Part K - Services, Education, Protection and Justice for Young Victims of Violence

42 USC 14043c - Services to advocate for and respond to youth

(a) Grants authorized
The Attorney General, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, shall award grants to eligible entities to conduct programs to serve youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Amounts appropriated under this section may only be used for programs and activities described under subsection (c) of this section.

(b) Eligible grantees
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall be

(1) a nonprofit">nonprofit, nongovernmental entity, the primary purpose of which is to provide services to teen and young adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;

(2) a community-based organization specializing in intervention or violence prevention services for youth;

(3) an Indian Tribe or tribal organization providing services primarily to tribal youth or tribal victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking; or

(4) a nonprofit">nonprofit, nongovernmental entity providing services for runaway or homeless youth affected by domestic or sexual abuse.

(1) In general
An entity that receives a grant under this section shall use amounts provided under the grant to design or replicate, and implement, programs and services, using domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking intervention models to respond to the needs of youth who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking.

(2) Types of programs
Such a program

(A) shall provide direct counseling and advocacy for youth and young adults, who have experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking;

(B) shall include linguistically, culturally, and community relevant services for underserved populations or linkages to existing services in the community tailored to the needs of underserved populations;

(C) may include mental health services for youth and young adults who have experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking;

(D) may include legal advocacy efforts on behalf of youth and young adults with respect to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking;

(E) may work with public officials and agencies to develop and implement policies, rules, and procedures in order to reduce or eliminate domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking against youth and young adults; and

(F) may use not more than 25 percent of the grant funds to provide additional services and resources for youth, including childcare, transportation, educational support, and respite care.

(d) Awards basis

(1) Grants to Indian tribes
Not less than 7 percent of funds appropriated under this section in any year shall be available for grants to Indian Tribes or tribal organizations.

(2) Administration
The Attorney General shall not use more than 2.5 percent of funds appropriated under this section in any year for administration, monitoring, and evaluation of grants made available under this section.

(3) Technical assistance
Not less than 5 percent of funds appropriated under this section in any year shall be available to provide technical assistance for programs funded under this section.

(e) Term
The Attorney General shall make the grants under this section for a period of 3 fiscal years.

(f) Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.

42 USC 14043c1 - Access to justice for youth

(a) Purpose
It is the purpose of this section to encourage cross training and collaboration between the courts, domestic violence and sexual assault service providers, youth organizations and service providers, violence prevention programs, and law enforcement agencies, so that communities can establish and implement policies, procedures, and practices to protect and more comprehensively and effectively serve young victims of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking who are between the ages of 12 and 24, and to engage, where necessary, other entities addressing the safety, health, mental health, social service, housing, and economic needs of young victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including community-based supports such as schools, local health centers, community action groups, and neighborhood coalitions.

(b) Grant authority

(1) In general
The Attorney General, through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (in this section referred to as the Director), shall make grants to eligible entities to carry out the purposes of this section.

(2) Grant periods
Grants shall be awarded under this section for a period of 2 fiscal years.

(3) Eligible entities
To be eligible for a grant under this section, a grant applicant shall establish a collaboration that

(A) shall include a victim service provider that has a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and the effect that those forms of abuse have on young people;

(B) shall include a court or law enforcement agency partner; and

(i) batterer intervention programs or sex offender treatment programs with specialized knowledge and experience working with youth offenders;

(ii) community-based youth organizations that deal specifically with the concerns and problems faced by youth, including programs that target teen parents and underserved communities;

(iii) schools or school-based programs designed to provide prevention or intervention services to youth experiencing problems;

(iv) faith-based entities that deal with the concerns and problems faced by youth;

(v) healthcare entities eligible for reimbursement under title XVIII of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.], including providers that target the special needs of youth;

(vi) education programs on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases that are designed to target teens;

(vii) Indian Health Service, tribal child protective services, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or the Federal Bureau of Investigations;^[1] or

(viii) law enforcement agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs providing tribal law enforcement.

