Sec. 106. Grants to States for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs

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Section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act ( 42 U.S.C. 5106a ) is amended to read as follows: The Secretary shall make grants to the States, from allotments made under subsection

(g)for each State that applies for a grant under this section, for purposes of assisting the States in improving the child protective services system of each such State with respect to one or more of the following activities: Improving the intake, assessment, screening, and investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect, including— the use of differential response, and establishing and maintaining a rapid response system for high-risk cases, with special attention to cases involving repeat referrals of the same child, infants, and toddlers; and protocols and training that reduce and prevent racial bias in the child protective services system. Supporting trauma-informed response, investigation, and treatment of child abuse and neglect by— creating and improving the use of multidisciplinary teams, including children’s advocacy centers; enhancing investigations through interagency, intra-agency, interstate, and intrastate protocols; and improving legal preparation and representation, including— procedures for appealing and responding to appeals of substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect; and provisions to ensure that all children and parents shall have legal representation by a trained attorney in all cases involving an allegation of child abuse or neglect that results in a judicial proceeding, for the entire duration of the court’s jurisdiction in the case. Establishing alternative pathways to connect families in need to voluntary, community-based family strengthening services in order to enable the child protective services system to focus on children at most serious risk of harm and safely reduce the number of families unnecessarily investigated for child abuse and neglect, through the development, implementation, and expansion of— local or State helplines (which may include expanding hotlines and referral systems operated by State and local child protective services agencies for such purposes); and coordination with other local and State public entities to support a continuum of preventive services that strengthen families and promote child, parent, and family well-being. Improving case management approaches, including ongoing case monitoring, and delivery of services and treatment provided to children and their families to ensure safety and respond to family needs, including— multidisciplinary approaches to assessing family needs and connecting families with services, including prevention services under section 471 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 671 ); organizing treatment teams of community service providers that prevent and treat child abuse and neglect, and improve child and family well-being; and case-monitoring that can ensure progress in child well-being. Modernizing data systems to improve case management, coordination, and communication between State and local public agencies, including— updating systems of technology that support the program and track reports of child abuse and neglect from intake through final disposition and allow for interstate and intrastate information exchange; improving real-time case monitoring for caseworkers at the State and local levels to track assessments, service referrals, follow-up, case reviews, and progress toward case plan goals; facilitating real-time data sharing across State and local public agencies to allow for enhanced data collection and public disclosure related to child fatalities and near fatalities due to child abuse and neglect; and developing, improving, and implementing risk and safety assessment tools and protocols that reduce and prevent bias. Developing, strengthening, and facilitating training for professionals and volunteers engaged in the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse and neglect, including training on— the legal duties of such individuals; personal safety for case workers; early childhood, child, and adolescent development and the impact of child abuse and neglect, including long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences; improving coordination among child protective service agencies and health care agencies, entities providing health care (including mental health and substance use disorder services), and community resources; improving screening, forensic diagnosis, and health and developmental evaluations, which may include best practices for periodic reevaluations, as appropriate; addressing the unique needs of children with disabilities, including promoting interagency collaboration to meet such needs; supporting the placement of children with kinship caregivers and addressing the unique needs of children in such placements; implementing responsive, family-oriented, and trauma-informed approaches to prevention, identification, intervention, and treatment of child abuse and neglect; ensuring child safety; the links between child abuse and neglect and domestic violence, and approaches to working with families with mental health needs or substance use disorder; coordinating with other services and agencies to address family and child needs, including trauma; and distinguishing between cases of child and abuse neglect and cases related to family economic insecurity where abuse and neglect are not present. Improving the recruitment and retention of caseworkers, such as efforts to address the effects of indirect trauma exposure for child welfare workers. Developing, facilitating the use of, and implementing evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies and training protocols for individuals mandated to report child abuse and neglect, which may include improving public awareness and understanding relating to the role and responsibilities of the child protective services system and the nature and basis for reporting suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect. Developing, implementing, or operating programs and referrals to assist in obtaining or coordinating necessary services for families of infants or toddlers with a disability, with special attention to at-risk infants or toddlers (as defined in section 632 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1432 )), including— existing social and health services; financial assistance; educational services; and the use of differential response in preventing child abuse and neglect. Enhancing interagency collaboration between agencies and providers of the child protective services, public health, substance use disorder treatment, education, domestic violence services, law enforcement, and juvenile justice to improve the investigations, interventions, delivery of services, and treatments provided for children and families experiencing child abuse and neglect, which may include— methods for continuity of treatment plan and services as children and families transition between systems; addressing the health needs, including mental health needs, of children identified as victims of child abuse or neglect, including supporting prompt, comprehensive health and developmental evaluations for children who are the subject of substantiated child abuse and neglect reports; the provision of services that assist children exposed to domestic violence, and that also support the caregiving role of their non-abusing parents; enhancing the capacity of public entities or community-based providers to integrate the leadership of parents in such entities’ decision-making; and co-locating service providers. Supporting the development, implementation, and monitoring of family care plans for infants affected by substance use disorder, including alcohol use disorder, and their families and affected caregivers, in accordance with the requirements of section 402(c), including through enhancing interagency coordination, such as between the State’s substance abuse agencies, public health and mental health agencies, child welfare agencies, social services agencies, health care facilities with labor and delivery units, maternal and child health agencies, early intervention agencies, family courts with jurisdiction in cases of child abuse and neglect, and other agencies or entities involved in supporting families affected by substance use disorders. To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary a State plan that specifies how the State will use funds received under the grant to improve and strengthen the child protective services system through the activities described in subsection (a). Each State plan shall— be submitted not less frequently than once every 5 years, in coordination with the State plan submitted under part B of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. ); and be periodically reviewed and revised by the State, as necessary, to reflect— any substantive changes to State law or regulations related to the prevention of child abuse and neglect that may affect the eligibility of the State under this section; and any significant changes from the State application related to the State’s funding of strategies and programs supported under this section. In developing the State plan under subparagraph (A), each State shall— consult widely with stakeholders and relevant public and private organizations and individuals across the State, which shall include parents; collaborate with the lead entity and community-based providers funded under title II to strengthen the State’s prevention efforts in the State plan; make the draft plan publicly available by electronic means in an easily accessible format; and provide all interested members of the public at least 30 days opportunity to submit comments on the draft State plan. The State shall ensure that the final approved plan required under subparagraph

