Adoption and foster care relative recruitment grant

Transcription

1 # Bulletin June 14, 2013 Minnesota Department of Human Services -- P.O. Box St. Paul, MN OF INTEREST TO County Directors County Social Service Supervisors and Staff American Indian Child Welfare Initiative Social Service Directors and Staff ACTION/DUE DATE To apply for the grant, submit an application by June 26, Agencies may request an extension. Applications will be reviewed and award letter mailed on or before July 8, EXPIRATION DATE The grant will end on June 30, Adoption and foster care relative recruitment grant TOPIC This bulletin offers county and American Indian Child Welfare Initiative (AICWI) social service agencies the opportunity to apply for funding through a grant for recruitment of relative adoptive and foster families through access of Web-based search technology. This grant is similar to the previous grant offered in bulletin This grant is aligned with the provisions of Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, requiring increased opportunities for relatives to care for foster children. PURPOSE This bulletin includes application instructions, and information about distribution and use of funds for Web-based relative search technology. CONTACT Deborah Beske Brown, agency policy specialist Child Safety and Permanency Division Deborah.beske.brown@state.mn.us SIGNED Erin Sullivan Sutton Assistance Commissioner Children and Family Services Administration

2 Bulletin # June 14, 2013 Page 2 Background The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has offered grants to support the recruitment of foster and adoptive families since Previous grants promoted recruitment efforts that primarily focused on non-relative foster and adoptive parents. However, in 2009, grants provided an opportunity to request funds to support relative recruitment, and as a result, 75 percent of grantees included efforts to recruit relatives in their grant activities. Agencies are required to exercise diligent relative searches; relatives and kin are the first consideration when a child needs foster care placement. A summary of state and federal laws includes the following: Federal law under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act requires states receiving federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance consider giving preference to an adult relative over a non-related caregiver when determining placement for a child, providing that the relative caregiver meets all relevant child protection standards. [42 U.S.C. 671 (a)(19)] Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 [Public Law ] amended federal law to ensure better outcomes for children and youth involved in the child welfare system, particularly those in out-of-home placement. The Act requires child welfare agencies to increase opportunities for relatives to care for foster children by requiring agency staff to exercise due diligence to identify and provide notice to all adult relatives of a child within 30 days of placement, and clarified that non-safetyrelated licensing standards may be waived on a case-by-case basis to eliminate barriers. Special efforts are to be implemented to recruit a foster family from among a foster child s relatives, unless the court determines that relative placement is not in a child s best interest. [Minn. Stat., sections 260C.193, subd. 3, and 260C.215] First consideration of relatives for foster and adoptive placement: [Minn. Stat., sections 260C.212, subd. 2 (a), , 260C.219 and 260C.221] State law was amended in 2012 to require that the responsible social service agency use any reasonable means of identifying and locating relatives, including using the internet or other electronic means. In summer 2012, eight county agencies participated in a trial of LexisNexis Accurint to determine if this tool would help agencies search for and locate relatives for children in foster care. Social service staff participating in this trial reported that this technology contributed to successful relative searches by reducing the time spent conducting relative searches and offering valuable information. After the 2012 LexisNexis Accurint trial, grants were offered to county and American Indian Child Welfare Initiative tribal social service agencies for the opportunity to apply for a state grant for the purpose of state wide purchasing of LexisNexis Accurint to recruit relative adoptive and foster families (bulletin ). Regional distribution of LexisNexis licenses was offered by awarding 54 grants, making 133 licenses available across the state. In October 2012, 186 child welfare staff and administrators attended orientation sessions about LexisNexis Accurint for relative search.

