Sec. 3. Competitive research and demonstration grants to develop evidence-based approaches to support foster youth in successful parenting

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Subpart 2 of part B of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 629–629i ) is amended— in section 437— in subsection (a), by striking $200,000,000 and inserting $250,000,000 ; and in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following: For any fiscal year for which the amount made available to carry out this section exceeds $60,000,000, the Secretary shall reserve the lesser of 50 percent of such excess or $50,000,000 for grants under section 439A. ; and by adding at the end the following:

The Secretary shall make grants to States to identify and implement approaches to support foster youth in successful parenting that are age-appropriate, medically accurate, trauma-informed, culturally relevant, gender-responsive, and evidence-informed, and that focus on either or both of the following: Developing strategies that focus on preventing unintended pregnancies among foster youth. Promoting the well-being of foster youth who are expectant or parenting (including as a noncustodial parent), and their children.

In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall— provide support for— approaches that help identify, develop, replicate, and evaluate evidence-informed approaches to preventing unintended pregnancies among foster youth and promoting the well-being of foster youth who are expectant or parenting (including as a noncustodial parent), and their children, including ways to improve training for foster parents, child welfare staff, and other foster care facility caregivers and staff; approaches that address the specific needs and circumstances of different groups of foster youth, such as older youth preparing to exit care, those living in a variety of settings, those who are already parents, those in rural areas, those who identify across the sexual orientation and gender-identity spectrum (including gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender), youth of color, youth with disabilities, and noncustodial parents; approaches that coordinate with other Federal, State, or local programs and related research on addressing the prevention of unintended pregnancies among foster youth (or other relevant youth) or the promotion of the well-being of foster youth (or other relevant youth) who are expectant or parenting (including as a noncustodial parent) and their children, including— the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program of the Office of Adolescent Health; the Personal Responsibility Education Program under section 513; and the Pregnancy Assistance Fund established under section 10212 of Public Law 111–148 ; approaches that coordinate with other Federal, State, or local programs that successfully connect foster youth (or other relevant youth) to important services that support their development and the development of their children, including services described in clauses

(i)through

(vi)of section 432(a)(11)(D); approaches that focus on specialized recruitment and training of foster families who are committed to supporting foster youth who are expectant or parenting (including as a noncustodial parent), and their children; approaches that identify and implement a sexual health curriculum aimed at educating foster youth on pregnancy and parenting services, healthy romantic relationships, and, for expectant youth, education on healthy development of babies, including prenatal and postpartum care and parent training to prepare to care for their children; and approaches that promote collaboration among key public and private stakeholders (such as child welfare and juvenile justice systems, courts, health and mental health providers, higher education institutions, hospitals, and philanthropic organizations) to identify effective ways to reduce unintended pregnancies among youth in foster care and to promote the well-being of foster youth who are expectant or parenting (including as a noncustodial parent); and take into account input from current and former foster youth who have experienced unintended pregnancies or parented as foster youth. To be eligible for a grant under this section, a State shall submit an application to the Secretary describing the activities the State intends to carry out using grant funds consistent with the requirements of this section and providing an assurance that the State will cooperate fully with any evaluation provided for by the Secretary under this section. In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that the grants are distributed to a diversity of States based on region, population size, racial or ethnic minority representation, economic well-being, or other factors that may inform how the activities to be carried out using such grants address the needs of the country. No State may be awarded more than 25 percent of the amounts reserved under section 437(b)(4) for a fiscal year unless such reserved amounts for such fiscal year exceed $10,000,000. The Secretary shall determine the amount of each grant to be made under this section on the basis of the scope of the activities to be carried out using the grant. The Secretary shall conduct evaluations of the activities carried out using each grant made under this section to build evidence of the effectiveness of the activities, with evidence ranging from emerging, to promising, and to best practice. The evaluations shall— determine the lessons learned (including barriers to success) as a result of the activities carried out using all such grants; include research designs that encourage innovation and reflect the nature of the activities undertaken, successful implementation efforts, and the needs of the communities, without prioritizing efficacy research over effectiveness research; recognize that both efficacy and effectiveness research (including statistical modeling research) using rigorous designs are needed over time to understand the success of activities with the target populations in real-world circumstances; and to the extent practicable, help to build local evaluation capacity, including the capacity to use evaluation data to inform continuous program improvement. Each State to which a grant is made under this section for a fiscal year shall submit to the Secretary a report on the use of the grant. Not later than September 30, 2022, and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the activities supported by the grants made under this section. The report shall include the evaluation conducted under subsection

(d)and the recommendations of the Secretary for policy changes to decrease unintended pregnancies among foster youth and to promote the well-being of foster youth who are expectant or parenting (including as a noncustodial parent), and their children. Of the amounts reserved under section 437(b)(4) for a fiscal year: Not more than 10 percent shall be reserved for evaluation of the programs funded under this section during the fiscal year. Not more than 10 percent shall be reserved to administer this section and provide technical assistance to the States in using grants made under this section during the fiscal year. Five percent shall be reserved for grants to Indian tribes under this section for the fiscal year. Three percent shall be reserved for grants to territories under this section for the fiscal year. . The amendments made by this section shall take effect on October 1, 2017.

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42 USC 629–629i
Pub. L. 111-148

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Sec. 3

Competitive research and demonstration grants to develop evidence-based approaches to support foster youth in successful parenting

Cite42 USC 629–629i

Pub. L.Pub. L. 111-148

Cites 2Cited by 0 across 0 sources