§ 5106a. Grants to States for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs

§ 5106a. Grants to States for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs

(a) Development and operation grants The Secretary shall make grants to the States, from allotments made under subsection (f) for each State that applies for a grant under this section, for purposes of assisting the States in improving the child protective services system of each such State in—

(1) the intake, assessment, screening, and investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect;

(2)

(A) creating and improving the use of multidisciplinary teams and interagency, intra-agency, interstate, and intrastate protocols to enhance investigations; and

(B) improving legal preparation and representation, including—

(i) procedures for appealing and responding to appeals of substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect; and

(ii) provisions for the appointment of an individual appointed to represent a child in judicial proceedings;

(3) case management, including ongoing case monitoring, and delivery of services and treatment provided to children and their families;

(4) enhancing the general child protective system by developing, improving, and implementing risk and safety assessment tools and protocols, including the use of differential response;

(5) 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;

(6) developing, strengthening, and facilitating training including—

(A) training regarding research-based strategies, including the use of differential response, to promote collaboration with the families;

(B) training regarding the legal duties of such individuals;

(C) personal safety training for case workers; and

(D) training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development;

(7) 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;

(8) developing, facilitating the use of, and implementing research-based strategies and training protocols for individuals mandated to report child abuse and neglect;

(9) developing, implementing, or operating programs to assist in obtaining or coordinating necessary services for families of disabled infants with life-threatening conditions, including—

(A) existing social and health services;

(B) financial assistance;

(C) services necessary to facilitate adoptive placement of any such infants who have been relinquished for adoption; and

(D) the use of differential response in preventing child abuse and neglect;

(10) 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;

(11) 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;

(12) 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 plan and services as children transition between systems;

(13) 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 child abuse or neglect;,11 So in original. including supporting prompt, comprehensive health and developmental evaluations for children who are the subject of substantiated child maltreatment reports; or

(14) 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 nonabusing parents.

(b) Eligibility requirements

(1) State plan

(A) In general To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary a State plan that specifies the areas of the child protective services system described in subsection (a) that the State will address with amounts received under the grant.

(B) Duration of plan Each State plan shall—

(i) remain in effect for the duration of the State’s participation under this section; and

(ii) be periodically reviewed and revised as necessary by the State to reflect changes in the State’s strategies and programs under this section.

(C) Additional information The State shall provide notice to the Secretary—

(i) of any substantive changes, including any change to State law or regulations, relating to the prevention of child abuse and neglect that may affect the eligibility of the State under this section; and

(ii) of any significant changes in how funds provided under this section are used to support activities described in this section, which may differ from the activities described in the current State application.

(2) Contents A State plan submitted under paragraph (1) shall contain a description of the activities that the State will carry out using amounts received under the grant to achieve the objectives of this subchapter, including—

Nothing in subparagraph (B) shall be construed to limit the State’s flexibility to determine State policies relating to public access to court proceedings to determine child abuse and neglect, except that such policies shall, at a minimum, ensure the safety and well-being of the child, parents, and families.

(A) an assurance that the State plan, to the maximum extent practicable, is coordinated with the State plan under part B of title IV of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.] relating to child welfare services and family preservation and family support services;

(B) an assurance in the form of a certification by the Governor of the State that the State has in effect and is enforcing a State law, or has in effect and is operating a statewide program, relating to child abuse and neglect that includes—

(i) provisions or procedures for an individual to report known and suspected instances of child abuse and neglect, including a State law for mandatory reporting by individuals required to report such instances;

(ii) policies and procedures (including appropriate referrals to child protection service systems and for other appropriate services) to address the needs of infants born with and identified as being affected by substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure, or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, including a requirement that health care providers involved in the delivery or care of such infants notify the child protective services system of the occurrence of such condition in such infants, except that such notification shall not be construed to—

(I) establish a definition under Federal law of what constitutes child abuse or neglect; or

(II) require prosecution for any illegal action;

(iii) the development of a plan of safe care for the infant born and identified as being affected by substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms, or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to ensure the safety and well-being of such infant following release from the care of health care providers, including through—

(I) addressing the health and substance use disorder treatment needs of the infant and affected family or caregiver; and

(II) the development and implementation by the State of monitoring systems regarding the implementation of such plans to determine whether and in what manner local entities are providing, in accordance with State requirements, referrals to and delivery of appropriate services for the infant and affected family or caregiver;

(iv) procedures for the immediate screening, risk and safety assessment, and prompt investigation of such reports;

(v) triage procedures, including the use of differential response, for the appropriate referral of a child not at risk of imminent harm to a community organization or voluntary preventive service;

(vi) procedures for immediate steps to be taken to ensure and protect the safety of a victim of child abuse or neglect and of any other child under the same care who may also be in danger of child abuse or neglect and ensuring their placement in a safe environment;

(vii) provisions for immunity from civil or criminal liability under State and local laws and regulations for individuals making good faith reports of suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect, or who otherwise provide information or assistance, including medical evaluations or consultations, in connection with a report, investigation, or legal intervention pursuant to a good faith report of child abuse or neglect;

(viii) methods to preserve the confidentiality of all records in order to protect the rights of the child and of the child’s parents or guardians, including requirements ensuring that reports and records made and maintained pursuant to the purposes of this subchapter and subchapter III shall only be made available to—

(I) individuals who are the subject of the report;

(II) Federal, State, or local government entities, or any agent of such entities, as described in clause (ix);

(III) child abuse citizen review panels;

(IV) child fatality review panels;

(V) a grand jury or court, upon a finding that information in the record is necessary for the determination of an issue before the court or grand jury; and

(VI) other entities or classes of individuals statutorily authorized by the State to receive such information pursuant to a legitimate State purpose;

