Sec. 261. Child Welfare Innovation Grant Program
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The Secretary shall establish a child welfare innovation grant program (referred to in this section as the grant program ) that provides eligible entities with the necessary flexibility and financial incentives to implement comprehensive reforms to existing child welfare programs under parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. , 42 U.S.C. 670 et seq. ) in order to— achieve significant results that improve the well-being of all children in the child welfare system; and incorporate higher standards of accountability for State and local agencies and organizations that provide child welfare services.
For purposes of this section, an eligible entity shall include any State or political subdivision of a State that submits an application pursuant to the requirements described in subsection (e). For purposes of carrying out the goals described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall award grants, as well as additional financial assistance (as determined under subsection (d)), to eligible entities that have submitted an application that has been approved by the Secretary. The amount of the grant provided to the eligible entity shall be determined by the Secretary and, subject to paragraph (2), remain available for use by the eligible entity for a period of 5 years.
The Secretary may terminate a grant awarded to an eligible entity under paragraph
(1)if, during the 3-year period following the awarding of the grant, the eligible entity has not made appropriate progress in implementing the intervention services and reforms proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1), as determined by the Secretary pursuant to the applicable implementation standards described under subsection (f)(1). Subject to subparagraph (B), if an eligible entity has made significant progress in achieving the child well-being results proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1), as determined by the Secretary pursuant to the applicable implementation standards and performance measures described under subsection (f), the Secretary may award an additional grant to the eligible entity for a period of not greater than 5 years. For purposes of receiving an additional grant under this paragraph, the eligible entity shall, not less than 6 months prior to expiration of the initial grant described in paragraph (1), submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. For purposes of receiving a grant under this section, the eligible entity shall be required to annually expend non-Federal funds for purposes of achieving the child well-being results proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1) in an amount that is not less than— for the first year in which such a grant is awarded, 25 percent of the amount of the grant; for the second year in which such a grant is awarded, 35 percent of the amount of the grant; and for the third year and any subsequent year in which such a grant is awarded (including any year for which an additional grant has been awarded under paragraph (3)), 50 percent of the amount of the grant. For purposes of subparagraph (A), the eligible entity may provide the non-Federal share in cash or in-kind, as fairly evaluated by the Secretary. The eligible entity may provide the non-Federal share from State, local, or private sources. The Secretary shall establish an inter-agency working group that includes representatives from the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other Federal agencies with responsibility for administering programs that affect the child welfare system, for the purpose of identifying existing Federal financial resources that may be used to provide supplemental funding to eligible entities that have been awarded grants under this section, including— establishment of flexibility within existing Federal financial resources; dedicating a share of funds from existing Federal programs, or creating a preference within such programs; use of existing administrative authority to waive certain State or Federal funding requirements, including waiver authority provided under subsection (i); commitment of appropriated discretionary funds; creation of an aggregated source of funding through bundling of existing Federal programs; and establishment of partnerships with private entities, including private foundations involved in child welfare issues. An eligible entity that desires to participate in the grant program shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, which shall include a detailed description of the following: The proposed reforms and methods for achieving significant results that improve the well-being of all children in the child welfare system, including a detailed outline of— the specific populations or groups of children and families that will be targeted under the grant program; the specific child well-being results that will be achieved during the periods described in subsection (c); the specific methods through which the child well-being results will be achieved under the grant program, including proposals for intervention services and strategic reforms to child welfare policy and infrastructure; and the evidentiary basis or best practice models on which such intervention services and reforms are to be based. The partnerships to be established between participating State and local agencies and organizations under the grant program, including— a detailed outline regarding how the partnership will establish a coordinated process for delivery of services, sharing of information and data, and division of specific responsibilities pursuant to interagency agreements; the establishment of a memorandum of understanding between participating State and local agencies and organizations under the grant program to— provide for shared accountability in achieving child well-being results proposed under paragraph
(1)and their specific responsibilities in achieving such results; and satisfy the implementation standards established by the Secretary under subsection (f)(1); and certification by the chief executive officer of the eligible entity of their commitment to— achieve the child well-being results proposed under paragraph
(1)and their responsibility for achieving such results; and satisfy the implementation standards established by the Secretary under subsection (f)(1). The processes to ensure collaboration between the eligible entity, foster parents, biological parents, family members, kinship caregivers, and children in the child welfare system in the development and implementation of intervention services and reforms under the grant program. The approaches for development of enhanced data collection and reporting, which shall include— collection and reporting of relevant data (as determined appropriate by the Secretary), with such data to be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender in order to monitor progress in achieving child well-being results in providing services to specific populations of children in the child welfare system; development and implementation of a specific data collection plan, which shall include a description of the types of data that will be collected by the eligible entity (including data required by the Secretary under subparagraph
