# Presentation: 659932

## Pre-Application Conference

- Targeted Grants to Increase the Well-Being of, and to Improve the Permanency Outcomes for, Children Affected by Methamphetamine or Other Substance Abuse

- May 22, 2007  2:30-4:30 PM EDT

**A recording and transcript of the pre-application conference **
**will be posted at **_[http://](http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_cb.html)__[www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_cb.html](http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_cb.html)_**.**

**Presented by:**
- Catherine M. Nolan, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children’s Bureau, ACYF, ACF

- F**unding Opportunity:** HHS-2007-ACF-ACYF-CU-0022**CFDA Number: **93.087

**Department of Health & Human Services****Administration for Children and Families**

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## Conference Agenda 

- Review of Promoting Safe & Stable Families Legislation
**TITLE IV –Subpart 2 – Promoting Safe and Stable Families, Section 437f**
- Purpose of the Targeted Grants

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## Agenda, cont.

**Overview of Program Announcement**
- Regional** **Partnerships and eligible applicants
- Lead Agency
- Program options and budget
- Activities to be funded
- Performance indicators
- Program evaluation
- Application and submission information
**Next Steps **
**Questions and Answers**

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## The Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (PL 109-288) 

- Legislation reauthorizing the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program

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## Title IV Subpart 2 PSSF Section 437f

- Authorizing the Secretary to make competitive grants to Regional Partnerships to provide through interagency collaboration and integration of programs and services, services and activities that are designed to increase the well being of, improve permanency outcomes for, and enhance the safety of children who are in out-of-home placement or are at risk of being placed in an out-of-home placement as a result of a parent’s or caregiver’s methamphetamine or other substance abuse

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## Title IV Subpart 2 PSSF Section 437f, cont. 

- Legislation defines Regional Partnerships
- Notes State child welfare agency partner
- Tribal partnerships
- Outlines the authority of grant awards
- Specifies grant amounts for fiscal years 2007-2011 not less than $500,000 and not more than $1,000,000 per grant, per fiscal year
- Specifies period of grant not less than 2 years and not more than 5 fiscal years

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## Title IV Subpart 2 PSSF Section 437f, cont.

- Lists application requirements
- Use of funds
- Matching requirement
- Performance indicators
- Consultation required
- Reporting requirements
- HHS Reports to Congress

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## 	Purpose of the Grants 	

- Funds to assist regions in building the capacity to address issues related to child permanency, safety, and well-being occurring because of parental methamphetamine or substance abuse

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## Eligible Applicants

- State governments
- County governments
- Local governments
- City or township governments
- Regional Organizations
- U.S. Territory or Possession
- Independent school districts
- Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
- Indian/Native American Tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Indian/Native American Tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
- Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organizations
- Public/Indian Housing Authorities

- Non-profits with 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education)
- Non-profits without 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education)
- Private institutions of higher education
- For-profit organizations (other than small businesses)
- Small businesses
- Hispanic-Serving Institutions
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
- Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
- Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
- Special district governments
- (pgs. 16-17)

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## Regional Partnerships

- These are the organizations listed in the announcement (pg. 18)
- based on legislative language. The Lead Agency must be one of
- these organizations

- The State child welfare agency that is responsible for the administration of the State plan under title IV-B or title IV-E of the Social Security Act;
- The State agency responsible for administering the substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant provided under subpart II of part B of title XIX of the Public Health Service Act;
- An Indian Tribe or Tribal consortium;
- Non-profit or for-profit child welfare service providers;

- Community health service providers;
- Community mental health providers;
- Local law enforcement agencies;
- Judges and court personnel;
- Juvenile justice officials;
- School personnel;
- Tribal child welfare agencies or a consortia of such agencies; or
- Any other providers, agencies, personnel, officials, or entities that are related to the provision of child and family services under this subsection.

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## Regional Partnerships, cont. 

- Applications submitted must represent Regional Partnerships formed by a collaborative agreement
- Legislation defines Regional Partnership as a collaborative agreement entered into by _at least two_ of the Regional Partnership organizations
- Regional Partnerships may be established on an **interstate or intrastate** basis and must be between _at least two _of the organizations listed in the announcement  (pg. 18)

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## Regional Partnerships, cont.

- Legislative requirements:
- Child welfare agency that is responsible for the State Plan under Title IVB or IVE **must **be a partner unless a Tribe or Tribal Consortium is the Regional Partnership
- CW Agency does **not** need to be the Lead Agency
- Indian Tribe or Tribal Consortium can be a Regional Partnership
- If an Indian Tribe or Tribal Consortium,  the Regional Partnership **must** include at least 1 non-Tribal partner
- Regional Partnership cannot consist of only the State child welfare agency and the State substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant agency

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## Lead Agency

- Lead Agency:
- Regional Partnerships must identify a Lead Agency
- 	responsible for administering the grant
- The identified Lead Agency **must** be one of the Regional Partnership organizations listed in the announcement, not an individual (pgs. 17 & 18)
- The designated Lead Agency must have the capacity to sufficiently monitor program activities or services, funding, and reporting requirements described in the announcement (pg. 18)

