The Administrator, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime, shall establish a children’s advocacy program to—

(1) focus attention on child victims by assisting communities in developing child-focused, community-oriented, facility-based programs designed to improve the resources available to children and families;

(2) enhance coordination among community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention, prevention, prosecution, and investigation systems that respond to child abuse cases;

(3) train physicians and other health care and mental health care professionals, law enforcement officers, child protective service workers, forensic interviewers, prosecutors, and victim advocates, in the multidisciplinary approach to child abuse so that trained personnel will be available to provide support to community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention, prevention, prosecution, and investigation systems that respond to child abuse cases; and

collaborate with State chapters to provide training, technical assistance, coordination, and oversight to—

(A) local children’s advocacy centers; and

(B) communities that want to develop local children’s advocacy centers.

The Administrator shall—

The Administrator shall—

(A) establish regional children’s advocacy program centers; and

(B) fund existing regional centers with expertise in multidisciplinary team investigation, trauma-informed interventions, and evidence-informed treatment,

A grant recipient under this section shall—

(A) assist communities, local children’s advocacy centers, multidisciplinary teams, and State chapters— (i) in developing and expanding a comprehensive, multidisciplinary response to child abuse that is designed to meet the needs of child victims and their families; (ii) in promoting the effective delivery of the evidence-informed Children’s Advocacy Model and the multidisciplinary response to child abuse, including best practices in— (I) organizational support and development; (II) programmatic evaluation; and (III) financial oversight of Federal funding; (iii) in establishing child-friendly facilities for the investigation of, assessment of, and intervention in abuse; (iv) in preventing or reducing trauma to children caused by duplicative contacts with community professionals; (v) in providing families with needed services and assisting them in regaining maximum functioning; (vi) in maintaining open communication and case coordination among community professionals and agencies involved in child protection efforts; (vii) in coordinating and tracking investigative, preventive, prosecutorial, and treatment efforts; (viii) in obtaining information useful for criminal and civil proceedings; (ix) in holding offenders accountable through improved prosecution of child abuse cases; (x) in enhancing professional skills necessary to effectively respond to cases of child abuse through training; and (xi) in enhancing community understanding of child abuse; and

(B) provide training and technical assistance to local children’s advocacy centers and interested communities in its census region that are grant recipients under section 20304 of this title.

In order for a proposal to be selected, the Administrator may require an applicant to have in existence, at the time the proposal is submitted, 1 or more of the following:

(1) Solicitation of proposals Not later than 1 year after November 4, 1992, the Administrator shall solicit proposals for assistance under this section.

In order for a proposal to be selected, the Administrator may require an applicant to have in existence, at the time the proposal is submitted, 1 or more of the following:

(A) A proven record in conducting activities of the kinds described in subsection (c).

(B) A facility where children who are victims of sexual or physical abuse and their nonoffending family members can go for the purpose of evaluation, intervention, evidence gathering, and counseling.

(C) Multidisciplinary staff experienced in providing evidence-informed services for children and families.

(D) Experience in serving as a center for training and education and as a resource facility.

(E) National expertise in providing technical assistance to communities with respect to the judicial handling of child abuse and neglect.

A proposal submitted in response to the solicitation under paragraph (1) shall—

(A) In generalA proposal submitted in response to the solicitation under paragraph (1) shall— (i) include a single or multiyear management plan that outlines how the applicant will provide information, services, and technical assistance to communities so that communities can establish multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse; (ii) demonstrate the ability of the applicant to operate successfully a children’s advocacy center or provide training to allow others to do so; and (iii) state the annual cost of the proposal and a breakdown of those costs.

(B) Content of management planA management plan described in paragraph (3)(A) shall— (i) outline the basic activities expected to be performed; (ii) describe the entities that will conduct the basic activities; (iii) establish the period of time over which the basic activities will take place; and (iv) define the overall program management and direction by— (I) identifying managerial, organizational, and administrative procedures and responsibilities; (II) demonstrating how implementation and monitoring of the progress of the children’s advocacy program after receipt of funding will be achieved; and (III) providing sufficient rationale to support the costs of the plan.

The Administrator shall select proposals for funding that—

(A) Competitive basis Proposals shall be selected under this section on a competitive basis.

(B) CriteriaThe Administrator shall select proposals for funding that— (i) best result in developing and establishing multidisciplinary programs that respond to child abuse by assisting, training, and teaching community agencies and professionals called upon to respond to child abuse cases; (ii) assist in resolving problems that may occur during the development, operation, and implementation of a multidisciplinary program that responds to child abuse; (iii) to the greatest extent possible and subject to available appropriations, ensure that at least 1 applicant is selected from each of the 4 census regions of the country; and (iv) otherwise best carry out the purposes of this section.

(5) Funding of program From amounts made available in separate appropriation Acts, the Administrator shall provide to each grant recipient the financial and technical assistance and other incentives that are necessary and appropriate to carry out this section.

(6) Coordination of effort In order to carry out activities that are in the best interests of abused and neglected children, a grant recipient shall consult with other grant recipients on a regular basis to exchange ideas, share information, and review children’s advocacy program activities.

A grant recipient shall provide an annual report to the Administrator that—

(1) Evaluation of regional children’s advocacy program activities The Administrator shall regularly monitor and evaluate the activities of grant recipients and shall determine whether each grant recipient has complied with the original proposal and any modifications.

A grant recipient shall provide an annual report to the Administrator that—

(A) describes the progress made in satisfying the purpose of the children’s advocacy program; and

(B) states whether changes are needed and are being made to carry out the purpose of the children’s advocacy program.

(3) Discontinuation of funding Upon discontinuation of funding of a grant recipient under this section, the Administrator shall solicit new proposals in accordance with subsection (c).

(Pub. L. 101–647, title II, § 213, as added Pub. L. 102–586, § 6(b)(2), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5030; amended Pub. L. 108–21, title III, § 381(a), Apr. 30, 2003, 117 Stat. 667; Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(c), Jan. 7, 2019, 132 Stat. 5466.)