(A)shall be publicly available by electronic means in an easily accessible format, and shall update the such publicly available plan to include any revisions to such plan described in subparagraph (B)(ii). Each State plan required under paragraph

(1)shall describe— the activities the State will carry out using amounts received under the grant to prevent, treat, and reduce child abuse and neglect; how the State will implement a systems-building approach to develop and maintain a continuum of preventive supports, in coordination with relevant State and local public agencies families and community-based organizations, such as through the development of alternative pathways described in subsection (a)(3); training and retention activities to be provided under the grant to support direct line and supervisory personnel in report taking, screening, assessment, decision-making, and referral for investigating suspected instances of child abuse and neglect; the training to be provided under the grant for mandatory reporting by individuals who are required to report known or suspected cases of child abuse and neglect, including for purposes of making such individuals aware of these requirements; policies and procedures encouraging the appropriate involvement of families in decision-making pertaining to children who have experienced child abuse or neglect; policies and procedures that promote and enhance appropriate collaboration among child protective service agencies, domestic violence service agencies, substance abuse agencies, other relevant agencies, and kinship navigators in investigations, interventions, and the delivery of services and treatment provided to children and families affected by child abuse or neglect, including children exposed to domestic violence, where appropriate; policies and procedures regarding the use of differential response and a timeline for the development and implementation of a rapid response system to ensure that all referrals of repeat referrals of the same child, infants, and toddlers receive a rapid response from such system; how the State will enact policies and procedures within 2 years of the date of enactment of the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2021 requiring timely public disclosure of the findings or information about the case of child abuse or neglect that has resulted in a child fatality or near fatality (in accordance with relevant Federal and State privacy and confidentiality requirements), which shall include a description of— how the State will make such information publically available in an easily accessible format, including information on— the cause and circumstances of the fatality or near fatality; the age, gender, and race or ethnicity of the child; and any previous reports of child abuse or neglect investigations by the perpetrator or the victim; and assurances of the State that the State will not allow an exception to such public disclosure, except in a case in which— the State needs to delay public release of case-specific findings or information (including any previous reports of domestic violence and subsequent actions taken to assess and address such reports) during a pending criminal investigation or prosecution of such a fatality or near fatality; the State is protecting the identity of a reporter of child abuse or neglect; or the State is withholding information in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the child, parents and family, if such members of the victim’s family are not perpetrators of the fatality or near fatality; the State’s efforts to collect and review data on child fatalities and near fatalities due to child abuse and neglect to drive systemic change to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, including a description of— the criteria utilized by the State’s child protective services agency to determine which cases of child fatalities and near fatalities due to abuse and neglect are reported under subsection (d), subject to the requirements of section 422(b)(19) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 622(b) ), such as whether such agency is submitting data on— only such cases that had involvement with the State’s child protective services agency, including cases that were investigated by such agency, and substantiated as abuse or neglect by such agency; or all cases of child fatalities and near fatalities identified as being related to child abuse and neglect by the State’s child death review system; and how the State is reviewing and analyzing such data to support reforms intended to prevent future child fatalities and near fatalities across the policies and procedures of the State’s agencies that support children and families; the State’s efforts to reduce racial bias and disparities in its child protective services system; the State’s efforts to improve policies and procedures regarding the identification and response to child abuse and neglect in order to safely reduce unnecessary investigations by State and local child protective services agencies of— families solely on the basis of circumstances related to poverty; and families experiencing homelessness solely on the basis of circumstances related to such families’ housing status; and the State’s plan to ensure that, within a specified timeline, all child victims of child abuse or neglect that results in a judicial proceeding are appointed— a guardian ad litem, who has received training appropriate to the role, including training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development, and domestic