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## Partnerships and Lead Agency 

- Highlighted in the Organizational Profile Section of the
- 	Evaluation Criteria
- The Regional Partnership includes either the State child welfare agency that is responsible for the administration of the State plan under title IV-B or title IV-E of the Social Security Act **or** is an Indian Tribe or Tribal consortium
- The Regional Partnership includes at least one non-State entity
- A Tribal Regional Partnership includes at least one non-Tribal entity
- The application includes letters of commitment and/or memoranda of understanding from regional partners and other partnering organizations that document the agreed upon roles, responsibilities, and time commitments. Agreements demonstrate that the financial relationships of the partners will ensure proper stewardship of Federal funds  (pg. 53)

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## Inquiry Related to the Demonstration of Regional Partnerships and Collaboration

- How might applications demonstrate their Regional Partnerships and collaborative efforts?
- Noted in the announcement is the requirement of applicants to represent a Regional Partnership (pg. 17)
- Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) as a means to demonstrate collaborative efforts and partnerships is noted numerous times in the announcement
- Evaluation criteria (pgs. 44 & 54) note collaboration of partnerships including a detailed description of strategies for collaborating, letters of commitment and memoranda of understanding
- Proposed Performance Indicators seek to measure collaboration efforts (pg. 53)

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## Inquiry Concerning Local or County Partnerships and State Agency Involvement 

- Would an application proposing two or more counties as a Regional Partnership meet the definition of the partnership?
- No, the State child welfare agencies (the State child welfare agency that is responsible for the administration of the State plan under Title IV-B or IV-E) **must** be a member of the partnership
- However, county governments are eligible applicants and may, as part of a Regional Partnership, function as  a member of the partnership and/or the Lead Agency in applying for these funds
- If the Regional Partnership is an Indian Tribe or Tribal consortium, the State child welfare agency **is not** required to be a partner. However the partnership must include at least one non-Tribal entity (pgs. 17 & 18), these entities could be counties

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## Program Announcement		

- Program Options
- As listed in the announcement
- There are **four** program options with *two* possible Federal award amounts and *two* possible grant periods (pgs. 13-16)
- Regional Partnerships are to select** one **of the program options. They must state for which of the options they are applying and they are to justify their selection in terms of accomplishing their project goals
- Regional Partnerships must clearly state for which of these four program options they are applying
**A Regional Partnership may apply for only one program option**

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## Program Option Selection and Budget

- Regional Partnerships are encouraged to utilize the conceptual framework provided in the appendix of the program announcement
- Base project goals on identified needs and service gaps in the region defined by the Regional Partnership
*Regional Partnerships are required to select one program option and justify their selection in terms of accomplishing project goals *(pg. 12)

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## Inquiry Relate to the Selection of a Program Option

- How does a Regional Partnership decide for which program option they should apply?
- All Regional Partnerships are encouraged to review the evaluation criteria under Objectives and Need for Assistance (pgs. 40-43) prior to their selection of a program option
- Selection of a program option is to be supported by a Regional Partnership’s demonstration of their  understanding of the legislative goals and objectives as well as program announcement goals
- Selection of the program option is to be supported by the Regional Partnership’s presentation of data describing the impact of substance abuse, particularly methamphetamine abuse, on the child welfare system in their defined target community

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## Funding Options 

- Federal monies decline over time
- $40 million  FY2007
- $35 million  FY2008
- $30 million  FY2009
- $20 million  FY2010 & FY2011
- Note the $1,000,000 awards decline in the out years, $500,000 awards remain fixed
- All awards have an increase in percentage in the match over time

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## Program Option 1

- $1,000,000 annual award for 3 years
- Declining Federal award
- Increasing match
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 	Up to 8

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## Program Option 2

- 	$1,000,000 annual award for 5 years
-       Declining Federal award
- 	Increasing match
- Anticipated Number of Awards:** **	Up to 5

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## Program Option 3

- 	$ 500,000 annual award for 3 years
- 	Fixed Federal award
- 	Increasing match
- Anticipated Number of Awards: Up to 10

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## Program Option 4

- $500,000 annual award for 5 years
- Fixed Federal award
- Increasing match
- Anticipated number of awards: Up to 30

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## Program Options and Budget 

- State clearly for which of the options a Regional Partnership is applying (pgs. 12, 18, 19 & 20)
- Outline budget for each of the program years, following the tables provided in the announcement
- 	(pgs. 13-16)
- Regional Partnerships are to submit a complete budget for each year of grant funding
- See budget evaluation criteria for additional information	(pg. 55)

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## Inquiry Regarding Applicant Proposed Match

- Is the increasing match to be cash or in-kind?
- As listed in the announcement
- The non-Federal share of the cost of services provided or activities conducted with funding under this announcement **may be cash or in-kind** and must be detailed in the budget  (pg. 12)

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## Inquiry on Applying for Different Program Options 

- If an applicant applies under one program option, but a reviewer believes the applicant is better suited for another program option would the applicant get a chance to re-apply under the new option?
- No.  Noted throughout the program announcement is the need for the Regional Partnership to state clearly for which of the options they are applying and to apply for only one (pgs. 12, 18, 19 & 20)
- Regional Partnerships will not receive a chance to re-apply
- Regional Partnerships are encouraged to carefully and thoughtfully select the program option that most appropriately addresses the need identified and the program presented in the application

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## Activities, cont.	