(A)that is not currently collected by the entity) and the methods through which such data will be obtained, such as surveys, assessments, and other forms of data collection; a detailed outline regarding how data collected by the eligible entity will be incorporated in the development of intervention services and reforms under the grant program; and certification by the manager or chief officer for information technology for the eligible entity of their commitment and ability to collect and report relevant data under the grant program. Any commitments by private entities to provide additional funding for support of activities under the grant program to improve the well-being of children in the child welfare system. The Secretary shall establish a set of implementation standards to annually determine, for purposes of subsection (c), whether an eligible entity has implemented, or made appropriate progress in implementing, the intervention services and reforms proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1), including development, implementation, and maintenance of data collection systems. The Secretary shall establish a set of performance measures to annually determine, for purposes of subsection (c), whether an eligible entity has achieved, or made significant progress in achieving, the child well-being results proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1), which shall include measurements to quantify— improvements in the well-being of children in the child welfare system, including— the base performance measures described in subparagraph (B); and any additional performance measures described in subparagraph
(C)that are applicable to the child well-being results proposed by the entity; and improvements in the overall quality of life for foster parents. The performance measures described under this paragraph include the number and percentage of children in the child welfare system who— were under 5 years of age and at appropriate levels of mental, emotional, and physical development; if deemed to be in the child's best interest, remained in his or her school of origin; and received health screenings not later than 30 days after foster care placement. Subject to subparagraph (D), the Secretary shall establish additional performance measures that are specifically designed to measure progress in achieving the child well-being results proposed by the eligible entity under subsection (e)(1), which may include— the number and percentage of children in the child welfare system who— were under 5 years of age and attended preschool or early care and education programs regularly; were involved in an abuse or neglect investigation; achieved grade-level proficiency in reading and math; attended school regularly; were involved in the juvenile justice system; were prescribed psychotropic medication; graduated from high school on time; entered post-secondary education or training; regularly received routine medical care and examinations; were reunified with family; reentered the child welfare system following family reunification; or had attained 14 years of age before entering the child welfare system; measures to ensure proper functioning of the child welfare system, such as— reasonableness of caseload levels for caseworkers; and adequacy and frequency of visits with children by caseworkers; and subject to approval by the Secretary, any performance measures that are proposed by the entity for determination of its progress towards achievement of the child well-being results. The Secretary shall consult with the eligible entity for purposes of establishing additional performance measures under subparagraph
(C)that are appropriate for determination of progress in achieving the child well-being results proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1). An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds made available through the grant to develop, implement, and evaluate the intervention services and reforms proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1), including development, implementation, and maintenance of data collection systems. An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall submit an annual report to the Secretary on— the specific intervention services and reforms implemented under the grant program; progress in achieving the child well-being results proposed by the entity under subsection (e)(1), including an analysis of the effectiveness of the grant funding in achieving the results; and an analysis of the progress made by the eligible entity over the preceding 12-month period pursuant to the performance measures established by the Secretary under subsection (f). An eligible entity shall make available to the public, in a manner that is also accessible to children in the child welfare system, biological families, and foster parents— any report submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (1); and a summary of the data collected pursuant to subsection (e)(4)(A). The Secretary may waive such requirements under parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. , 42 U.S.C. 670 et seq. ) as may be necessary to carry out the grant program. For purposes of carrying out the grant program under this section, there is authorized to be appropriated— for fiscal year 2016, $40,000,000; for fiscal year 2017, $30,000,000; for fiscal year 2018, $20,000,000; and for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2025, $10,000,000. In this section: The term child well-being result means a desired condition of well-being for all children in the child welfare system, including the specific populations or groups of children that will be targeted under the grant program. The term school of origin means, with respect to a child in foster care— the school in which the child was enrolled prior to entry into foster care; or the school in which the child is enrolled when a change in foster care placement occurs or is proposed. The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The term State means— any of the 50 States or the District of Columbia; Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, or American Samoa; or an Indian tribe or tribal organization (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 450b )) or a tribal consortium of Indian tribes or tribal organizations (as so defined). The term well-being means the overall quality of life for a child in the child welfare system, which shall include— the safety and health of the child; the mental, emotional, educational, and physical development of the child, including the ability of the child to maximize their individual potential; and permanency and ability to transition to self-sufficiency after aging out of the child welfare system.
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