3 Bulletin # June 14, 2013 Page 3 Grants support agency efforts to locate relatives and provide timely notification to increase the likelihood that a Minnesota foster child who can be placed in a family setting is placed with relatives. The DHS Child Welfare Data Dashboard provides the percentage of foster children placed in relative foster families and adoptive settings. Through this grant, DHS staff will be tracking changes over the next two years. Year Percent of foster and pre-adoptive placements with relatives % % % % County and AICWI social service agencies are encouraged to apply or re-apply for state fiscal year grant funds to purchase LexisNexis Accurint technology to improve performance on relative search. LexisNexis Accurint will provide contract agreements for each agency, and support the technology with on-site or Web-based training. Foster care and adoption grant to increase relative placement This bulletin provides an opportunity for county and AICWI tribal social service agencies to apply for grant funds to purchase LexisNexis Accurint for agency relative search and notification efforts. DHS will make available $237,000 to county and AICWI agencies to purchase LexisNexis Accurint based on regional distribution to agencies submitting a grant application in response to this bulletin. The grant period will end June 30, This grant makes available statewide purchasing that reduces the price of LexisNexis Accurint, plus the real time phone search feature, to $ a month. This is an annual cost of $1,392 per license. The grant may fund up to 170 LexisNexis Accurint licenses throughout the state. Agencies will have administrative oversight, including designating staff member(s) who will be responsible to use LexisNexis Accurint to search for relatives and view the search records. Regional distribution of grant funds for LexisNexis Accurint licenses As described in DHS bulletin , the grant provided a regional distribution of LexisNexis licenses based on the number of children an agency had placement responsibility for in calendar year Agencies that had more than 67 children in placement were eligible to request funds for one or more LexisNexis Accurint licenses. Those with 66 children or less developed regional partnerships. Attachment A provides regional distribution of LexisNexis Accurint licenses for the previous grant, the number of children an agency had placement responsibility for in calendar year 2011, and describes regional partnerships. In the previous grant, not all of the available licenses were used. Regional distribution permitted most agencies with more than 35 children in placement to have a grant for a LexisNexis Accurint

4 Bulletin # June 14, 2013 Page 4 license. To use the unclaimed licenses, adjustments were made to distribute them to agencies with 35 children in placement, or agencies that experienced a notable increase in the number of placements. The adjusted distribution is described in Attachment A. This distribution can be adjusted if agencies propose a different partnership or distribution that ensures relative search practice for their area. Agencies can propose an alternative distribution in their application to apply for grant funds. When an alternative is proposed, the application will need to include a letter of agreement from each agency involved. Grant features Agencies that apply for this grant must: Apply for grant funds using Attachment B to purchase LexisNexis Accurint license(s) as designated in Attachment A, or propose an alternative distribution with letters of agreement from the other agencies involved. Submit a completed application by 4 p.m., central time, June 26, 2013 (Attachment B). Agencies may request an extension; late applications will be accepted. Use grant funds to purchase LexisNexis Accurint license(s), as awarded, for the purpose of relative search and notification consistent with Minn. Stat., section 260C.221. Submit quarterly invoices, and report the percentage of relative foster care placements using the DHS Child Welfare Data Dashboard. Agencies awarded grants will be expected to: Enter into a service agreement with LexisNexis Accurint that will include monthly billing and administrative oversight Report relative placement percentage from the Child Welfare Data Dashboard and send completed invoices for budgeted costs on October 15, 2013, January 15, 2014, April 15, 2014, July 15, 2014, October 15, 2014, January 15, 2015, April 15, 2015, with a final report due July 15, Questions Questions about the grant and application process may be asked any time before the application deadline: 4:00 p.m. central time on June 26, All questions must be addressed to: Deborah Beske Brown Child Safety and Permanency Division Department of Human Services P.O. Box St. Paul MN Phone: Fax: Questions can be ed to deborah.beske.brown@state.mn.us.

5 Bulletin # June 14, 2013 Page 5 Responses to questions will not be distributed to county or AICWI tribal social service agencies. Application instructions Agencies must submit one copy of Attachment B and include a contact name, phone number and address. Only one application per agency will be accepted. If alternative distribution is proposed, letters of agreement from the other agencies involved must be attached. The contact person identified on the application is the person DHS will submit to LexisNexis Accurint as the coordinator of the technology at the agency. This role will include guiding the LexisNexis service agreement through the approval process to set up payment, and coordinate the agency license users and administrators. Applications must be received by 4 p.m. central time on June 26, If an agency cannot meet the application deadline, contact Deborah Beske Brown to request an extension. Mail, or fax applications and all correspondence related to this bulletin and application to: Deborah Beske Brown Child Safety and Permanency Division Department of Human Services P.O. Box St. Paul, MN Phone: Fax: deborah.beske.brown@state.mn.us This bulletin does not obligate DHS to award a contract or complete the project. DHS reserves the right to cancel the solicitation if it is considered to be in its best interest. All costs incurred in responding to this solicitation will be borne by applicant. Grant process At any time during the grant process, DHS may, at its discretion, contact an applicant to provide further or missing information, or request clarification of the application. There is no guarantee that DHS will look for information or clarification outside of the submitted written application. Therefore, it is important that agencies ensure that all sections of the application are completed to avoid the possibility of failing to provide needed information to award a grant. DHS reserves the right to reject any and all applications received in response to this bulletin, and to disqualify any responder whose conduct or application fails to conform to the requirements of this bulletin and the application. Additionally, DHS reserves the right to have unlimited rights to duplicate all materials submitted for purposes of application evaluation, and duplicate all public information in response to data requests regarding the application. Grant funds for LexisNexis Accurint will be awarded based on the previous grant, regional