- Examples of services and activities Regional
- 	Partnerships	may propose  are listed in the program
- 	announcement (pgs. 7-10)
- These are based on the most current knowledge available
- 	to us on effective practice and interventions
- Including (but not limited to):
- System Collaboration and Improvements
- Support for comprehensive training across disciplines
- Treatment Linkages
- Support for co-location of staff to enhance cross-agency efforts

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## Activities and Services

- Services for Children and Youth
- Support for Drug Endangered Children (DEC)
- Substance Abuse Treatment Services
- Support for long term residential treatment programs where children may reside with their mothers and services are provided for all family members
- Other Services for Parents
- Support for parenting skills training and ancillary services

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## Inquiry Related to 90 day Start Up as Noted in the Announcement 

- Are Regional Partnerships expected to begin their projects (ie serving clients) within 90 days even if the program is a brand new project?
- Yes. Phase-in activities may include milestones such as hiring and training staff, cross-training the network of service providers and admissions of first clients
- The issue of start up is noted in the evaluation criteria (under Approach pg. 43).  The applicant is to provide a timeline for implementing the proposed project
- Timelines include phase-in activities that will be implemented no later than 3 months (90 days) after award

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## Performance Indicators 

- Performance indicators were developed and included to meet the statutory requirement
- Requirement for consultation with grantees
- Regional Partnerships are to:
- Review the indicators and conceptual framework
- Select indicators relevant to their proposed grant-funded activities and services
- Demonstrate the appropriateness of each selected indicator
- Suggest any revisions or propose additional indicators (pg. 48)

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## Performance Indicators, cont. 

- Grantees will be evaluated *in part* on their selection of appropriate indicators, their ability to demonstrate the indicators’ relevance to their program and their demonstration of their program’s capacity to report on them  (pg. 48)

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## Performance Indicators, cont. 

- Listed within the Evaluation Criteria (pg. 48)
- Categories of Proposed Indicators include:
- Child/Youth Outcomes
- Adult Outcomes
- Family Relationship Outcomes
- Regional Partnership/ Service Capacity Outcomes

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## Program Evaluation

- Regional Partnerships are encouraged to recruit a local evaluator to assist in plans to monitor required performance indicators, as well as to assist in assessing the performance and impact of grant funded services and activities (pg. 7)

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## Applications

- Applications submitted by Regional Partnerships are to follow the application and submission information in the announcement (pgs. 19-32)
- Due date of July 3, 2007.  Applications must be received by July 3, 2007.  Applications received after 4:30 PM EDT will be classified as late and screened out
- Attention to page 30 of the grant announcement outlining required forms
- The application limit is 100 pages including all forms and attachments.  Pages over the limit will be removed from the application and not reviewed
- Applications are to be typed, double spaced, printed on only one side, with at least 1 inch margins with standard 12 point fonts

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## Applications, cont.

- Application review information is included in the announcement.  Criteria for application scoring by panels is in the announcement.  Criteria include:
- Objectives and Need for Assistance
- Approach
- Evaluation
- Organizational Profiles
- Budget and Budget Justification

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## Applications/Bonus points

- Under Objectives and Need for Assistance (pg. 42) an additional 5 points maybe scored for applications that:
- Identify and describe impact of methamphetamine abuse and addiction on child welfare in partnership region; _and _
- Propose grant funded services and activities that appropriately address methamphetamine abuse and addiction in the geographic area and population targeted
- This is in response to the legislative requirement to give greater weight to those applications

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## Next Steps

- Review panels of objective, outside experts convene week of July 30, 2007 in Washington DC
- All applications are reviewed and scored
- Decision meeting with ACYF Commissioner is held in August 2007
- Final grant award letters go to successful applicants no later than September 30, 2007

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## Additional Reminders 

- Regional Partnerships must clearly state for which of the four program options they are applying
- Announcement available at:
- 	_[http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2007-ACF-ACYF-CU-0022.html](http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2007-ACF-ACYF-CU-0022.html)__ _
- Transcript, slides and additional Q & A’s  will be posted to:
- 	_[http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_cb.html](http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_cb.html)__  _

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## Questions from Participants 

**Additional questions:**
**Catherine M. Nolan**
**(**_[Catherine.Nolan@acf.hhs.gov](mailto:Catherine.Nolan@acf.hhs.gov)_**) or (202) 260-5140**

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