violence, and who may be a court appointed special advocate— to obtain first-hand, a clear understanding of the situation and needs of the child; and to make recommendations to the court concerning the best interests of the child; and an attorney ad litem to provide legal services for the child who— owes to the child the duties of loyalty, confidentiality, and competent legal representation; and is appointed to represent and express the child’s wishes to the court. Each State plan shall provide assurances that the State has— provisions or procedures for individuals to report known and suspected instances of child abuse and neglect as applicable under State law, including a State law for mandatory reporting by individuals required to report such instances, including, as defined by the State— health professionals; school and child care personnel; law enforcement officials; social workers; camp and after-school employees; clergy; and other individuals, as a State may require; provisions for immunity from civil or criminal liability under State and local laws for individuals making good faith reports of suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect, or who otherwise provide information or assistance, including medical evaluations or consultations, in connection with a report, investigation, or legal intervention pursuant to a good faith report of child abuse or neglect; procedures for the immediate screening, risk and safety assessment, and prompt investigation of reports of suspected or known instances of child abuse and neglect, and triage procedures for the appropriate referral of a child not at risk of imminent harm to a community organization or voluntary preventive service; procedures for immediate steps to be taken to ensure and protect the safety of a victim of child abuse or neglect and of any other child under the same care who may also be in danger of child abuse or neglect and ensuring their placement in a safe environment, which may include placements with kinship caregivers; methods to preserve the confidentiality of all records in order to protect the rights of the child and of the child’s parents or guardians, including requirements ensuring that reports and records made and maintained pursuant to the purposes of this Act shall only be made available to— individuals who are the subject of the report; Federal, State, or local government entities, or any agent of such entities, as described in clause (vi); child abuse citizen review panels; child fatality review panels; a grand jury or court, upon a finding that information in the record is necessary for the determination of an issue before the court or grand jury; and other entities or classes of individuals statutorily authorized by the State to receive such information pursuant to a legitimate State purpose; provisions to require a State to disclose confidential information to any Federal, State, or local government entity, or any agent of such entity, that has a need for such information in order to carry out its responsibilities under law to protect children from child abuse and neglect; provisions to require the cooperation of State law enforcement officials, court of competent jurisdiction, and appropriate State agencies providing human services in the investigation, assessment, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse and neglect; provisions requiring, and procedures in place that facilitate the prompt expungement of any records that are accessible to the general public or are used for purposes of employment or other background checks in cases determined to be unsubstantiated or false, except that nothing in this section shall prevent State child protective services agencies from keeping information on unsubstantiated reports in their casework files to assist in future risk and safety assessment; established and maintained citizen review panels in accordance with subsection (c); provisions, procedures, and mechanisms— for the expedited termination of parental rights in the case of any infant determined to be abandoned under State law; and by which individuals who disagree with an official finding of child abuse or neglect can appeal such finding; provisions, procedures, and mechanisms that assure that the State does not require reunification of a surviving child with a parent who has been found by a court of competent jurisdiction— to have committed murder (which would have been an offense under section 1111(a) of title 18, United States Code, if the offense had occurred in the special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States) of another child of such parent; to have committed voluntary manslaughter (which would have been an offense under section 1112(a) of title 18, United States Code, if the offense had occurred in the special maritime or territorial jurisdiction of the United States) of another child of such parent; to have aided or abetted, attempted, conspired, or solicited to commit such murder or voluntary manslaughter; to have committed a felony assault that results in the serious bodily injury to the surviving child or another child of such parent; to have committed sexual abuse against the surviving child or another child of such parent; or to be required to register with a sex offender registry under section 113(a) of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 ( 34 U.S.C. 20913(a) ); an assurance that, upon the implementation by the State of the provisions, procedures, and mechanisms under clause (xi), conviction of any one of the felonies listed in clause

