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Attachment K

Children's Bureau
Training and Technical Assistance Network

National Resource Centers, Clearinghouses, and Technical Assistance Support Systems

The Children's Bureau, in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, provides an array of training and technical assistance (T/TA) support resources through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Currently, the Bureau operates eight National Resource Centers (NRCs), two Clearinghouses, and four technical support projects.

National Resource Centers

The overarching goal of the eight NRCs described below is to help States, Tribes, and public child welfare agencies implement Federal legislation intended to ensure the safety, well-being, and permanent placement of children who enter the child welfare system. These Centers conduct needs assessments, provide on-site technical assistance, identify and disseminate best practices, and coordinate and collaborate with other national resource centers and agencies.

Program:	National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice
Organization:	Learning Systems Group
Address:	1150 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20036
Phone:	(800) 628-8442
Fax:	(202) 628-3812
E-Mail:	info@cwresource.org
URL:	http://www.cwresource.org
Contact:	Elena Cohen, Director

The Center works with state and tribal child welfare staff to translate the tenets of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) into family-centered practices that support the safety, permanency, and well-being of children while meeting the needs of families. The Center provides training and technical assistance that meets the unique needs of each state to institutionalize a safety-focused, family-centered, and community-based approach as the cornerstone of service delivery. This improves both practice and the organizational environment needed to achieve positive system outcomes. For example, the Center helps states develop family preservation and family support approaches; family conferencing and family decision making models; and family-centered practice supervision. The Center also provides training and technical assistance around developing resources and services, involving community stakeholders, and building and sustaining community collaboratives for child protection.

Program:	National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement
Organization:	Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service University of Southern Maine
Address:	PO Box 15010 400 Congress Street Portland, ME 04112
Phone:	(800) HELP KID; (207) 780-5813
Fax:	(207) 780-5817
E-Mail:	clearing@usm.maine.edu
URL:	http://www.muskie.usm.maine.edu/helpkids
Contact:	Kris Sahonchik, Executive Director

The Center strengthens and supports State and Tribal agencies committed to the welfare of children, youth, and families through training, technical assistance, and evaluation. The aim is to improve management and operations, bolster organizational capacity and promote service integration, resulting in improved outcomes for children and families. The Center can help States and Tribes develop the following: targeted outcomes for children and families; quality assurance systems to monitor agency performance; collaborative strategies among agencies, especially in the areas of domestic violence and substance abuse services, court and legal systems, and community programs. Resource Center services include phone consultation, technical assistance, training, a yearly teleconference training program, Managing Care newsletter, and a clearinghouse of print, video and audio materials.

Program:	National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Organization:	ABA Center on Children and the Law
Address:	740 15th St., NW Washington, DC 20005-1009
Phone:	(800) 285-2221
Fax:	(202) 662-1755
E-Mail:	mark.hardin@staff.abanet.org
URL:	http://www.abanet.org/child/rclji
Contact:	Mark Hardin, Director Mimi Laver for TA requests (202) 662-1736

The Center provides expertise to State and Tribal agencies and courts on legal and judicial aspects of child welfare, including court improvement, agency and court collaboration, timely decisions on termination of parental rights, non-adversarial case resolution, reasonable efforts requirements, legal representation of children, parents and child welfare agencies, permanent guardianship, confidentiality, legal ethics for child welfare attorneys, action planning for courts and agency representatives, the interplay of domestic violence and child welfare and other emerging child welfare issues related to requirements of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994, as amended, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and the Indian Child Welfare Act. In addition, the Center works with State agencies and courts to integrate courts into the CFSR process.

Program:	National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning
Organization:	Hunter College School of Social Work
Address:	129 E. 79th St. 8th Floor New York, NY 10021
Phone:	(212) 452-7431
Fax:	(212) 452-7051
E-Mail:	mrengmal@aol.com
URL:	http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp
Contact:	Gerald P. Mallon, Center Director

The Center focuses on increasing the capacity and resources of State, Tribal, and other publicly supported child welfare agencies to achieve permanency for youth and children in out-of-home care. In particular, this center helps States and Tribes respond to policy and systemic changes in child welfare brought about by implementation of the Federal Adoption and Safe Families Act, the Safe and Stable Families Act, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act, the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act, and the Indian Child Welfare Act. These changes encompass such issues as concurrent permanency planning, recruitment and retention of resource families, post-permanency services, insuring appropriate child assessments and placement stability, family group conferencing, kinship care, and health and mental health care issues for children in foster care. The Center is specifically focused on assisting States in response to the Child and Family Services Review process by providing technical assistance, training, and information services in the area of permanency.

