|
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families |
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation Washington, DC 20447 |
|
|
Memorandum No.: TANF-ACF-PI-99-4 |
Date: October 6, 1999 |
|
|
TO: |
STATE AGENCIES ADMINISTERING CHILD WELFARE AND PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS |
|
SUBJECT: |
Children in Foster Homes and Children in Families Receiving Payments in Excess of the Poverty Income Level from a State Program Funded Under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act |
|
REFERENCES: |
Section 1124(c)(5)of Title I of Public Law 8 9-10, the &QOT;Elementary andSecondary Education Act of 1965," as amended by Section I 100) of Public Law 104-193, the "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1966" |
|
BACKGROUND: |
Under provisions of the cited public laws, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is directed to collect and, by January I of each year, to transmit to the Secretary of Education certain specified data concerning the number of children who, in October of the preceding year, were (1) living in foster homes supported by public funds, or (2) receiving payments from a State program funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (Temporary Assistance for Need Families [TANF]). The data collected constitute a part of the formula used by the Department of Education to allocate funds to local educational agencies (LEAs) to meet the special educational needs of educationally deprived children. |
|
PURPOSE: |
The purpose of this transmittal is to request October 1999 caseload data on the number of foster children supported with public funds and the number of children in families receiving TANF payments in excess of the poverty income level. These data will be used by the Department of Education in its formula to allocate school year 2000-2001 Title I grants. |
|
Please complete both Parts I and II of the enclosed Form ACF-4125, Annual Statistical Report on Children in Foster Homes and Children in Families Receiving Payments in Excess of the Poverty Income Level from a State Funded under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act. For purposes of this form, 'children' is defined as those ages 5-17 inclusive, i.e., a child who reaches 5 in the month of October is included, one who reaches 18 is not. 'Public funds is defined as any Federal, State, and/or local monies used by public assistance agencies to support foster children. |
|
|
The monthly 'poverty income level' is derived from the Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines, a simplified version of the Federal Government's statistical poverty thresholds issued by the Bureau of the Census. For purposes of this report, the level is set at 1/12 of the annual poverty threshold for a non-farm family of four. Applicable amounts for the October 1999 report are: $1,391.67 for all 48 contiguous States and $1,600.83 for Hawaii. |
|
|
Payments 'in excess of the poverty income level' are public assistance payments which exceed the amounts listed above and which are made under the TANF Program from Federal, State, and/or local funds. This refers to cash assistance payments only; vendor payments, assistance in kind, and income from other sources are not considered. Unless the TANF cash assistance received by the family is in excess of the specified poverty income level, children in that family should not be counted for this report. |
|
|
Children should be reported as belonging to the county and to the LEA in which they reside rather than to the area in which they attend school. Children who reside in other States should not be counted at all. Each LEA has an assigned reporting code (Agency ID) which should be included as part of the reports for both categories of children (foster care and TANF). |
|
|
Under separate cover, we are mailing lists of LEAs and the reporting codes for them. Lists for each individual State will be sent to the director of the State's public assistance agency and to the person who, according to our files, completed Form ACF-4125 last year. These lists are also available upon request in the form of Excel spreadsheets. |
|
|
SUBMITTAL |
Please submit an original and one copy of this report to the Administration for Children and Families in Washington, DC, via regular mail, e-mail, or FAX Addresses are provided in the Instructions. In addition, please send one copy to the appropriate ACF Regional Office. Form ACF-4125 should be submitted by December 31, 1999. Failure to submit will result in the loss of Title I funds. |
|
EFFECTIVE |
Immediately |
|
ATTACHMENTS: |
Form ACF-4125 [OMB Number 0970-0004] and Instructions. |
|
INQUIRIES: |
If you have questions or need further information, please contact Evelyn Mills, ACF/OPRE/Division of Data Collection and Analysis: Phone: 202/401-4055 |
|
/s/ _____________________________________ Howard Rolston Director Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation |
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORM ACF4125
ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT ON CHILDREN IN FOSTER HOMES
PURPOSE
The formula for computing grants for local education agencies to provide compensatory education services for educationally deprived children, contained in Section 1124 of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by Public Law 103-382, includes October caseload data for children in foster homes supported with public funds, and children in families receiving annual payments in excess of the current poverty income level from a State program funded under part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act (Block Grants to States for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)).The purpose of this annual survey is to provide these data for each county and for each local educational agency (LEA) so that funds may be allocated on an equitable basis.
REQUIREMENT
This report is required annually of all State agencies administering or supervising administration of TANF and child welfare programs, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa are not required to report. No sampling or estimating is to be used in preparing this report. Since the data reported will generate Federal funds they are subject to audit and must be supportable based on assistance payment records.
INSTRUCTIONS
Complete both Parts I and II. Data should be provided for each county and for each LEA in the lists provided with this report form.
For purposes of this form, a child who reaches the age of five years during October should be included in the count. A child who attains 18 during October should not be counted.
Part I
Report, by county and by LEA, the number of children aged 5-17 (inclusive) living in foster homes supported by public funds during the month of October. Include foster homes of all types and under all programs, i.e., public agency foster homes; group homes and foster homes where care is purchased by public agencies."Public funds" is defined as monies (Federal, State and/or local) which are used by Public Assistance Agencies to support foster children.
Children receiving foster care in institutions operated primarily for the care of neglected or delinquent children should not be included in this report because a separate survey [U.S. Department of Education ED FORM 4376] is conducted annually to collect the data on neglected or delinquent institutionalized children.
Report only the children who reside within the State and report the children by county and LEA in which they reside. If the county and LEA of residence is not known, the county and LEA of school attendance may be used. If the county and/or LEA of residence changes during the month of October, the last known location should be used.
Please assure that the sum of the data reported on attached pages is equal to the State total shown on the form.
Part II
Report, by county and by LEA, the number of children aged 5-17 (inclusive) in families which, during the month of October, had a cash assistance payment in excess of the amount specified for this report period. (The "amount specified" is based on poverty income guidelines for a family of four and will be provided annually to the States by the Administration for Children and Families via PROGRAM INSTRUCTION or other appropriate means.)
If no family received an assistance payment exceeding the amount specified, enter zero. Do not include under this part children in foster care or those in institutions for neglected or delinquent children. Include cash assistance only; non-monetary assistance and services, vendor payments of all kinds, and income from any other sources should be excluded. Consider multiple cases in the same dwelling as separate families.
Please assure that the sum of the data reported on attached pages is equal to the State total shown on the form.
SUBMITTAL PROCEDURE
Send an original and one copy of this report to one of the addresses given below. Also, please send one copy to the appropriate HHS/ACF Regional Office.
Administration for Children and Families
OPRE/DDCA
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
Washington, DC 20447
FAX: (202) 205-5887
E-mail: emills@acf.dhhs.gov
This report must be received in Washington, DC no later than December 31 following the report period
"PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995"
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 264 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
