Structure Children’s Bureau – Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (DCF)

The government is very complex, making it  difficult to find the person in charge.  Let us look at the structure of the Children’s Bureau (DCF)

Title I – GENERAL PROGRAM

Sec. 101. OFFICE ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. [42 U.S.C. 5101]

a. ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services may establish an office to
be known as the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect.

b. PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Office established under subsection (a) of this section shall be to
execute and coordinate the functions and activities of this Act. In the event that such functions
and activities are performed by another entity or entities within the Department of Health and
Human Services, the Secretary shall ensure that such functions and activities are executed with
the necessary expertise and in a fully coordinated manner involving regular intradepartmental and
interdepartmental consultation with all agencies involved in child abuse and neglect activities.

Sec. 102. ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. [42 U.S.C. 5102]

a. APPOINTMENT.—The Secretary may appoint an advisory board to make recommendations to
the Secretary and to the appropriate committees of Congress concerning specific issues relating to
child abuse and neglect.
b. SOLICITATION OF NOMINATIONS.—The Secretary shall publish a notice in the Federal
Register soliciting nominations for the appointment of members of the advisory board under
subsection (a).
c. COMPOSITION.—In establishing the board under subsection (a), the Secretary shall appoint
members from the general public who are individuals knowledgeable in child abuse and neglect
prevention, intervention, treatment, or research, and with due consideration to representation of
ethnic or racial minorities and diverse geographic areas, and who represent—

1. law (including the judiciary);
2. psychology (including child development);
3. social services (including child protective services);
4. health care providers (including pediatricians)
5. State and local government;
6. organizations providing services to disabled persons;
7. organizations providing services to adolescents;
8. teachers;
9. parent self-help organizations;
10. parents’ groups;
11. voluntary groups;
12. family rights groups;
13. children’s rights advocates; and
14. Indian tribes or tribal organizations.

d. VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the membership of the board shall be filled in the same manner
in which the original appointment was made.
e. ELECTION OF OFFICERS.—The board shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson at its first
meeting from among the members of the board.
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f. DUTIES.—Not later than 1 year after the establishment of the board under subsection (a), the
board shall submit to the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress a report, or
interim report, containing—

1. recommendations on coordinating Federal, State, tribal, and local child abuse and neglect
activities with similar activities at the Federal, State, tribal, and local level pertaining to
family violence prevention;
2. specific modifications needed in Federal, State, and tribal laws and programs to reduce
the number of unfounded or unsubstantiated reports of child abuse or neglect while
enhancing the ability to identify and substantiate legitimate cases of child abuse or
neglect which place a child in danger; and
3. recommendations for modifications needed to facilitate coordinated national data
collection with respect to child protection and child welfare.

Sec. 103. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION RELATING TO CHILD ABUSE. [42 U.S.C. 5104]

a. ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall through the Department, or by one or more contracts
of not less than 3 years duration let through a competition, establish a national clearinghouse for
information relating to child abuse and neglect.
b. FUNCTIONS.—The Secretary shall, through the clearinghouse established by subsection (a)—

1. maintain, coordinate, and disseminate information on effective programs, including
private and community-based programs, that have demonstrated success with respect to
the prevention, assessment, identification, and treatment of child abuse or neglect and
hold the potential for broad scale implementation and replication;
2. maintain, coordinate, and disseminate information on the medical diagnosis and treatment
of child abuse and neglect;
3. maintain and disseminate information on best practices related to differential response;
4. maintain and disseminate information about best practices used for achieving
improvements in child protective systems;
5. maintain and disseminate information relating to—

A. the incidence of cases of child abuse and neglect in the United States;
B. the incidence of such cases in populations determined by the Secretary under
section 105(a)(1) of the Child Abuse Prevention, Adoption, and Family Services
Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 5105 note); and
C. the incidence of any such cases related to substance abuse;

6. provide technical assistance upon request that may include an evaluation or identification
of—

A. various methods and procedures for the investigation, assessment, and
prosecution of child physical and sexual abuse cases;
B. ways to mitigate psychological trauma to the child victim; and
C. effective programs carried out by the States under this Act;

7. collect and disseminate information relating to various training resources available at the
State and local level to—

A. individuals who are engaged, or who intend to engage, in the prevention,
identification, and treatment of child abuse and neglect; and
B. appropriate State and local officials to assist in training law enforcement, legal,
judicial, mental health, education, child welfare, substance abuse treatment
services, and domestic violence personnel and;
C. collect and disseminate information, in conjunction with the National Resource
Centers authorized in section 310(b) of the Family Violence Prevention and
Services Act, on effective programs and best practices for developing and

carrying out collaboration between entities providing child protective services

and entities providing domestic violence services.

Source:  The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act

Click to access capta2010.pdf

The big grants are the Community Grants.  Here are some others from the government , add to that NIH and other government funded centers that guide and fund research.

Grants

Source: Children’s  Bureau – Grants

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/grants