### §20303. Regional children's advocacy centers

#### (a) Establishment and maintenance of regional children's advocacy program

The Administrator shall establish and maintain a children's advocacy program to—

(1) focus attention on child victims by assisting communities in developing child-focused, community-oriented, facility-based programs designed to improve the resources available to children and families;

(2) enhance coordination among community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention, prevention, prosecution, and investigation systems that respond to child abuse cases;

(3) train physicians and other health care and mental health care professionals, law enforcement officers, child protective service workers, forensic interviewers, prosecutors, victim advocates, multidisciplinary team leadership, and children's advocacy center staff, in the multidisciplinary approach to child abuse so that trained personnel will be available to provide support to community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention, prevention, prosecution, and investigation systems that respond to child abuse cases;

(4) provide technical assistance, training, coordination, and organizational capacity support for State chapters; and

(5) collaborate with State chapters to provide training, technical assistance, coordination, organizational capacity support, and oversight of—

(A) local children's advocacy centers; and

(B) communities that want to develop local children's advocacy centers.

#### (b) Activities of regional children's advocacy program

#### (1) Administrator

The Administrator shall—

(A) establish and maintain regional children's advocacy program centers; and

(B) fund existing regional centers with expertise in multidisciplinary team investigation, trauma-informed interventions, and evidence-informed treatment,

for the purpose of enabling grant recipients to provide information, services, training and technical assistance to aid communities in establishing and maintaining multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse.

#### (2) Grant recipients

A grant recipient under this section shall—

(A) assist communities, local children's advocacy centers, multidisciplinary teams, and State chapters—

(i) in developing and expanding a comprehensive, multidisciplinary response to child abuse that is designed to meet the needs of child victims and their families;

(ii) in promoting the effective delivery of the evidence-informed Children's Advocacy Center Model and the multidisciplinary response to child abuse, including best practices in—

(I) organizational support and development;

(II) programmatic evaluation; and

(III) financial oversight of Federal funding;

(iii) in establishing child-friendly facilities for the investigation and intervention in child abuse;

(iv) in preventing or reducing trauma to children caused by duplicative contacts with community professionals;

(v) in providing families with needed services and assisting them in regaining maximum functioning;

(vi) in maintaining open communication and case coordination among community professionals and agencies involved in child protection efforts;

(vii) in coordinating and tracking investigative, preventive, prosecutorial, and treatment efforts;

(viii) in obtaining information useful for criminal and civil proceedings;

(ix) in holding offenders accountable through improved prosecution of child abuse cases;

(x) in enhancing professional skills necessary to effectively respond to cases of child abuse through training; and

(xi) in enhancing community understanding of child abuse; and

(B) provide training and technical assistance to local children's advocacy centers, interested communities, and chapters in its census region that are grant recipients under section 20304 of this title.

#### (c) Operation of regional children's advocacy program

#### (1) Solicitation of proposals

Not later than 1 year after November 4, 1992, the Administrator shall solicit proposals for assistance under this section.

#### (2) Minimum qualifications

In order for a proposal to be selected, the Administrator may require an applicant to have in existence, at the time the proposal is submitted, 1 or more of the following:

(A) A proven record in conducting activities of the kinds described in subsection (c).

(B) A facility where children who are victims of sexual or physical abuse and their nonoffending family members can go for the purpose of investigation and intervention in child abuse.

(C) Multidisciplinary staff experienced in providing evidence-informed services for children and families.

(D) Experience in serving as a center for training and education and as a resource facility.

(E) National expertise in providing technical assistance to communities with respect to the multidisciplinary response to child abuse.

#### (3) Proposal requirements

#### (A) In general

A proposal submitted in response to the solicitation under paragraph (1) shall—

(i) include a single or multiyear management plan that outlines how the applicant will provide information, services, and technical assistance to communities and chapters so that communities can establish and maintain multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse and chapters can establish and maintain children's advocacy centers in their State;

(ii) demonstrate the ability of the applicant to operate successfully a children's advocacy center or provide training to allow others to do so; and

(iii) state the annual cost of the proposal and a breakdown of those costs.

