42 U.S.C. § 13001b : US Code - Section 13001B: Regional children's advocacy centers

Search 42 U.S.C. § 13001b : US Code - Section 13001B: Regional children's advocacy centers

(a) Establishment of regional children's advocacy program
The Administrator, in coordination with the Director and with the
Director of the Office of Victims of Crime, shall establish a
children's advocacy program to -
(1) focus attention on child victims by assisting communities
in developing child-focused, community-oriented, facility-based
programs designed to improve the resources available to children
and families;
(2) provide support for nonoffending family members;
(3) enhance coordination among community agencies and
professionals involved in the intervention, prevention,
prosecution, and investigation systems that respond to child
abuse cases; and
(4) train physicians and other health care and mental health
care professionals in the multidisciplinary approach to child
abuse so that trained medical personnel will be available to
provide medical support to community agencies and professionals
involved in the intervention, prevention, prosecution, and
investigation systems that respond to child abuse cases.
(b) Activities of regional children's advocacy program
(1) Administrator
The Administrator, in coordination with the Director, shall -
(A) establish regional children's advocacy program centers;
(B) fund existing regional centers with expertise in the
prevention, judicial handling, and treatment of child abuse and
neglect; and
(C) fund the establishment of freestanding facilities in
multidisciplinary programs within communities that have yet to
establish such facilities,
for the purpose of enabling grant recipients to provide
information, services, and technical assistance to aid
communities in establishing multidisciplinary programs that
respond to child abuse.
(2) Grant recipients
A grant recipient under this section shall -
(A) assist communities -
(i) in developing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary
response to child abuse that is designed to meet the needs of
child victims and their families;
(ii) in establishing a freestanding facility where
interviews of and services for abused children can be
provided;
(iii) in preventing or reducing trauma to children caused
by multiple contacts with community professionals;
(iv) in providing families with needed services and
assisting them in regaining maximum functioning;
(v) in maintaining open communication and case coordination
among community professionals and agencies involved in child
protection efforts;
(vi) in coordinating and tracking investigative,
preventive, prosecutorial, and treatment efforts;
(vii) in obtaining information useful for criminal and
civil proceedings;
(viii) in holding offenders accountable through improved
prosecution of child abuse cases;
(ix) in enhancing professional skills necessary to
effectively respond to cases of child abuse through training;
and
(x) in enhancing community understanding of child abuse;
and
(B) provide training and technical assistance to local
children's advocacy centers in its census region that are grant
recipients under section 13002 of this title.
(c) Operation of regional children's advocacy program
(1) Solicitation of proposals
Not later than 1 year after November 4, 1992, the Administrator
shall solicit proposals for assistance under this section.
(2) Minimum qualifications
In order for a proposal to be selected, the Administrator may
require an applicant to have in existence, at the time the
proposal is submitted, 1 or more of the following:
(A) A proven record in conducting activities of the kinds
described in subsection (c) of this section.
(B) A facility where children who are victims of sexual or
physical abuse and their nonoffending family members can go for
the purpose of evaluation, intervention, evidence gathering,
and counseling.
(C) Multidisciplinary staff experienced in providing remedial
counseling to children and families.
(D) Experience in serving as a center for training and
education and as a resource facility.
(E) National expertise in providing technical assistance to
communities with respect to the judicial handling of child
abuse and neglect.
(3) Proposal requirements
(A) In general
A proposal submitted in response to the solicitation under
paragraph (1) shall -
(i) include a single or multiyear management plan that
outlines how the applicant will provide information,
services, and technical assistance to communities so that
communities can establish multidisciplinary programs that
respond to child abuse;
(ii) demonstrate the ability of the applicant to operate
successfully a multidisciplinary child abuse program or
provide training to allow others to do so; and
(iii) state the annual cost of the proposal and a breakdown
of those costs.