(xi)constitute grounds under State law for the termination of parental rights of the convicted parent as to the surviving children (although case-by-case determinations of whether or not to seek termination of parental rights shall be within the sole discretion of the State); provisions and procedures to require that a representative of the child protective services agency shall, at the initial time of contact with the individual subject to a child abuse or neglect investigation, advise the individual of the complaints or allegations made against the individual, in a manner that is consistent with laws protecting the rights of the informant; provisions addressing the training of representatives of the child protective services system regarding the legal duties of the representatives, which may consist of various methods of informing such representatives of such duties, including in different languages if necessary, in order to protect the legal rights and safety of children and families from the initial time of contact during investigation through treatment; provisions and procedures for requiring criminal background record checks that meet the requirements of section 471(a)(20) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 671(a)(20) ) for prospective foster and adoptive parents and other adult relatives and non-relatives residing in the household; provisions for systems of technology that support the State child protective service system described in subsection

(a)and track reports of child abuse and neglect from intake through final disposition; provisions and procedures requiring identification and assessment of all reports involving children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking (as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 ( 22 U.S.C. 7102 )); provisions and procedures for training child protective services workers about identifying, assessing, and providing comprehensive services for children who are sex trafficking (as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 ( 22 U.S.C. 7102 )) victims, including efforts to coordinate with State law enforcement, juvenile justice, and social service agencies such as runaway and homeless youth shelters to serve this population; procedures for responding to the reporting of medical neglect (including instances of withholding of medically indicated treatment from infants with disabilities who have life-threatening conditions), procedures or programs, or both (within the State child protective services system), to provide for— coordination and consultation with individuals designated by and within appropriate health-care facilities; prompt notification by individuals designated by and within appropriate health care facilities of cases of suspected medical neglect (including instances of withholding of medically indicated treatment from infants with disabilities who have life-threatening conditions); and authority, under State law, for the State child protective services system to pursue any legal remedies, including the authority to initiate legal proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction, as may be necessary to prevent the withholding of medically indicated treatment from infants with disabilities who have life-threatening conditions; procedures to provide information and training for mandated reporters who are educators on the requirements of subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq. ) to support homeless children and youth in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school, in accordance with the State plan submitted under such subtitle B; collaborated with families affected by child abuse or neglect, and the lead entity and community-based providers supported under title II in developing the State plan described in paragraph (1); provisions and procedures to ensure that all parents shall, in all cases involving allegations of child abuse or neglect which results in a judicial proceeding, have legal representation by a trained attorney for the entire duration of the court’s jurisdiction in the case; and procedures and policies for developing, implementing, and monitoring family care plans required under section 402(c) to ensure the safety and well-being of infants born with, and identified as being affected by, substance use disorder, including alcohol use disorder, and the well-being of such infants’ families and caregivers. Nothing in clause

(ii)or

(iv)of paragraph (2)(B) shall be construed as restricting the authority of a State to refuse to disclose identifying information concerning the individual initiating a report or complaint alleging suspected instances of child abuse or neglect, except that the State may not refuse such a disclosure where a court orders such disclosure after such court has reviewed, in camera, the record of the State related to the report or complaint and has found it has reason to believe that the reporter knowingly made a false report. Nothing in subparagraph

(A)shall be construed to limit a State’s flexibility to determine State policies relating to public access to court proceedings to determine child abuse and neglect, except that such policies shall, at a minimum, ensure the safety and well-being of the child, parents, and families. With respect to a State in which State law requires all of the individuals to report known or suspected instances of child abuse and neglect directly to a State child protective services agency or to a law enforcement agency, the requirement under paragraph (2)(B)(i) shall not be construed to require the State to define the classes of individuals described in subclauses

(I)through

(VII)of such paragraph. Each State to which a grant is made under this section shall establish (including by designating under subparagraph (B)) not less than 2 citizen review panels. A State may designate a citizen review panel for purposes of this subsection, comprised of one or more existing (as of the date of the designation) entities established under State or Federal law, such as child fatality panels, foster care review panels, or State task forces established under section 107, if such entities have the capacity to satisfy the requirements of paragraph

(3)and the State ensures that such entities will satisfy such requirements. Except as provided in paragraph (1)(B), each panel established pursuant to paragraph