#### (B) Content of management plan

A management plan described in paragraph (3)(A) shall—

(i) outline the basic activities expected to be performed;

(ii) describe the entities that will conduct the basic activities;

(iii) establish the period of time over which the basic activities will take place; and

(iv) define the overall program management and direction by—

(I) identifying managerial, organizational, and administrative procedures and responsibilities;

(II) demonstrating how implementation and monitoring of the progress of the children's advocacy program after receipt of funding will be achieved; and

(III) providing sufficient rationale to support the costs of the plan.

#### (4) Selection of proposals

#### (A) Competitive basis

Proposals shall be selected under this section on a competitive basis.

#### (B) Criteria

The Administrator shall select proposals for funding that—

(i) best result in developing and establishing multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse by assisting, training, and teaching community agencies and professionals called upon to respond to child abuse cases;

(ii) assist in resolving problems that may occur during the development, operation, and implementation of a multidisciplinary program that responds to child abuse;

(iii) to the greatest extent possible and subject to available appropriations, ensure that at least 1 applicant is selected from each of the 4 census regions of the country;

(iv) best result in supporting chapters in each State; and

(v) otherwise best carry out the purposes of this section.

#### (5) Funding of program

From amounts made available in separate appropriation Acts, the Administrator shall provide to each grant recipient the financial and technical assistance and other incentives that are necessary and appropriate to carry out this section.

#### (6) Coordination of effort

In order to carry out activities that are in the best interests of abused and neglected children, a grant recipient shall consult with other grant recipients under this Act on a regular basis to exchange ideas, share information, and review children's advocacy program activities.

#### (d) Review

#### (1) Evaluation of regional children's advocacy program activities

The Administrator shall regularly monitor and evaluate the activities of grant recipients and shall determine whether each grant recipient has complied with the original proposal and any modifications.

#### (2) Annual report

A grant recipient shall provide an annual report to the Administrator that—

(A) describes the progress made in satisfying the purpose of the children's advocacy program; and

(B) states whether changes are needed and are being made to carry out the purpose of the children's advocacy program.

#### (3) Discontinuation of funding

Upon discontinuation of funding of a grant recipient under this section, the Administrator shall solicit new proposals in accordance with subsection (c).

(Pub. L. 101–647, title II, §213, as added Pub. L. 102–586, §6(b)(2), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5030; amended Pub. L. 108–21, title III, §381(a), Apr. 30, 2003, 117 Stat. 667; Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c), Jan. 7, 2019, 132 Stat. 5466; Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3), Jan. 5, 2023, 136 Stat. 6274.)

#### **Editorial Notes**

#### References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(6), probably means the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, title II of Pub. L. 101–647, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4792, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title II to the Code, see Short Title of 1990 Act note set out under section 10101 of this title and Tables.

#### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 13001b of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

#### Prior Provisions

A prior section 213 of Pub. L. 101–647 was renumbered section 214A and is classified to section 20305 of this title.

#### Amendments

2023—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(A)(i), (ii), in heading, inserted "and maintenance" after "Establishment" and, in introductory provisions, struck out ", in coordination with the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime," after "Administrator" and inserted "and maintain" after "establish".

Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(A)(iii), substituted "victim advocates, multidisciplinary team leadership, and children's advocacy center staff" for "and victim advocates" and struck out "and" at end.

Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(A)(v), added par. (4). Former par. (4) redesignated (5).

Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(A)(iv), (vi), redesignated par. (4) as (5) and substituted "organizational capacity support, and oversight of" for "and oversight to" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(B)(i)(II), substituted "training and technical assistance to aid communities in establishing and maintaining" for "and technical assistance to aid communities in establishing" in concluding provisions.

Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(B)(i)(I), inserted "and maintain" after "establish".

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(B)(ii)(I)(aa), inserted "Center" after "Advocacy" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(iii). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(B)(ii)(I)(bb), substituted "and intervention in child" for "of, assessment of, and intervention in".

Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(B)(ii)(II), substituted "centers, interested communities, and chapters" for "centers and interested communities".

Subsec. (c)(2)(B). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(C)(i)(I), substituted "investigation and intervention in child abuse" for "evaluation, intervention, evidence gathering, and counseling".

Subsec. (c)(2)(E). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(C)(i)(II), substituted "multidisciplinary response to child abuse" for "judicial handling of child abuse and neglect".

Subsec. (c)(3)(A)(i). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(C)(ii), substituted "and chapters so that communities can establish and maintain multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse and chapters can establish and maintain children's advocacy centers in their State" for "so that communities can establish multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse".