6 Bulletin # June 14, 2013 Page 6 preferences, and the number of children an agency had placement responsibility for in calendar year Attachment A provides regional distribution of LexisNexis Accurint licenses. An application is required to award grant funds. Grant awards Agencies will be notified in writing whether their application will be funded and the award amount. All agencies submitting an application by the deadline will be notified in writing of funding decisions by July 8, Grant acceptance letters will be included with the award letters and must be signed by the county s appropriate delegated authority and returned to DHS to make the agreement binding. Required contract and agreement terms An award letter will be issued to funded county agencies; a contract will be negotiated with selected tribal agencies using the DHS contract template. A copy of the template will be provided upon request. Selected agencies must be willing to comply with all state and federal legal requirements regarding performance of the resulting agreement. Training Agencies awarded grants will be expected to participate in training offered by LexisNexis Accurint, and attend a DHS grantee meeting in February The grantee meeting will review and share agency practice related to using LexisNexis Accurint for relative search and notice. Web-based training is offered by LexisNexis Accurint and may be requested by contacting: Bill News, solutions consultant, LexisNexis Accurint, at William.news@lexisnexis.com. Calendar of recruitment grant events A calendar of recruitment grant events is in Attachment C. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Advisory This information is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling TTY users can call through Minnesota Relay at For Speech-to-Speech, call For additional assistance with legal rights and protections for equal access to human services programs, contact your agency s ADA coordinator.

7 Attachment A Grants LexisNexis Accurint License Regional Distribution License assignment is based on 2011 children in out of home care and previous grant distribution by local regions. Region Region total grant grant 3 Northwest 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Kittson 16 Marshall Norman 20 Pennington 49 1 Polk Red Lake 8 Roseau 24 Regional partnerships: Marshall manages a license for Kittson, Norman, Red Lake and Roseau grants: Additional license is available to Pennington Region Region total grant grant 6 Headwaters 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Beltrami Clearwater Hubbard Lake of the Woods 9 Mahnomen Regional partnerships: Beltrami gave two licenses to Clearwater and Mahnomen. Lake of the Woods contacts a regional partner when needed. Region Region total grant grant 25 Arrowhead 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Aitkin Carlton Cook 21 Itasca Koochiching Lake 20 St. Louis Regional partnerships: Aitken manages a license for Cook and Lake ** grants: Additional license is available for Cook and Lake to form a new partnership. 1

8 Attachment A Region Region total grant grant 10 West Central 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Becker Clay Douglas Grant Otter Tail Pope Stevens 10 Traverse 9 Wilkin 14 Regional partnerships: Clay gave one license to region. Grant manages a license for Traverse and Wilkin. Pope manages a license for Stevens grants: Additional licenses are available to Becker and Clay. Region Region total grant grant 7 North Central 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Cass Crow Wing Morrison Todd Wadena Regional partnership: Crow Wing gave two licenses to the region. Wadena received one license. Region 6E Region total Grant Grant 4 Southwest Central 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Kandiyohi McLeod Meeker 54 1 Renville 29 Regional partnerships: McLeod manages a license for Meeker and Renville grants: Additional license is available to Meeker. 2

9 Attachment A Region 6W Region total Upper Minnesota grant grant 2 Valley 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Big Stone 19 Chippewa 9 Lac qui Parle 6 Swift Yellow Medicine 25 Regional partnership: Swift manages the license for the regional partnership grants: Additional license is available to the region. Region 7E Region total grant grant 5 East Central 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Chisago Isanti Kanabec 38 1 Mille Lacs Pine Extra license from Region 5 was given to Chisago grants: Additional license is available to Kanabec. Region 7W Region total grant grant 11 Central 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Benton Sherburne Stearns Wright Region Region total grant grant 7 Southwest 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Cottonwood* 29 Jackson* 37 1 Nobles* Southwest Health and Human Services Regional partnerships: Southwest Health and Human Services is Lincoln, Lyon, and Murray, Pipestone, Rock and Redwood. Jackson manages a license for Cottonwood and Nobles. 3