(1)shall be composed of volunteer members who are broadly representative of the community in which such panel is established, including parents with experience with the child protective services system and members who have expertise in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect, and may include adults who experienced child abuse or neglect. Each panel established pursuant to paragraph

(1)shall evaluate, by examining the policies, procedures, and practices of State and local agencies and where appropriate, specific cases, the extent to which State and local child protective services system agencies are effectively discharging their child protection responsibilities in accordance with— the State plan under subsection (b); and any other criteria that the panel considers important to ensure the protection of children, including— a review of the extent to which the State and local child protective services system is coordinated with the foster care, prevention, and permanency program established under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 670 et seq. ); and a review of child fatalities and near fatalities due to child abuse and neglect and State and local efforts to change policies, procedures, and practices to prevent future fatalities and near fatalities. In carrying out the requirements of subparagraph (A), each panel shall examine the policies, procedures, and practices of State and local child protective services system agencies that result in substantial numbers of families being unnecessarily investigated for child abuse and neglect (including by examining racial basis) and shall develop recommendations to the State, in accordance with paragraph (5), regarding how State and local child protective services agencies can become a more effective system of appropriate and immediate response for children who are at most serious risk of child abuse and neglect and eliminate child abuse fatalities and near fatalities. The members and staff of a panel established under paragraph (1)— shall not disclose to any person or government official any identifying information about any specific child protection case with respect to which the panel is provided information; and shall not make public other information unless authorized by State statute. Each State that establishes a panel pursuant to paragraph

(1)shall establish civil sanctions for a violation of clause (i). Each panel shall provide for public outreach and comment in order to assess the impact of current procedures and practices upon children and families in the community and in order to meet its obligations under subparagraph (A). Each State that establishes a panel pursuant to paragraph (1)— shall develop a memorandum of understanding with each panel, clearly outlining the panel’s roles and responsibilities, and identifying any support from the State; shall provide the panel access to information on cases that the panel desires to review if such information is necessary for the panel to carry out its functions under paragraph (3); and shall provide the panel, upon its request, staff assistance for the performance of the duties of the panel. Each citizen review panel established under paragraph

(1)shall annually prepare and make available to the State and the public, which activities may be carried out collectively by a combination of such panels, a report containing a summary of the activities of the panel and recommendations to improve the child protective services system at the State and local levels. Not later than 6 months after the date on which a report is submitted by the panel to the State, the appropriate State agency shall submit a written response to State and local child protective services systems and the panel that describes how the State will incorporate the recommendations of such panel (where appropriate) to make measurable progress in improving the State and local child protective services systems, which response may include providing examples of efforts to implement the panel's recommendations. Subject to paragraph (2), each State to which a grant is made under this section shall annually submit a report to the Secretary containing, at a minimum, the data elements described in paragraph (3). In working with States to implement the requirement in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall have the authority to waive such requirements for any data element required in paragraph

(3)if a State demonstrates to the Secretary that reporting such information is not feasible or is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information. The following data elements shall annually be reported by States to the Secretary, in accordance with paragraph