Subsec. (c)(4)(B)(iv), (v). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(C)(iii), added cl. (iv) and redesignated former cl. (iv) as (v).

Subsec. (c)(6). Pub. L. 117–354, §3(3)(C)(iv), inserted "under this Act" after "recipients".

2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(1)(A), struck out "with the Director and" after "coordination" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (a)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(1)(B)–(F), redesignated pars. (3) and (4) as (2) and (3), respectively, in par. (3) as redesignated, inserted ", law enforcement officers, child protective service workers, forensic interviewers, prosecutors, and victim advocates," after "health care professionals" and struck out "medical" before "personnel" and "support", added par. (4), and struck out former par. (2) which read as follows; "provide support for nonoffending family members;".

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(A)(i), struck out ", in coordination with the Director," after "Administrator" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(A)(iii), substituted "multidisciplinary team investigation, trauma-informed interventions, and evidence-informed treatment," for "the prevention, judicial handling, and treatment of child abuse and neglect; and".

Subsec. (b)(1)(C). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(A)(ii), (iv), struck out subpar. (C) which read as follows: "fund the establishment of freestanding facilities in multidisciplinary programs within communities that have yet to establish such facilities,".

Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(B)(i)(I), substituted "communities, local children's advocacy centers, multidisciplinary teams, and State chapters" for "communities" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(i). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(B)(i)(II), inserted "and expanding" after "developing".

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(B)(i)(IV), added cl. (ii). Former cl. (ii) redesignated (iii).

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(iii). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(B)(i)(III), (V), redesignated cl. (ii) as (iii) and substituted "child-friendly facilities for the investigation of, assessment of, and intervention in abuse" for "a freestanding facility where interviews of and services for abused children can be provided". Former cl. (iii) redesignated (iv).

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(iv). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(B)(i)(III), (VI), redesignated cl. (iii) as (iv) and substituted "duplicative" for "multiple". Former cl. (iv) redesignated (v).

Subsec. (b)(2)(A)(v) to (xi). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(B)(i)(III), redesignated cls. (iv) to (x) as (v) to (xi), respectively.

Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(2)(B)(ii), inserted "and interested communities" after "advocacy centers".

Subsec. (c)(2)(C). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(3)(A), substituted "evidence-informed services for" for "remedial counseling to".

Subsec. (c)(3)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(3)(B), substituted "children's advocacy center" for "multidisciplinary child abuse program".

Subsec. (c)(4)(B). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(3)(C)(i), struck out ", in coordination with the Director," after "Administrator" in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c)(4)(B)(iii) to (v). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(3)(C)(ii), (iii), redesignated cls. (iv) and (v) as (iii) and (iv), respectively, and struck out former cl. (iii) which read as follows: "carry out the objectives developed by the board under subsection (e)(2)(A);".

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(4)(A), struck out ", in coordination with the Director," after "Administrator".

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(4)(B), struck out "and the Director" after "Administrator" in intoductory provisions.

Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(4)(C), struck out subpar. (B) designation and heading before "Upon discontinuation" and struck out subpar. (A). Prior to amendment, text of subpar. (A) read as follows: "If a grant recipient under this section substantially fails in the implementation of the program activities, the Administrator shall not discontinue funding until reasonable notice and an opportunity for reconsideration is given."

Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 115–424, §2(c)(5), struck out subsecs. (e) and (f) which related to the children's advocacy advisory board and annual report on the progress of regional children's advocacy program activities, respectively.

2003—Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 108–21, §381(a)(1), struck out "and" at end of cl. (ii) of subpar. (B), substituted "board" for "Board" in cl. (iii) of subpar. (B), and redesignated subpars. (C) and (D) as cls. (iv) and (v), respectively, of subpar. (B).

Subsec. (e)(1)(B)(ii), (2)(A), (3). Pub. L. 108–21, §381(a)(2), substituted "board" for "Board".

#### **Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries**

#### Termination of Advisory Boards

Advisory boards established after Jan. 5, 1973, to terminate not later than the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of their establishment, unless, in the case of a board established by the President or an officer of the Federal Government, such board is renewed by appropriate action prior to the expiration of such 2-year period, or in the case of a board established by Congress, its duration is otherwise provided by law. See sections 1001(2) and 1013 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.