(B) Content of management plan
A management plan described in paragraph (3)(A) shall -
(i) outline the basic activities expected to be performed;
(ii) describe the entities that will conduct the basic
activities;
(iii) establish the period of time over which the basic
activities will take place; and
(iv) define the overall program management and direction by
-
(I) identifying managerial, organizational, and
administrative procedures and responsibilities;
(II) demonstrating how implementation and monitoring of
the progress of the children's advocacy program after
receipt of funding will be achieved; and
(III) providing sufficient rationale to support the costs
of the plan.
(4) Selection of proposals
(A) Competitive basis
Proposals shall be selected under this section on a
competitive basis.
(B) Criteria
The Administrator, in coordination with the Director, shall
select proposals for funding that -
(i) best result in developing and establishing
multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse by
assisting, training, and teaching community agencies and
professionals called upon to respond to child abuse cases;
(ii) assist in resolving problems that may occur during the
development, operation, and implementation of a
multidisciplinary program that responds to child abuse;
(iii) carry out the objectives developed by the board under
subsection (e)(2)(A) of this section;
(iv) to the greatest extent possible and subject to
available appropriations, ensure that at least 1 applicant is
selected from each of the 4 census regions of the country;
and
(v) otherwise best carry out the purposes of this section.
(5) Funding of program
From amounts made available in separate appropriation Acts, the
Administrator shall provide to each grant recipient the financial
and technical assistance and other incentives that are necessary
and appropriate to carry out this section.
(6) Coordination of effort
In order to carry out activities that are in the best interests
of abused and neglected children, a grant recipient shall consult
with other grant recipients on a regular basis to exchange ideas,
share information, and review children's advocacy program
activities.
(d) Review
(1) Evaluation of regional children's advocacy program activities
The Administrator, in coordination with the Director, shall
regularly monitor and evaluate the activities of grant recipients
and shall determine whether each grant recipient has complied
with the original proposal and any modifications.
(2) Annual report
A grant recipient shall provide an annual report to the
Administrator and the Director that -
(A) describes the progress made in satisfying the purpose of
the children's advocacy program; and
(B) states whether changes are needed and are being made to
carry out the purpose of the children's advocacy program.
(3) Discontinuation of funding
(A) Failure to implement program activities
If a grant recipient under this section substantially fails
in the implementation of the program activities, the
Administrator shall not discontinue funding until reasonable
notice and an opportunity for reconsideration is given.
(B) Solicitation of new proposals
Upon discontinuation of funding of a grant recipient under
this section, the Administrator shall solicit new proposals in
accordance with subsection (c) of this section.
(e) Children's advocacy advisory board
(1) Establishment of board
(A) In general
Not later than 120 days after November 4, 1992, the
Administrator and the Director, after consulting with
representatives of community agencies that respond to child
abuse cases, shall establish a children's advocacy advisory
board to provide guidance and oversight in implementing the
selection criteria and operation of the regional children's
advocacy program.
(B) Membership
(i) The board -
(I) shall be composed of 12 members who are selected by the
Administrator, in coordination with the Director, a majority
of whom shall be individuals experienced in the child abuse
investigation, prosecution, prevention, and intervention
systems;
(II) shall include at least 1 member from each of the 4
census regions; and
(III) shall have members appointed for a term not to exceed
3 years.
(ii) Members of the board may be reappointed for successive
terms.
(2) Review and recommendations
(A) Objectives
Not later than 180 days after November 4, 1992, and annually
thereafter, the board shall develop and submit to the
Administrator and the Director objectives for the
implementation of the children's advocacy program activities
described in subsection (b) of this section.
(B) Review
The board shall annually -
(i) review the solicitation and selection of children's
advocacy program proposals and make recommendations
concerning how each such activity can be altered so as to
better achieve the purposes of this section; and
(ii) review the program activities and management plan of
each grant recipient and report its findings and
recommendations to the Administrator and the Director.
(3) Rules and regulations
The board shall promulgate such rules and regulations as it
deems necessary to carry out its duties under this section.
(f) Reporting
The Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall submit to Congress, by March 1 of each year, a
detailed review of the progress of the regional children's advocacy
program activities.