34 U.S.C. § 20303 (CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT)
§ 20303. Regional children’s advocacy centers
(a) Establishment of regional children’s advocacy program
The Administrator, in coordination with the Director and with the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime, shall establish 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) provide support for nonoffending family members;
(3) enhance coordination among community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention, prevention, prosecution, and investigation systems that respond to child abuse cases; and
(4) train physicians and other health care and mental health care professionals in the multidisciplinary approach to child abuse so that trained medical personnel will be available to provide medical support to community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention, prevention, prosecution, and investigation systems that respond to child abuse cases.
(b) Activities of regional children’s advocacy program
(1) Administrator
The Administrator, in coordination with the Director, shall—
(A) establish regional children’s advocacy program centers;
(B) fund existing regional centers with expertise in the prevention, judicial handling, and treatment of child abuse and neglect; and
(C) fund the establishment of freestanding facilities in multidisciplinary programs within communities that have yet to establish such facilities,
for the purpose of enabling grant recipients to provide information, services, and technical assistance to aid communities in establishing multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse.
(2) Grant recipients
A grant recipient under this section shall—
(A) assist communities—
(i) in developing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary response to child abuse that is designed to meet the needs of child victims and their families;
(ii) in establishing a freestanding facility where interviews of and services for abused children can be provided;
(iii) in preventing or reducing trauma to children caused by multiple contacts with community professionals;
(iv) in providing families with needed services and assisting them in regaining maximum functioning;
(v) in maintaining open communication and case coordination among community professionals and agencies involved in child protection efforts;
(vi) in coordinating and tracking investigative, preventive, prosecutorial, and treatment efforts;
(vii) in obtaining information useful for criminal and civil proceedings;
(viii) in holding offenders accountable through improved prosecution of child abuse cases;
(ix) in enhancing professional skills necessary to effectively respond to cases of child abuse through training; and
(x) in enhancing community understanding of child abuse; and
(B) provide training and technical assistance to local children’s advocacy centers 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 evaluation, intervention, evidence gathering, and counseling.
(C) Multidisciplinary staff experienced in providing remedial counseling to 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 judicial handling of child abuse and neglect.
(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 so that communities can establish multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse;
(ii) demonstrate the ability of the applicant to operate successfully a multidisciplinary child abuse program 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, in coordination with the Director, 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) carry out the objectives developed by the board under subsection (e)(2)(A);
(iv) 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; 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 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, in coordination with the Director, 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 and the Director 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
(A) Failure to implement program activities
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.
(B) Solicitation of new proposals
Upon discontinuation of funding of a grant recipient under this section, the Administrator shall solicit new proposals in accordance with subsection (c).
(e) Children’s advocacy advisory board
(1) Establishment of board
(A) In general
Not later than 120 days after November 4, 1992, the Administrator and the Director, after consulting with representatives of community agencies that respond to child abuse cases, shall establish a children’s advocacy advisory board to provide guidance and oversight in implementing the selection criteria and operation of the regional children’s advocacy program.
(B) Membership
(i) The board—
(I) shall be composed of 12 members who are selected by the Administrator, in coordination with the Director, a majority of whom shall be individuals experienced in the child abuse investigation, prosecution, prevention, and intervention systems;
(II) shall include at least 1 member from each of the 4 census regions; and
(III) shall have members appointed for a term not to exceed 3 years.
(ii) Members of the board may be reappointed for successive terms.
(2) Review and recommendations
(A) Objectives
Not later than 180 days after November 4, 1992, and annually thereafter, the board shall develop and submit to the Administrator and the Director objectives for the implementation of the children’s advocacy program activities described in subsection (b).
(B) Review
The board shall annually—
(i) review the solicitation and selection of children’s advocacy program proposals and make recommendations concerning how each such activity can be altered so as to better achieve the purposes of this section; and
(ii) review the program activities and management plan of each grant recipient and report its findings and recommendations to the Administrator and the Director.
(3) Rules and regulations
The board shall promulgate such rules and regulations as it deems necessary to carry out its duties under this section.
(f) Reporting
The Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to Congress, by March 1 of each year, a detailed review of the progress of the regional children’s advocacy program activities.
(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.)
heading: Codification
text: Section was formerly classified to section 13001b of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
heading: Prior Provisions
text: A prior section 213 of Pub. L. 101–647 was renumbered section 214A and is classified to section 20305 of this title.
heading: Amendments
text: 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”.
heading: Termination of Advisory Boards
text: 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 3(2) and 14 of Pub. L. 92–463, Oct. 6, 1972, 86 Stat. 770, 776, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.