This week the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent out a reminder about the May 9, 2017, deadline for tribes, tribal organizations and others to provide comments on the challenges they face in working with ACF and in the implementation of ACF programs. ACF originally posted a notice regarding this solicitation on January 9, 2017, in the FEDERAL REGISTER and had a comment deadline of March 10. Since then they extended the comment period to May 9. We reported on the March 10 notice in our General Memorandum 17-017 of February 17, 2017. The original ACF notice can be found here: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-01-09/pdf/2017-00111.pdf
Programs. ACF administers a wide array of programs directly impacting tribes, including:
- Title IV-B, Subparts 1 and 2, Child Welfare and Promoting Safe and Stable Families
- Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance
- Child Support Enforcement
- Child Care and Development Block Grant
- Head Start
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Native American Employment Works Program
- Family Violence and Prevention Services/Battered Women’s Shelters
- Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program
- Administration for Native Americans grant programs (including Environmental Regulatory Enhancement; Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance; and Social and Economic Development Strategies for Native Americans)
Questions. The ACF poses nine questions covering the following areas and asks that responses be as specific as possible to programs and processes. Tribal comments could prove helpful in improving policy and practices with regard to ACF programs which tribes’ access.
- Challenges posed by non-federal match or cost sharing requirements
- Challenges posed by administrative costs caps
- Expansion of waiver authority
- Streamlining existing waiver authority processes
- Regulatory or administrative barriers to program implementation
- Identification of ACF practices, policies and procedures that are particularly effective
- Recommended data collection and analysis
- Suggestions for better sharing of data related to AI/AN grantee performance, outcomes, and sustainability
- Application eligibility processes that may discourage application for programs
Please let us know if we may provide additional information or assistance regarding the request of the Administration for Children and Families for comments.
