SAFE IS STRONG
TAKING CARE OF ARMY FAMILIESA COLLABORATION BETWEEN ARMY FAMILY ADVOCACY PROGRAM & CSTS • YEAR 2022, TOPIC 1 • WWW.CSTSONLINE.ORG/SAFE

LINK: HOW HAS THE ARMY ADDRESSED PSB-CY?
2015 – 2017:■ Complaints of serious juvenile-on-juvenile
misconduct, including sexual misconduct,occurred in DoD Educational Activities(DoDEA) in Germany. These incidents were
publicized by the news media and led to highlevel inquiries.
2018 – 2019:■ In 2018, Congressional hearings occurred inresponse to the allegations of problematic sexualbehavior between children and youth (PSB-CY)
and other harmful behaviors to children andyouth on military installations.
■ The FY2019 National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA) (see NDAA Sec. 1089 of H.R.
5515) [LINK] required the installation
Family Advocacy Program (FAP) to review
the allegations of PSB-CY and to establish a
database of every incident of PSB-CY.
■ Subsequent to the Congressional actions, theDoD continued to publish guidance for themilitary service on responding to PSB-CY.
■ July 2019, DoD Manual 6400.01, Vol.1, FamilyAdvocacy Program (FAP): FAP Standards.
This manual implemented policy, assigned
responsibilities, and provided procedures foraddressing child abuse, domestic abuse, andproblematic sexual behavior in children andyouth (PSB-CY) in military communities.
■ September 2020: DoDIG Report No.2020127 [LINK] published an evaluation of DoDs
response to PSB-CY in DoDEA. This reportfound that administrators did not report

all misconduct incidents that could havebeen categorized as serious juvenile-onjuvenile misconduct. Recommendations that
followed were for DoD to review DoDEAadministrators’ use of discretion when
determining when to report an incident asserious, and that DoD develop policy on how
installation commanders should address suchmisconduct.
■ January 2021: The FY2021 NDAA (Section549B) expanded the requirement for theDoD’s response to child abuse. [LINK] Thislaw expanded the requirement for the DoD’sresponse to child abuse to improve thetracking of adult crimes against children andserious harmful behavior between children
and youth involving children on military
installations. The database of reported events
will be maintained by DoD.
■ June 2021: Army issues Directive 2021-27[LINK] Installation Response to Problematic
Sexual Behavior in Children and Youth.
This Directive provided a definition of what
behaviors could be considered as PSBCY, established policies for assessment,eligibility for treatment, established themultidisciplinary team (MDT) for the
installation response, and required the Army
to promulgate an executive order to establish
installation roles and responsibilities.
■ June 2021: Following the 2019 NDAA
directive to establish policies, the Army issued
an Executive Order (HQDA EXORD 111-21Continued

Implementation Guidance for Installation, dated
August 2021). This ExOrd provided direction toArmy FAP.
■ December 2021: The DoD published Instruction
6400.10 [LINK] DoD Coordinated Community
Response to Problematic Sexual Behavior inChildren and Youth. This DoDI establishedpolicy, assigned responsibilities, and prescribed
procedures for the DoD coordinated community
response for preventing and responding to PSBCY, as defined in DoDI 6400.01.

■ January 2022: As a result of the Congressionallaws and Army directives and executive orders,
additional guidance is being developed torespond to PSB-CY. Among these is the nonclinical referral tool (NCRT, DD form 3179).
[LINK] The NCRT was developed (1) to assist
personnel from the DoDEA and the Child
Development and Youth Programs (CD/YP)
personnel in determining if a consult or referral
to FAP is necessary and (2) to assist FAP indetermining if a referred incident warrants
engagement of the MDT.