10 Attachment A Region Region total grant grant 10 South Central 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Blue Earth Brown Faribault Martin Le Sueur Nicollet Sibley Waseca Watonwan Regional partnership: Blue Earth gave one of its licenses to the region grants: An additional license is available to Faribault Martin. Region Region total grant grant 12 Southeast 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Dodge 24 Fillmore Freeborn Goodhue Houston Mower Olmsted Rice Steele Wabasha Winona Regional partnership: Olmsted manages a license for Dodge. Region Region total Grant Grant 63 Twin Cities 2011 foster children* licenses licenses Anoka Carver Dakota Hennepin Ramsey Scott Washington Regional partnerships: Dakota gave one license to Scott grants: Additional license is available to Scott. 4

11 Attachment A American Indian Child Region total Welfare Initiative grant grant 2011 foster children* licenses license 5 Leech Lake Band White Earth Band Grant Total 2011 foster children* grant licenses grant licenses Total licenses ** 170 Number of licenses Recruitment Grant Annual cost per user from grant dollars Annual $237, 000 $1, *From 2011 DHS Child Welfare Report. ** grant license total does not include the additional licenses available to Region 3 and 6W. 5

12 Adoption and Foster Care Relative Recruitment Grant Application for funds to purchase Web-based search technology Applicant County/tribal agency Contact name Telephone address Attachment B A. Complete this section if applicant is requesting funds for one or more LexisNexis Accurint licenses consistent with Attachment A: 1. Percentage of relative placements from October to December 2012, from the DHS Child Welfare Data Dashboard: percent 2. Number of LexisNexis Accurint licenses to be funded: 1 2 Other 3. The applicant will continue to manage the regional partnership that was developed for the previous grant with identified agencies to use the requested license(s): yes n/a (List agencies and contact information to identify the partnership. Letters of agreement is not needed for a partnership that was established for the previous grant.) a. County/tribal agency Contact name Telephone address b. County/tribal agency Contact name Telephone address B. Complete this section if applicant is proposing an alternative distribution of LexisNexis Accurint licenses that is not consistent with Attachment A. 1. Percentage of relative placements from October to December 2012, from the DHS Child Welfare Data Dashboard: percent 2. Number of LexisNexis Accurint licenses to be funded: (List only the number of licenses your agency is requesting for the regional partnership.) 1 2 Other 1

13 Attachment B C. Describe the alternative regional partnership, including the identified agencies and how the LexisNexis Accurint license(s) will be used for relative search and notification: (Add as many agencies and contact information as needed to identify the partnership. This could include giving a license to another agency or setting up other arrangements for the licenses available. Letters of agreement are required for new partnerships established for the grant.) a. County/tribal agency Contact name Telephone address b. County/tribal agency Contact name Telephone address c. Outline the plan for the regional partnership for LexisNexis Accurint license(s): D. Budget summary: Budget summary for state fiscal year : Total number of LexisNexis Accurint licenses requested X $116 (monthly cost for each license) Monthly cost for LexisNexis Accurint X 24 months (State Fiscal Year - July 2013 to June 30, 2015) Total amount of recruitment grant funds requested for SFY $ Instructions Completed applications must be received by 4 p.m. central time on June 26, If the agency cannot meet the application deadline, late applications will be accepted. Note: only one application per agency will be accepted. Applications may be mailed, ed or faxed to: Deborah Beske Brown Child Safety and Permanency Division Minnesota Department of Human Services P.O. Box St. Paul, MN Phone: Fax: deborah.beske.brown@state.mn.us 2

14 Attachment C Adoption and Foster Care Relative Recruitment Grant Web-based search technology Calendar of events June 14, 2013 June 26, 2013 July 8, 2013 October 15, 2013 January 15, 2014 April 15, 2014 July 15, 2014 October 15, 2014 January 15, 2015 February 2015 April 15, 2015 June 30, 2015 July 15, 2015 Bulletin issued requesting applications. Applications are due by 4 p.m. Applications are accepted by mail, or fax. If an agency cannot meet the application deadline, late applications will be accepted. Notice of grant awards will be mailed. Invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child Invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child Invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child Invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child Invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child Invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child Grantee meeting. Date will be announced to grantees. Invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child Grant period ends. Final invoice and report of relative placement percentage from DHS Child