ACYF-IM NCCAN-96-29 12/23/96

ACF Administration for Children and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children, Youth and Families
	1. Log No.: ACYF-IM NCCAN-96-29	2. Issuance Date: 12/23/96
	3. Originating Office: National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect
	4. Key Word: Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grant

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

TO: Offices of the Governors; Community-Based Family Resource Program Grantees; State Children's Trust and Prevention Funds; Emergency Child Abuse Prevention Services Grantees; Family Resource and Support Demonstration Grantees; State Agencies Administering or Supervising the Administration of itles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act; Crisis Nurseries and Respite Care Grantees; Family Support Center Program Grantees.

SUBJECT: The new Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grants program created by Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendments of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-235).

LEGAL AND RELATED REFERENCES: Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), as amended by Pub. L. 104-235, enacted October 3, 1996 (42 U.S.C. 5106); Subtitle F of Title VII of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11481 et seq., now repealed)); Temporary Child Care for Children with Disabilities and Crisis Nurseries Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 5117 et seq., now repealed)).

PURPOSE: To provide basic information on the new Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grants program created by the CAPTA Amendments of 1996.

BACKGROUND: On October 3, 1996, the President signed the CAPTA Amendments of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-235). This legislation, among other things, amends Title II of CAPTA to create a new Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grants program (CBFRS), by combining the authority for (1) the Community- Based Family Resource Programs (established under Title IV of the Human Services Amendments of 1994), (2) the Temporary Child Care for Children with Disabilities and Crisis Nurseries Program, and (3) the Family Support Program (Subtitle F of Title VII of the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act).

The purpose of this new program is to support State efforts, through formula grants, to develop, operate, and expand a network of community-based, prevention-focused family resource and support programs that coordinate resources among a range of existing public and private organizations.

Attached is a copy of Title II of the CAPTA Amendments of 1996, together with applicable excerpts relating to the CBFRS program from (1) the Senate Report on those amendments (Senate Report 104-117), and (2) the September 25, 1996 Congressional Record (comments by Congressman Goodling). These documents will contribute to a fuller understanding of Congressional intent for this legislation.

INFORMATION: The following is a summary description of the major provisions of this new program. For complete details please refer to the attached copy of the Title II legislation.

Purposes of Program

The purposes of this program are: (1) to support State efforts to develop, operate, expand, and enhance a network of community-based, prevention-focused, family resource and support programs that coordinate resources among a range of existing public and private organizations, and (2) to foster understanding, appreciation, and knowledge of diverse populations in order to be effective in preventing and treating child abuse and neglect.
Authority; Use of Funds

Funds under this program may be used for the following purposes:

For developing, operating, expanding, and enhancing statewide networks of community-based, prevention-focused, family resource and support programs that --
1. Offer assistance to families;
2. Provide early, comprehensive support for parents;
3. Promote the development of parenting skills, especially in young parents and parents with very young children;
4. Increase family stability;
5. Improve family access to other formal and informal resources and opportunities for assistance available within communities;
6. Support the additional needs of families with children with disabilities through respite care and other services; and
7. Decrease the risk of homelessness.
  - To foster the development of a continuum of preventive services for children and families through State and community-based, public and private collaborations and partnerships.
  - To finance the start-up, maintenance, expansion, or redesign of a variety of specific family resource and support program services that have been identified as unmet needs, and integrated with the network of community-based family resource and support programs, to the extent practicable.
  - To maximize funding for establishing, operating, or expanding a Statewide network of community-based, prevention-focused, family resource and support programs.
  - To finance public information activities that focus on the healthy, positive development of parents and children and promote the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
State Eligibility

A State is eligible for a grant under this program if:
1. The State's Chief Executive Officer has designated a lead entity to administer CAPTA Title II funds for the purposes identified under the Title II authority;
2. The lead entity is an existing public, quasi-public, or nonprofit private entity (which may be an entity that has not been established pursuant to State legislation, executive order, or other written authority), with a demonstrated ability to work with other State and community-based agencies to provide training and technical assistance, and with the capacity and commitment to ensure meaningful involvement of parents who are consumers and who can provide leadership in planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs and policy decisions of the applicant agency outcomes;
3. The Chief Executive Officer of the State provides assurances (see Section 202(2)& (3)) that the lead entity will provide, or be responsible for providing, a network of community-based family resource and support programs that meet the requirements of this part; and
4. The lead entity submits an application containing all of the information and assurances required by Section 205.
Grant Provisions

In FY 1997, $32,835,000 has been appropriated for distribution under the authority of this part. After reducing the appropriation by the set-aside requirements (see section E. of this Memorandum), approximately $28,000,000 will be available for grant awards to States for CBFRS programs. A grant will be made to the officially designated body in each State, (including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Territories) that meets the eligibility requirements.

As prescribed by section 203(b)(1), 70% of the grant amount ($28 M) will be calculated on the basis of the number of children under 18 residing in the State, with a minimum State award of $175,000.

The remaining 30% of the grant amount will be distributed to States as a Federal match of the amount leveraged by the State from private, State, or other non-Federal sources and directed through the State lead agency in the preceding fiscal year (October 1, 1995 - September 30, 1996). If the aggregate of these matches exceeds 30% of the appropriation, the amounts for this part of the grant award will be reduced pro rata.
Availability and Distribution of Funds

Congress has appropriated $32,835,000 for this program for fiscal year 1997. Distribution will be as follows:
- Public Law 104-235 establishes a set-aside of 1% of the amount appropriated ($328,350) to make allotments to Indian Tribes and tribal organizations and migrant programs.
- The Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and Palau may submit consolidated grant applications in accordance with 45 CFR Part 97. Under this provision, for FY 1997 funds, Palau will receive $50,000 and the other four Territories will each receive $175,000.
- In accordance with section 204, fourteen grantees and a National Resource Center currently receive Federal funds under the Temporary Child Care for Children with Disabilities and Crisis Nurseries program. They will continue to receive funds through the end of their grant project periods (FY 1998), at the same level, for an approximate total of $3.7 million in FY 1997, which will be deducted from the amount appropriated for this program.

PROGRAM INSTRUCTION: To ensure full and effective implementation of this legislation, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families will issue a Program Instruction in the Spring of 1997 which will describe the complete Community-Based Family Resource and Support Grant program requirements and application instructions.

INQUIRIES TO: Regional Administrators; ACF; Regions I-X
James A. Harrell
Deputy Commissioner
Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Footnotes:

Section 202(1)(C) provides that the CEO of the State shall designate the lead entity only after giving priority equally to a trust fund advisory board of the State or to an existing entity.... Section 202(1)(D) provides that, in the case of a State with one or more entities that leverages Federal, State, and private funds, that has designated a State trust fund advisory board to be the lead entity, the CEO shall designate the lead entity only after full consideration of the capacity and expertise of all entities desiring to be designated lead agency.

2 The attached Senate Report section entitled "Lead Entity", and language in the attached House Report relating to the selection of the lead entity, are instructive with respect to relating the purpose of the legislation to the choice of the State lead entity.

Attachments:

Attachment I: Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendments of 1996 (CAPTA)
Attachment II: Excerpt from the Congressional Record, House, on the amendments to Title II of CAPTA, pages H11149-H11150s