Program:	National Resource Center for Information Technology in Child Welfare
Organization:	Child Welfare League of America
Address:	50 F Street, NW 6th Floor Washington, DC 20001-2085
Phone:	(877) 672-4829 (toll free) (202) 662-4285
Fax:	(202) 737-3687
E-mail:	(202) 737-3687
URL:	http://www.nrccwdt.org
Contact:	Tom Hay, Project Manager Don Perry, Director

The Center helps State, local, and Tribal child welfare agencies, and family and juvenile courts use automated information systems to improve outcomes in the child welfare system. The Center provides technical assistance in the collection of data (as required by Federal law) for the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), and disseminates information on best practices related to Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information Systems (SACWIS). The Center also helps its clients use data to improve services to children, youth, and families; evaluate results; and make informed decisions about policies, programs, and practices.

Program:	National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption
Organization:	Spaulding for Children
Address:	Crossroad Office Center 16250 Northland Dr. Suite 120 Southfield, MI 48075
Phone:	(248) 443-7080
Fax:	(248) 443-7099
E-Mail:	sfc@Spaulding.org
URL:	http://www.nrcadoption.org
Contact:	Drenda Lakin, Director

The Center works with States, Tribes, and agencies to increase the number of children with special needs who are adopted and to improve the effectiveness and quality of adoption and post-adoption services provided to them and their families. The Center has various materials that may be of assistance to States and Tribes.

Program:	National Resource Center for Youth Services
Organization:	University of Oklahoma
Address:	College of Continuing Education 4502 E. 41st St., Bldg 4 W Tulsa, OK 74135
Phone:	(918) 660-3700
Fax:	(918) 660-3737
E-Mail:	Pcorreia@ou.edu
URL:	http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/nrcyd/
Contact:	Peter R Correia III, Director

The Center provides consultation, training, and technical assistance to State, Tribal, and other publicly supported child welfare agencies to increase their capacity for: provision of culturally competent, competency-based services; preparation for the statewide assessment portion of the CFSR initiative; development and implementation of a program improvement plan based on the State's CFSR; incorporation of youth development/involvement approaches into all areas of programs and services; implementation of the Foster Care Independence Act and Adoption and Safe Families Act legislation; development of policies and practices that effectively incorporate such legislation; and provision of training on permanency planning for adolescents.

Program:	National Resource Center on Child Maltreatment
Organization:	Child Welfare Institute
Address:	3950 Shackleford Road Suite 175 Duluth, GA 30096
Phone:	(770) 935-8484 ext. 206
Fax:	(770) 935-0344
E-Mail:	NRCCM@gocwi.org
URL:	http://www.gocwi.org/nrccm
Contact:	Barry Salovitz

The Center provides expert consultation, technical assistance, training, and knowledge assimilation and development activities in the area of Child Protective Services (CPS). The goal of the Center is to assist states, tribes and local CPS agencies build their capacity to effectively reduce child abuse and neglect and improve their assessment and response to maltreated children and their families. The Center's objectives are to identify, develop and promote the application of effective practice strategies and models; to identify and facilitate essential connections that promote a coordinated response to child maltreatment; and to bolster the capabilities of managers, supervisors, and caseworkers. Jointly operated by the Child Welfare Institute and ACTION for Child Protection, the Center plays a central role in building capacity as needs are identified via the Child and Family Services Reviews, implementation of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Adoption and Safe Families Act.

The following two NRCs were established to support statutorily mandated programs and provide services primarily to grantees.

Program:	National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center
Organization:	University of California at Berkeley
Address:	School of Social Welfare 1950 Addison St. Suite 104 Berkeley, CA 94704-1182
Phone:	(510) 643-8390
Fax:	(510) 643-7019
E-Mail:	aia@uclink4.berkeley.edu
URL:	http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~aiarc/
Contact:	Jeanne Pietrzak, Director

The Center provides training, technical assistance, research and information to professionals to enhance the quality of social and health services offered to families and their children who are abandoned or at risk of abandonment due to perinatal substance abuse and/or HIV. The Center generates and disseminates training and information on a wide range of child welfare and HIV and drug issues, particularly as they relate to the safety, well-being, and permanence of children.

Program:	National Resource Center for Community-Based Family Resource and Support Programs (FRIENDS)
Organization:	Chapel-Hill Training Outreach Project, Inc.
Address:	800 Eastowne Dr. Suite 105 Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone:	(919) 933-7716
Fax:	(919) 968-8879
E-mail:	jldenniston@intrex.net
URL:	http://www.friendsnrc.org
Contact:	Jack Denniston, Program Manager

FRIENDS provides training and technical assistance to State lead agencies implementing the Community-Based Family Resource and Support (CBFRS) program in the following key areas: outcome evaluation and peer review, parent leadership, family resource and support programs and services, services to diverse populations, establishment of respite care programs, prevention networks, and creation of funding strategies. Requests for FRIENDS services are initiated by CBFRS State lead agencies.

National Clearinghouses

The Children's Bureau operates two related clearinghouses to meet the cross-disciplinary needs of professionals working in child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. The clearinghouses serve as central gateways to government and other resources related to these fields. Both clearinghouses maintain extensive document collections and provide information and referrals, technical assistance, and other products and services.