(1)at the aggregate and case-specific level: The number of children who were reported to the State during the year as victims of child abuse or neglect, disaggregated, where available, by demographic characteristics including age, sex, race and ethnicity, disability, caregiver risk factors, caregiver relationship, living arrangement, and relation of victim to their perpetrator. Of the number of children described in subparagraph (A), the number with respect to whom such reports were— substantiated; unsubstantiated; or determined to be false. Of the number of children described in subparagraph (A)— the number that did not receive services during the year under the State program funded under this section or an equivalent State program; the number that received services during the year under the State program funded under this section or an equivalent State program; and the number that were removed from their families during the year by disposition of the case. The number of families that were served through differential response, from the State, during the year. The number of child fatalities and near fatalities in the State during the year resulting from child abuse or neglect, which shall include— the number of child fatalities and near fatalities due to child abuse and neglect (disaggregated by such type of incident) that— is compiled by the State child protective services agency for submission under this subsection; and are derived from data sources which— includes data from State vital statistics departments, child death review teams, law enforcement agencies, and offices of medical examiners or coroners, in accordance with the requirements of section 422(b)(19) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 622(b)(19) ); and may include information from hospitals, health departments, juvenile justice departments, and prosecutor and attorney general offices; and case-specific information (and the sources used to provide such information) about the circumstances under which a child fatality or near fatality occurred due to abuse and neglect, including— the cause of the death listed on the death certificate in the case of a child fatality, and the type of life-threatening injury in the case of a near fatality; whether the child and such child’s siblings were reported to the State child protective services system; the responses taken by the child protective services agency (which may include services or investigations, as applicable), including any determinations by such agency; the child’s living arrangement or placement at the time of the incident; the perpetrator’s relationship to the child; any known previous child abuse and neglect of the child by other perpetrators and of any child abuse and neglect of other children by the perpetrator; the demographics and relevant characteristics of the child, perpetrator, and family; the child’s encounters with the health care system prior to the incident; and other relevant data as determined by the Secretary designed to inform prevention efforts. Of the number of children described in subparagraph (E), the number of such children who were in foster care at the time of the incident reported under such subparagraph. The number of child protective service personnel responsible for the— intake of reports filed in the previous year; screening of such reports; assessment of such reports; and investigation of such reports. The average caseload for the personnel described in clause (i). The agency response time with respect to each such report with respect to initial investigation of reports of child abuse or neglect. The response time with respect to the provision of services to families and children where an allegation of child abuse or neglect has been made. For child protective service personnel responsible for intake, screening, assessment, and investigation of child abuse and neglect reports in the State— information on the education, qualifications, and training requirements established by the State for child protective service professionals, including for entry and advancement in the profession, including advancement to supervisory positions; data on the education, qualifications, and training of such personnel; demographic information of the child protective service personnel; and information on caseload or workload requirements for such personnel, including requirements for average number and maximum number of cases per child protective service worker and supervisor. With respect to children reunited with their families or receiving family preservation services, within the 5-year period preceding submission of the report— the number of reports to the State child protective services agency for suspected child abuse and neglect; the number of substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect; and the number of fatalities or near fatalities of such children due to child abuse or neglect. The number of children for whom individuals were appointed by the court to represent the best interests of such children and the average number of out of court contacts between such individuals and children. The annual report containing the summary of the activities and recommendations of the citizen review panels of the State required by subsection (c)(5). The number of children under the care of the State child protection system who are transferred into the custody of the State juvenile justice system. The number of children that had a family care plan in accordance with section 402(c), and who were referred to the child protective services system. The number of children determined to be victims of sex trafficking. Within 6 months after receiving a State report under this subsection, the Secretary shall make publish the data reported by the State under paragraph

(3)in the following formats: The agency file that contains aggregate data. The child file that contains case-specific information. A State that receives funds under subsection

(a)shall annually prepare and submit to the Secretary a report describing the manner in which funding provided under this section, alone or in combination with other Federal funds, was used to address the purposes and achieve the objectives of this section, including— the amount of such funding used by the State to provide services to individuals, families, or communities to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect, directly or through referrals, and a description of how the State implemented systems-building approaches to strategically coordinate such services with State and local agencies and relevant public entities to develop and maintain a continuum of preventive services aimed at preventing the occurrence of child abuse and neglect; a description of how the State uses differential response, as applicable, and alternative pathways for families seeking support; a description of the State’s efforts to reduce racial bias and disparities in its child protective services system, including changes in the rates of overrepresentation of children or youth in the child protective services system by race or ethnicity; a description of the State’s efforts to safely reduce unnecessary investigations of families, through the child protective system, solely based on circumstances related to— poverty; and housing status; the number of children under the age of 3 who are involved in a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect and who the State child protective services agency referred for early intervention services funded under part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq. ), disaggregated, where available, by demographic characteristics including race and ethnicity, and, for children not referred for such services, a description of why such children were not referred; and a description of how the State used such funding to implement effective strategies to enhance collaboration among child protective services and social services, legal services, health care (including mental health and substance use disorder services), domestic violence service, and educational agencies, and community-based organizations, that contribute to improvements to the overall well-being of children and families. Annually, and not later than 6 months after receiving the State reports under subsections

(d)and (e), the Secretary shall— prepare a report based on information provided by the States for the fiscal year under such subsections and the results of the State monitoring requirements in section 111; and make the report and such information available to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, and the national clearinghouse described in section 103. In this subsection: The term State means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The term territory means Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Secretary shall make an allotment to each State and territory that applies for a grant under this section, in an amount equal to the sum of— $50,000; and an amount that bears the same relationship to any grant funds remaining after all such States and territories have received $50,000, as the number of children under the age of 18 in the State or territory bears to the number of such children in all States and territories that apply for such a grant. The Secretary shall adjust the allotments under paragraph (2), as necessary, such that no State that applies for a grant under this section receives an allotment in an amount that is less than $150,000. .

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