National Training and Development Initiative for Foster/Adoptive Parents | HHS 2017 ACF ACYF CO 1266

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2017 ACF ACYF CO 1266

The National Training and Development Initiative for Foster/Adoptive Parents is a discretionary federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within ACYF/Children's Bureau. Through this FOA (HHS-2017-ACF-ACYF-CO-1266), the government planned to fund a single cooperative agreement to one organization to create a modern, research-informed training and preparation program for foster and adoptive parents. The core idea is to produce a high-quality, standardized curriculum that can be used free of charge by all states, tribes, and U.S. territories, and that can be applied consistently anywhere it is adopted, rather than having widely varying training quality depending on location.

The work supported by the award centers on designing an intensive, skill-based preparation and development model that reflects what successful foster and adoptive caregivers actually need to know and be able to do. A major component is research and analysis: the awardee is expected to study and identify the common characteristics, practices, and capacities of foster and adoptive families that have achieved stability and positive well-being outcomes. The initiative places special emphasis on families who take placements that are often considered harder to place (such as children or youth with complex behavioral health needs, trauma histories, medical needs, or older youth) and who still remain committed over time. Those evidence-based characteristics and strategies are meant to be built directly into the training competencies and curriculum.

Although the initiative is intended to cover both foster and adoptive parenting, it recognizes that the roles overlap in some areas and diverge in others. Many foundational concepts would be shared across both groups, such as understanding child development, trauma and its impacts, attachment and relationship building, and intervention strategies for emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges. At the same time, the FOA calls for tailored focus areas: foster parent training should include specific preparation for partnering with birth parents and supporting reunification efforts, while adoptive parent training should address adoption-related issues that cut across child welfare adoption, private domestic adoption, and international adoption. The FOA also highlights the importance of helping adoptive families understand the background and needs of the child, learn practical interventions for common challenges, and fully commit to supporting the child through those challenges to strengthen permanency and stability.

The project is designed as a multi-year effort with a phased development and testing approach. In the initial year, the awardee would conduct an extensive review of existing foster/adoptive parent training and preparation programs, identify gaps and promising practices, and incorporate newer intervention strategies that caregivers should be equipped to use. During this first year, the awardee would also develop the core training competencies that will serve as the foundation for the curriculum and select an initial group of approximately 6 to 8 pilot sites where the curriculum can be implemented and tested.

Years two through five focus on building out the full curriculum from those competencies, implementing it in the pilot sites, and iteratively refining it based on real-world feedback and results from those settings. Over this period, the awardee is expected to move from initial testing to a more mature, polished training product that can be broadly disseminated. A key deliverable is making the final training curriculum available nationwide to states, tribes, and territories at no cost, along with providing support to help jurisdictions integrate the curriculum into their existing training systems so it can be adopted and sustained rather than sitting on a shelf.

Evaluation is also an expected element of the initiative. The FOA describes conducting an evaluation of the impact of the new intensive training curriculum, which implies measuring whether the training improves caregiver capacity and contributes to better outcomes for children and youth. The intended outcomes include a state-of-the-art curriculum that can be applied consistently across the country, a stronger and better-prepared pool of foster and adoptive parents, and improved experiences and outcomes for children and youth in foster and adoptive families, including those served through public child welfare and those in private domestic and international adoptive contexts.

From an administrative standpoint, the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, meaning the federal agency anticipates substantial involvement or partnership during the project rather than a fully hands-off grant. The opportunity was posted May 11, 2017, with an original closing date of July 10, 2017 (applications due by 11:59 p.m. ET). The FOA anticipated one award total. The funding ceiling was projected at up to $1,000,000 for the initial year and up to $2,000,000 for each subsequent year. Eligible applicants were broad and included various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and other entities as permitted by the FOA's eligibility clarifications. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 93.652, and the activity category is Income Security and Social Services.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - ACYF/CB in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Training and Development Initiative for Foster/Adoptive Parents" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.652.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 11, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 10, 2017 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification), Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for HHS 2017 ACF ACYF CO 1266

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