(c) Uses of funds
An entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds made available through the grant for cross-training and collaborative efforts

(1) addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, assessing and analyzing currently available services for youth and young adult victims, determining relevant barriers to such services in a particular locality, and developing a community protocol to address such problems collaboratively;

(2) to establish and enhance linkages and collaboration between

(A) domestic violence and sexual assault service providers; and

(B) where applicable, law enforcement agencies, courts, Federal agencies, and other entities addressing the safety, health, mental health, social service, housing, and economic needs of young victims of abuse, including community-based supports such as schools, local health centers, community action groups, and neighborhood coalitions

(i) to respond effectively and comprehensively to the varying needs of young victims of abuse;

(ii) to include linguistically, culturally, and community relevant services for underserved populations or linkages to existing services in the community tailored to the needs of underserved populations; and

(iii) to include where appropriate legal assistance, referral services, and parental support;

(3) to educate the staff of courts, domestic violence and sexual assault service providers, and, as applicable, the staff of law enforcement agencies, Indian child welfare agencies, youth organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and other community prevention and intervention programs to responsibly address youth victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking;

(4) to identify, assess, and respond appropriately to dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking against teens and young adults and meet the needs of young victims of violence; and

(5) to provide appropriate resources in juvenile court matters to respond to dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking and ensure necessary services dealing with the health and mental health of victims are available.

(d) Grant applications
To be eligible for a grant under this section, the entities that are members of the applicant collaboration described in subsection (b)(3) of this section shall jointly submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require.

(e) Priority
In awarding grants under this section, the Director shall give priority to entities that have submitted applications in partnership with community organizations and service providers that work primarily with youth, especially teens, and who have demonstrated a commitment to coalition building and cooperative problem solving in dealing with problems of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in teen populations.

(f) Distribution
In awarding grants under this section

(1) not less than 10 percent of funds appropriated under this section in any year shall be available to Indian tribal governments to establish and maintain collaborations involving the appropriate tribal justice and social services departments or domestic violence or sexual assault service providers, the purpose of which is to provide culturally appropriate services to American Indian women or youth;

(2) the Director shall not use more than 2.5 percent of funds appropriated under this section in any year for monitoring and evaluation of grants made available under this section;

(3) the Attorney General of the United States shall not use more than 2.5 percent of funds appropriated under this section in any year for administration of grants made available under this section; and

(4) up to 8 percent of funds appropriated under this section in any year shall be available to provide technical assistance for programs funded under this section.

(g) Dissemination of information
Not later than 12 months after the end of the grant period under this section, the Director shall prepare, submit to Congress, and make widely available, including through electronic means, summaries that contain information on

(1) the activities implemented by the recipients of the grants awarded under this section; and

(2) related initiatives undertaken by the Director to promote attention to dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking and their impact on young victims by

(A) the staffs of courts;

(B) domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking victim service providers; and

(h) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $5,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.

[1] So in original. Probably should be “Investigation;”.

42 USC 14043c2 - Grants for training and collaboration on the intersection between domestic violence and child maltreatment

(a) Purpose
The purpose of this section is to support efforts by child welfare agencies, domestic violence or dating violence victim services providers, courts, law enforcement, and other related professionals and community organizations to develop collaborative responses and services and provide cross-training to enhance community responses to families where there is both child maltreatment and domestic violence.

(b) Grants authorized
The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the Secretary), through the Family and Youth Services Bureau, and in consultation with the Office on Violence Against Women, shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the purposes and in the manner described in this section.

(c) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011. Funds appropriated under this section shall remain available until expended. Of the amounts appropriated to carry out this section for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall

(1) use not more than 3 percent for evaluation, monitoring, site visits, grantee conferences, and other administrative costs associated with conducting activities under this section;

(2) set aside not more than 7 percent for grants to Indian tribes to develop programs addressing child maltreatment and domestic violence or dating violence that are operated by, or in partnership with, a tribal organization; and

(3) set aside up to 8 percent for technical assistance and training to be provided by organizations having demonstrated expertise in developing collaborative community and system responses to families in which there is both child maltreatment and domestic violence or dating violence, which technical assistance and training may be offered to jurisdictions in the process of developing community responses to families in which children are exposed to child maltreatment and domestic violence or dating violence, whether or not they are receiving funds under this section.

(d) Underserved populations
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall consider the needs of underserved populations.

(e) Grant awards
The Secretary shall award grants under this section for periods of not more than 2 fiscal years.

(f) Uses of funds
Entities receiving grants under this section shall use amounts provided to develop collaborative responses and services and provide cross-training to enhance community responses to families where there is both child maltreatment and domestic violence or dating violence. Amounts distributed under this section may only be used for programs and activities described in subsection (g) of this section.