Program:	National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
Organization:	Caliber Associates, Inc.
Address:	330 C Street, SW Washington, DC 20447
Phone:	(888) 251-0075
Fax:	(703) 385-3206
E-Mail:	naic@calib.com
URL:	http://naic.acf.hhs.gov
Contact:	Mary Sullivan, Project Director

The National Adoption Information Clearinghouse offers easily accessible information on all aspects of infant and intercountry adoption and the adoption of special needs children. The Clearinghouse develops and maintains a computerized database of books, journal articles, and other materials on adoption and related topics; conducts database searches; publishes materials on adoption; and gives referrals to related services and experts in the field. The Clearinghouse also maintains a database of experts knowledgeable in various areas of adoption practice. The Clearinghouse's primary audiences are adoption professionals, adoptive families, adoptees, and birth relatives.

Program:	National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
Organization:	Caliber Associates, Inc.
Address:	330 C St., SW Washington, DC 20447
Phone:	(800) 394-3366
Fax:	(703) 385-3206
E-Mail:	nccanch@calib.com
URL:	http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov
Contact:	Candy Hughes, Project Director

The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information was first established in 1974 by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to collect, organize, and disseminate information on all aspects of child maltreatment to build the capacity of professionals in the field. The Clearinghouse collects and shares relevant materials on child maltreatment and child welfare, including prevention and family support programs. The Clearinghouse provides tailored services and information to meet the specific needs of users. It offers numerous materials and resources in print and online.

Technical Assistance Support Systems

The Children's Bureau has funded four technical assistance support projects to further enhance specific research and program areas.

Program:	National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
Organization:	Cornell University
Address:	Family Life Development Center MVR Hall Ithaca, NY 14853-4401
Phone:	(607) 255-7799
Fax:	(607) 255-8562
E-Mail:	NDACAN@cornell.edu
URL:	http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu
Contact:	Elliott Smith, Project Manager (607) 255-8104

The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect facilitates secondary analysis of research data relevant to the study of child abuse and neglect. The Archive maintains numerous databases including the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).

Program:	Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC)
Organization:	Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children American Public Human Services Association
Address:	810 First St., NE Suite 500 Washington, DC 20002-4267
Phone:	(202) 682-0100
Fax:	(202) 289-6555
E-mail:	icpcinbox@aphsa.org
URL:	http://icpc.aphsa.org
Contact:	Dennis Eshman, Secretariat for AAICPC Manager, ICPC

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a uniform State law that establishes a contract among party States to ensure that children placed across State lines receive adequate protection and services. The primary function of the ICPC is to protect the interests of children and of States by requiring that certain procedures are followed in making and maintaining the interstate placement of children going into adoption, residential care or foster family homes, or being placed with relatives.

Program:	Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (ICAMA)
Organization:	Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance American Public Human Services Association
Address:	810 First St., NE Suite 500 Washington, DC 20002
Phone:	(202) 682-0100
Fax:	(202) 289-6555
E-mail:	loppenheim@aphsa.org
URL:	http://aaicama.aphsa.org
Contact:	Liz Oppenheim, Program Director

The Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance facilitates the administration of, and advocates State participation in, the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance (ICAMA). ICAMA is the legal mechanism by which member States regulate and coordinate the interstate delivery of services to children with special needs adopted pursuant to adoption assistance agreements. The Association provides technical and legal assistance, education and training, and materials on practice and policy issues.

Program:	Technical Assistance and Training Coordinating Contract
Organization:	Gallup Organization Government Division
Address:	901 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20004
Phone:	(202) 715-3030/(402) 486-6504
Fax:	(202) 715-3042/(402) 486-6300
E-mail:	helen_raikes@gallup.com
Contact:	Helen Raikes

This technical assistance and training contract was established to work with the National Resource Centers and to coordinate T/TA for Federal Central and Regional Office staff.

Attachments

ACYF-CB-PI-03-04	HTML or PDF (131 KB)
Attachment A	Section 438 of the Social Security Act HTML or PDF (53 KB)
Attachment B	Estimated State Court Allotments for FY 2003 HTML or PDF (54 KB)
Attachment C	45 CFR 92.24
Attachment D	Division of Cost Allocation Field Offices
Attachment E	Requirements for the Re-assessments HTML or PDF (89 KB)
Attachment F	List of State Child Welfare Administrators HTML or PDF (58 KB)
Attachment G	Related Programs:     CJA Factsheet     Child Victims Act Model Courts HTML or PDF (69 KB)     Safe Start     Safe Kids/Safe Streets HTML or PDF (63 KB)     Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts in America (SANCA)
Attachment H	List of ACF Regional Administrators HTML or PDF (61 KB)
Attachment I	Standard Forms 424 and 424-A
Attachment J	Certification Forms
Attachment K	Resources for State Courts:     ABA Center On Children and the Law HTML or PDF (52 KB)     The NCJFCJ, NCJJ, PPCD, and the Child Victims Act Model Courts Project HTML or PDF (72 KB)     Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network HTML or PDF (184 KB)     National Center for State Courts HTML or PDF (102 KB)