(ix) provisions to require a State to disclose confidential information to any Federal, State, or local government entity, or any agent of such entity, that has a need for such information in order to carry out its responsibilities under law to protect children from child abuse and neglect;

(x) provisions which allow for public disclosure of the findings or information about the case of child abuse or neglect which has resulted in a child fatality or near fatality;

(xi) the cooperation of State law enforcement officials, court of competent jurisdiction, and appropriate State agencies providing human services in the investigation, assessment, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse and neglect;

(xii) provisions requiring, and procedures in place that facilitate the prompt expungement of any records that are accessible to the general public or are used for purposes of employment or other background checks in cases determined to be unsubstantiated or false, except that nothing in this section shall prevent State child protective services agencies from keeping information on unsubstantiated reports in their casework files to assist in future risk and safety assessment;

(xiii) provisions and procedures requiring that in every case involving a victim of child abuse or neglect which results in a judicial proceeding, a guardian ad litem, who has received training appropriate to the role, including training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development, and who may be an attorney or a court appointed special advocate who has received training appropriate to that role (or both), shall be appointed to represent the child in such proceedings—

(I) to obtain first-hand, a clear understanding of the situation and needs of the child; and

(II) to make recommendations to the court concerning the best interests of the child;

(xiv) the establishment of citizen review panels in accordance with subsection (c);

(xv) provisions, procedures, and mechanisms—

(I) for the expedited termination of parental rights in the case of any infant determined to be abandoned under State law; and

(II) by which individuals who disagree with an official finding of child abuse or neglect can appeal such finding;

(xvi) provisions, procedures, and mechanisms that assure that the State does not require reunification of a surviving child with a parent who has been found by a court of competent jurisdiction—

(I) to have committed murder (which would have been an offense under section 1111(a) of title 18 if the offense had occurred in the special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States) of another child of such parent;

(II) to have committed voluntary manslaughter (which would have been an offense under section 1112(a) of title 18 if the offense had occurred in the special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States) of another child of such parent;

(III) to have aided or abetted, attempted, conspired, or solicited to commit such murder or voluntary manslaughter;

(IV) to have committed a felony assault that results in the serious bodily injury to the surviving child or another child of such parent;

(V) to have committed sexual abuse against the surviving child or another child of such parent; or

(VI) to be required to register with a sex offender registry under section 20913(a) of title 34;

(xvii) an assurance that, upon the implementation by the State of the provisions, procedures, and mechanisms under clause (xvi), conviction of any one of the felonies listed in clause (xvi) constitute grounds under State law for the termination of parental rights of the convicted parent as to the surviving children (although case-by-case determinations of whether or not to seek termination of parental rights shall be within the sole discretion of the State);

(xviii) provisions and procedures to require that a representative of the child protective services agency shall, at the initial time of contact with the individual subject to a child abuse or neglect investigation, advise the individual of the complaints or allegations made against the individual, in a manner that is consistent with laws protecting the rights of the informant;

(xix) provisions addressing the training of representatives of the child protective services system regarding the legal duties of the representatives, which may consist of various methods of informing such representatives of such duties, in order to protect the legal rights and safety of children and families from the initial time of contact during investigation through treatment;

(xx) provisions and procedures for improving the training, retention, and supervision of caseworkers;

(xxi) provisions and procedures for referral of a child under the age of 3 who is involved in a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect to early intervention services funded under part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.);

(xxii) provisions and procedures for requiring criminal background record checks that meet the requirements of section 471(a)(20) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(20)) for prospective foster and adoptive parents and other adult relatives and non-relatives residing in the household;

(xxiii) provisions for systems of technology that support the State child protective service system described in subsection (a) and track reports of child abuse and neglect from intake through final disposition;

(xxiv) provisions and procedures requiring identification and assessment of all reports involving children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking (as defined in section 7102(10) 22 See References in Text note below. of title 22); and

(xxv) provisions and procedures for training child protective services workers about identifying, assessing, and providing comprehensive services for children who are sex trafficking victims, including efforts to coordinate with State law enforcement, juvenile justice, and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters to serve this population;

(C) an assurance that the State has in place procedures for responding to the reporting of medical neglect (including instances of withholding of medically indicated treatment from infants with disabilities who have life-threatening conditions), procedures or programs, or both (within the State child protective services system), to provide for—

(i) coordination and consultation with individuals designated by and within appropriate health-care facilities;

(ii) prompt notification by individuals designated by and within appropriate health-care facilities of cases of suspected medical neglect (including instances of withholding of medically indicated treatment from infants with disabilities who have life-threatening conditions); and

(iii) authority, under State law, for the State child protective services system to pursue any legal remedies, including the authority to initiate legal proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction, as may be necessary to prevent the withholding of medically indicated treatment from infants with disabilities who have life-threatening conditions;

(D) a description of—

(i) the services to be provided under the grant to individuals, families, or communities, either directly or through referrals aimed at preventing the occurrence of child abuse and neglect;

(ii) the training to be provided under the grant to support direct line and supervisory personnel in report taking, screening, assessment, decision making, and referral for investigating suspected instances of child abuse and neglect;

(iii) the training to be provided under the grant for individuals who are required to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect;

(iv) policies and procedures encouraging the appropriate involvement of families in decisionmaking pertaining to children who experienced child abuse or neglect;

(v) policies and procedures that promote and enhance appropriate collaboration among child protective service agencies, domestic violence service agencies, substance abuse treatment agencies, and other agencies in investigations, interventions, and the delivery of services and treatment provided to children and families affected by child abuse or neglect, including children exposed to domestic violence, where appropriate; and

(vi) policies and procedures regarding the use of differential response, as applicable;