(g) Programs and activities
The programs and activities developed under this section shall

(1) encourage cross training, education, service development, and collaboration among child welfare agencies, domestic violence victim service providers, and courts, law enforcement agencies, community-based programs, and other entities, in order to ensure that such entities have the capacity to and will identify, assess, and respond appropriately to

(A) domestic violence or dating violence in homes where children are present and may be exposed to the violence;

(B) domestic violence or dating violence in child protection cases; and

(2) establish and implement policies, procedures, programs, and practices for child welfare agencies, domestic violence victim service providers, courts, law enforcement agencies, and other entities, that are consistent with the principles of protecting and increasing the immediate and long-term safety and well being of children and non-abusing parents and caretakers;

(3) increase cooperation and enhance linkages between child welfare agencies, domestic violence victim service providers, courts, law enforcement agencies, and other entities to provide more comprehensive community-based services (including health, mental health, social service, housing, and neighborhood resources) to protect and to serve both child and adult victims;

(4) identify, assess, and respond appropriately to domestic violence or dating violence in child protection cases and to child maltreatment when it co-occurs with domestic violence or dating violence;

(5) analyze and change policies, procedures, and protocols that contribute to overrepresentation of certain populations in the court and child welfare system; and

(6) provide appropriate referrals to community-based programs and resources, such as health and mental health services, shelter and housing assistance for adult and youth victims and their children, legal assistance and advocacy for adult and youth victims, assistance for parents to help their children cope with the impact of exposure to domestic violence or dating violence and child maltreatment, appropriate intervention and treatment for adult perpetrators of domestic violence or dating violence whose children are the subjects of child protection cases, programs providing support and assistance to underserved populations, and other necessary supportive services.

(h) Grantee requirements

(1) Applications
Under this section, an entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, consistent with the requirements described herein. The application shall

(A) ensure that communities impacted by these systems or organizations are adequately represented in the development of the application, the programs and activities to be undertaken, and that they have a significant role in evaluating the success of the project;

(B) describe how the training and collaboration activities will enhance or ensure the safety and economic security of families where both child maltreatment and domestic violence or dating violence occurs by providing appropriate resources, protection, and support to the victimized parents of such children and to the children themselves; and

(C) outline methods and means participating entities will use to ensure that all services are provided in a developmentally, linguistically and culturally competent manner and will utilize community-based supports and resources.

(2) Eligible entities
To be eligible for a grant under this section, an entity shall be a collaboration that

(A) shall include a State or local child welfare agency or Indian Tribe;

(B) shall include a domestic violence or dating violence victim service provider;

(D) may include a court; and

(E) may include any other such agencies or private nonprofit">nonprofit organizations and faith-based organizations, including community-based organizations, with the capacity to provide effective help to the child and adult victims served by the collaboration.

42 USC 14043c3 - Grants to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in middle and high schools

(a) Short title
This section may be cited as the Supporting Teens through Education and Protection Act of 2005 or the STEP Act.

(b) Grants authorized
The Attorney General, through the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, is authorized to award grants to middle schools and high schools that work with domestic violence and sexual assault experts to enable the schools

(1) to provide training to school administrators, faculty, counselors, coaches, healthcare providers, security personnel, and other staff on the needs and concerns of students who experience domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and the impact of such violence on students;

(2) to develop and implement policies in middle and high schools regarding appropriate, safe responses to, and identification and referral procedures for, students who are experiencing or perpetrating domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including procedures for handling the requirements of court protective orders issued to or against students or school personnel, in a manner that ensures the safety of the victim and holds the perpetrator accountable;

(3) to provide support services for students and school personnel, such as a resource person who is either on-site or on-call, and who is an expert described in subsections (i)(2) and (i)(3) of this section, for the purpose of developing and strengthening effective prevention and intervention strategies for students and school personnel experiencing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking;

(4) to provide developmentally appropriate educational programming to students regarding domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and the impact of experiencing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on children and youth by adapting existing curricula activities to the relevant student population;

(5) to work with existing mentoring programs and develop strong mentoring programs for students, including student athletes, to help them understand and recognize violence and violent behavior, how to prevent it and how to appropriately address their feelings; and

(6) to conduct evaluations to assess the impact of programs and policies assisted under this section in order to enhance the development of the programs.

