[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 55081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21755]
[[Page 55081]]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
[CFDA Number: 93.293]
Announcing the Award of a Single-Source Cooperative Agreement to
the American Public Human Services Association for the Association of
Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
(AAICPC) in Washington, DC
AGENCY: Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and
Families, ACF, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of the award of a single-source cooperative agreement to
the American Public Human Services Association to support the
development and implementation of a national inter-jurisdictional
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) electronic
system.
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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF),
Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Children's
Bureau (CB), Division of Capacity Building announces the award of a
single-source cooperative agreement in the amount of $1,250,000 to the
American Public Human Services Association for its affiliate the
Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the
Placement of Children (AAICPC), Washington, DC, for the development and
implementation of an inter-jurisdictional electronic system to improve
administrative efficiency in the interstate process of the ICPC. The
ICPC ensures safe and suitable interstate placements for children in
foster care.
Award funds will support the development and implementation of a
national inter-jurisdictional Interstate Compact on the Placement of
Children (ICPC) electronic system to improve administrative efficiency
in the interstate process via the ICPC.
This pilot, ``Supporting Permanent Placement of Foster Care
Children Through Electronic Records Exchange,'' implements real-time,
on-line data exchange for States to share records and other information
to support permanent placements of foster care children in homes across
state lines. The Association of Administrators of the Interstate
Compact on the Placement of Children (AAICPC) has identified current
paper-based processes as causing excessive delays. Children may wait an
unnecessarily long time for the paperwork for placement in a permanent
home to be executed manually. The pilot will test whether an automated
system reduces the time to process such cross-state exchanges to
determine whether a placement is safe and suitable.
The pilot evaluation will measure timeliness of communication,
expeditious exchange of case documentation and similar immediate
outcomes as well as utilization and adherence to streamlined ICPC
processes. Additional questions, such as those related to the
permanency of child placements and the associated savings, may be
addressed if it is feasible to do so within the project period.
Results, which will be included in a final public report, will inform
further adoption of the system across states.
The initial pilot will include at least 5 states and ultimately,
beyond the pilot period, the system will be used by all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands (ICPC Compact
Members). The system will serve and benefit children, families, the
public, private and tribal child welfare agencies nationwide and other
multidisciplinary groups that work in support of the and throughout the
child placement continuum.
DATES: The 17 month period of support for this award is September 30,
2013 through February 28, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June Dorn, National Adoption
Specialist, Division of Capacity Building, 1250 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Suite 8150, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: 202-205-9540; Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Partnership Fund, administered by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), supports pilot projects that
test improvements in how Federal assistance programs are administered.
The pilot projects address the four goals of improving service
delivery, improving payment accuracy, improving administrative
efficiency and reducing barriers to access for eligible people. Using
$32.5 million appropriation, the Partnership Fund allows Federal,
state, and local government agencies to pilot innovative ideas in a
controlled environment. Pilot projects funded by the Partnership Fund
address Federal assistance programs that have a substantial State role
in eligibility determination or administration, or where Federal-State
cooperation could otherwise be beneficial. Ideas for pilots are
developed through a collaborative process involving Federal, state,
local, and private stakeholders. The OMB consults with a Federal
Steering Committee to select pilots for funding. Funds are then
transferred to lead Federal agencies, which in turn select states and
localities to implement each pilot. Based on careful evaluation,
successful pilots serve as models for other states and agencies and
inform future policy decisions by the Administration and Congress.
Statutory Authority: The transfer of funding from the Partnership
Fund for Program Integrity Innovation by the OMB to Federal agencies is
authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-
117) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Pub. L. 112-74)
Joseph Bock,
Associate Acting Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and
Families.
[FR Doc. 2013-21755 Filed 9-6-13; 8:45 am]
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