsive to the needs of the target population; and what are 
the outcomes that result from various services. Other research may 
focus on case planning and intervention, such as examining the 
development and implementation of comprehensive family assessment, 
safety planning, engaging families and monitoring risk assessment over 
the life of CPS cases, and increasing knowledge of parent and child 
engaging in the case planning process. In addition, topics of interest 
include services needs of families and children who are impacted by 
substance use disorders, trafficking, and inadequate housing including 
homelessness.
    The findings from the most recent Child and Family Service Reviews 
(CFSR) identify strengths and needs within state programs, as well as 
areas where technical assistance can lead to

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program improvements. CB encourages research on underlying issues in 
practice areas contributing to poor performance on CFSR outcomes. State 
performance on identifying, assessing, and addressing children's mental 
needs, in particular, was found as an area needing improvement in the 
CFSRs. Areas of interest for research may include examining CPS 
procedures for identifying, assessing, and responding to children's 
mental health challenges, as well as the prevalence, type, and severity 
of mental health needs among children identified in state child welfare 
systems. In addition, findings from the National Survey of Child and 
Adolescent Well-Being show that high rates of mental health needs among 
parents, coupled with low rates of identification, assessment, and 
referral, is a serious issue. CB is interested in research that 
examines support services to strengthen families, including mental 
health services to parents and children.
    Secondary Data Analysis: CB encourages the utilization of existing 
data sources, particularly the use of service data through the National 
Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and other child welfare 
data available through the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and 
Neglect. CB is interested in secondary data analyses using NCANDS, 
focusing on service utilization, recurrence, and perpetrators.
    Service utilization: While not all states provide complete service 
data to NCANDS, for those states that do provide complete service data, 
the following areas could be examined: The services that are provided 
to Substance Exposed Newborns and their families; services to victims 
of human trafficking; differences in service patterns that exist 
between child victims who remain in their homes and those who are 
removed; and the variations in service patterns within states according 
to county characteristics.
    Perpetrators: CB continues to be interested in perpetrators, with 
the notion that understanding who this group is and what their 
characteristics are can help to inform more effective intervention and 
prevention efforts. According to the most recent analysis of NCANDS 
data, female caregivers between the ages of 18-30 are most often 
identified as maltreators of children ages birth-3. Further exploration 
of these phenomena is necessary to identify subgroups within this 
population of female caregivers, to identify services that mitigate 
risk to infants and toddlers of young adult parents, and to develop 
targeted prevention strategies.
Field Initiated Research on Child Abuse and Neglect
    The generation of new knowledge for understanding critical issues 
in child abuse and neglect improves prevention, identification, 
assessment, and treatment. Research areas to be addressed may be those 
that will expand the current knowledge base, build on prior research, 
contribute to practice enhancements, inform policy, improve science, 
and provide insights into new approaches to the assessment, prevention, 
intervention, and treatment of child maltreatment (i.e., physical 
abuse, sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, or neglect) on any of the 
topics listed in (A) Legislative Topics, (B) Other Topics, above, or 
any other child maltreatment topic. In addition to the topics cited 
above, practitioners and researchers are encouraged to propose other 
relevant subjects for research topics in child abuse and neglect.

    Dated: June 19, 2018.
Jerry Milner,
Acting Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 2018-13526 Filed 6-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-29-P