(d) Policy dissemination
The Director shall disseminate to middle and high schools any existing Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Education policy guidance and curricula regarding the prevention of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and the impact of the violence on children and youth.

(e) Nondisclosure of confidential or private information
In order to ensure the safety of adult, youth, and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their families, grantees and subgrantees shall protect the confidentiality and privacy of persons receiving services. Grantees and subgrantees pursuant to this section shall not disclose any personally identifying information or individual information collected in connection with services requested, utilized, or denied through grantees and subgrantees programs. Grantees and subgrantees shall not reveal individual client information without the informed, written, reasonably time-limited consent of the person (or in the case of unemancipated minor, the minor and the parent or guardian, except that consent for release may not be given by the abuser of the minor or of the other parent of the minor) about whom information is sought, whether for this program or any other Tribal, Federal, State or Territorial grant program. If release of such information is compelled by statutory or court mandate, grantees and subgrantees shall make reasonable attempts to provide notice to victims affected by the disclosure of information. If such personally identifying information is or will be revealed, grantees and subgrantees shall take steps necessary to protect the privacy and safety of the persons affected by the release of the information. Grantees may share non-personally identifying data in the aggregate regarding services to their clients and non-personally identifying demographic information in order to comply with Tribal, Federal, State or Territorial reporting, evaluation, or data collection requirements. Grantees and subgrantees may share court-generated information contained in secure, governmental registries for protection order enforcement purposes.

(f) Grant term and allocation

(1) Term
The Director shall make the grants under this section for a period of 3 fiscal years.

(2) Allocation
Not more than 15 percent of the funds available to a grantee in a given year shall be used for the purposes described in subsection (b)(4), (b)(5), and (b)(6) of this section.

(g) Distribution

(1) In general
Not less than 5 percent of funds appropriated under subsection (l) of this section in any year shall be available for grants to tribal schools, schools on tribal lands or schools whose student population is more than 25 percent Native American.

(2) Administration
The Director shall not use more than 5 percent of funds appropriated under subsection (l) of this section in any year for administration, monitoring and evaluation of grants made available under this section.

(3) Training, technical assistance, and data collection
Not less than 5 percent of funds appropriated under subsection (l) of this section in any year shall be available to provide training, technical assistance, and data collection for programs funded under this section.

(h) Application
To be eligible to be awarded a grant or contract under this section for any fiscal year, a middle or secondary school, in consultation with an expert as described in subsections (i)(2) and (i)(3) of this section, shall submit an application to the Director at such time and in such manner as the Director shall prescribe.

(i) Eligible entities
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall be a partnership that

(1) shall include a public, charter, tribal, or nationally accredited private middle or high school, a school administered by the Department of Defense under 10 U.S.C. 2164 or 20 U.S.C. 921, a group of schools, or a school district;

(2) shall include a domestic violence victim service provider that has a history of working on domestic violence and the impact that domestic violence and dating violence have on children and youth;

(3) shall include a sexual assault victim service provider, such as a rape crisis center, program serving tribal victims of sexual assault, or coalition or other nonprofit">nonprofit nongovernmental organization carrying out a community-based sexual assault program, that has a history of effective work concerning sexual assault and the impact that sexual assault has on children and youth; and

(4) may include a law enforcement agency, the State, Tribal, Territorial or local court, nonprofit">nonprofit nongovernmental organizations and service providers addressing sexual harassment, bullying or gang-related violence in schools, and any other such agencies or nonprofit">nonprofit nongovernmental organizations with the capacity to provide effective assistance to the adult, youth, and minor victims served by the partnership.

(j) Priority
In awarding grants under this section, the Director shall give priority to entities that have submitted applications in partnership with relevant courts or law enforcement agencies.

(k) Reporting and dissemination of information

(1) Reporting
Each of the entities that are members of the applicant partnership described in subsection (i) of this section, that receive a grant under this section shall jointly prepare and submit to the Director every 18 months a report detailing the activities that the entities have undertaken under the grant and such additional information as the Director shall require.

(2) Dissemination of information
Within 9 months of the completion of the first full grant cycle, the Director shall publicly disseminate, including through electronic means, model policies and procedures developed and implemented in middle and high schools by the grantees, including information on the impact the policies have had on their respective schools and communities.

(l) Authorization of appropriations

(1) In general
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011.

(2) Availability
Funds appropriated under paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.