Aspire NOFO.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary - Office on Trafficking in Persons

Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program

HHS-2022-ACF-IOAS-OTIP-ZV-0000

Application Due Date: 07/25/2022

Table of Contents Executive Summary

I. Program Description

II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

III.3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

The Project Description

The Project Budget and Budget Justification

Application Submission Options

IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

IV.4. Submission Dates and Times

Explanation of Due Dates

Acknowledgement of Received Application

IV.5. Intergovernmental Review

IV.6. Funding Restrictions

IV.7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Criteria

V.2. Review and Selection Process

V.3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

VI.1. Federal Award Notices

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VI.3. Reporting

VII. HHS Award Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

Reference Websites

Application Checklist

Funding Opportunity Title:

Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2022-ACF-IOAS-OTIP-ZV-0000

Primary CFDA Number:

93.598 Due Date for Applications:

07/25/2022 Executive Summary Notice:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission. For more information on applying for grants, please visit "How to Apply for a Grant" on the ACF Grants & Funding Page at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant.

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is announcing funds for the Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program (Aspire). Aspire’s goal is to provide national coverage of comprehensive case management and other supportive services to foreign national children who have experienced severe forms of human trafficking as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended, and who are not currently receiving, or eligible to receive, similar trafficking-specific services from another federally funded program. The Aspire prime recipient must also establish local regional presence to coordinate project activities and direct services. Case management services must be provided to qualified persons directly by full-time case managers that are staffed by the prime recipient and may also be provided through a network of per capita service providers, that provide direct services and community referrals.

For the purposes of this NOFO, a child is defined as an individual who is under the age of 18. A foreign national includes individuals who are not United States (U.S.) citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR).

The following activities are required under Aspire funding to support foreign national children across the nation who have experienced severe forms of human trafficking: 1) provision of comprehensive, culturally and linguistically responsive case management to foreign national children who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking; 2) development and maintenance of a nationwide network of providers to conduct human trafficking outreach and provide direct services and community referrals; and 3) establishment of local presence within each of the 10 ACF geographic regions to coordinate project activities and support the delivery of services through the nationwide network of providers.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

ACF Region 1 includes: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

ACF Region 2 includes: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

ACF Region 3 includes: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

ACF Region 4 includes: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

ACF Region 5 includes: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

ACF Region 6 includes: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

ACF Region 7 includes: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

ACF Region 8 includes: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and

Wyoming.

ACF Region 9 includes: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

ACF Region 10 includes: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Aspire is informed by a whole-family approach, focusing equally and intentionally on services and opportunities for clients and their immediate family members living within their households. OTIP encourages meaningfully engaging with individuals with lived experience and hiring qualified professionals who reflect the communities being served in all Aspire project implementation strategies. Under Aspire, there is a 12-month project implementation period for the prime recipient to facilitate partnerships, on-board new staff, and develop a service protocol specific to serving foreign national children who have experienced severe forms of sex and labor trafficking. However, clients must receive direct services and assistance through Aspire during the 12-month project implementation period.

I. Program Description Statutory Authority The legislative authority for this program is section 107(b)(1)(B) of TVPA of 2000, as amended, codified at 22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(B).

Description

ASPIRE OVERVIEW

Background

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of someone to perform labor or commercial sex acts through force, fraud, or coercion. Per section 22 U.S.C. 7102(11) of TVPA of 2000, as amended, severe forms of trafficking in persons means:

Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or

The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

When a minor, someone under the age of 18, is asked or made to perform a sex act in exchange for something of value (e.g., shelter, food, money) it is always considered a crime. There does not need to be a third party (e.g., trafficker) or evidence of force, fraud, or coercion for that minor to be identified as a victim of sex trafficking. Human trafficking victims are often difficult to identify or assist without targeted outreach and referral efforts. Victims can be of any age, race/ethnicity, nationality/citizenship, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, with or without disabilities.

In 2011, ACF within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP) in accordance with the TVPA of 2000, as amended. Since 2011, TVAP has provided comprehensive case management services to foreign national adult and minor victims of both labor and/or sex trafficking nationwide. Due to the unique needs of child victims of trafficking, OTIP determined that child victims of trafficking should be served through a specialized program, Aspire builds on this program to provide specialized services to foreign national child victims of labor and/or sex trafficking through a nationwide network of providers.

The Aspire model serves foreign national children who have experienced human trafficking using a two-tiered approach to case management. In the first tier, clients will be able to access comprehensive case management through a national network of per capita service providers. In the second tier, clients residing in geographic locations where a high volume of trafficking cases of foreign national children is known to occur will be able to access comprehensive case management services through full-time case managers staffed by the prime recipient. This model allows children who have experienced trafficking to access per capita services anywhere in the nation, while building local capacity in the region to meet the unique needs of clients. In addition to the two-tiered case management approach, this model funds regional coordination activities, conducted by the prime recipient, within the 10 ACF Regions listed in the Executive Summary.

In 2021, the Biden Administration published Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government to advance equity and support to communities that have been historically underserved, including people of color and others who have been marginalized and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. This NOFO supports these commitments by dedicating funding to identify and serve foreign national children who have experienced human trafficking. Additionally, in 2021, the Biden Administration released the new National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (NAP). This NOFO highlights specific areas that are responsive to NAP, where appropriate.

Project Objectives

Aspire’s goal is to provide national coverage of comprehensive case management and other supportive services to foreign national children who have experienced severe forms of human trafficking, as defined by the TVPA of 2000, as amended, and who are not currently receiving, or https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/National-Action-Plan-to-Combat-Human-Trafficking.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/National-Action-Plan-to-Combat-Human-Trafficking.pdf eligible to receive, similar trafficking-specific services from another federally funded program.

Under Aspire, the following activities are required throughout the project period:

1. Provide comprehensive, culturally, and linguistically responsive case management to foreign national children who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking.

2. Develop and maintain a nationwide network of community service providers (per capita and full-time case managers) to conduct human trafficking to provide direct services and community referrals.

3. Establish regional coordinators within each of the 10 ACF geographic regions to coordinate project activities and support the delivery of services through the nationwide network of providers.

Project Scope

Aspire must provide comprehensive case management services nationwide, including in the U.S.

territories. Under Aspire, comprehensive case management must be provided to qualified persons. There is a two-tiered approach to case management services. Under the first tier, the prime must establish a nationwide network of per capita service providers to provide case management services. Under the second tier, the prime recipient must identify where there is a need for full-time case management services across the regions. Please see Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, Comprehensive Case Management Services and Nationwide Network of Providers for more information.

The prime recipient must have the internal capacity to establish local presence through the role of regional coordinators within each of the 10 ACF geographic regions in order to coordinate project activities and support delivery of services across the nationwide network of per capita and full-time case managers. Please see Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, Regional Coordination for more information.

Geographic areas of higher needs can be determined based on previous accessing of federally funded services specific to children who have experienced trafficking, data in the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems as described in the annual Child Maltreatment Report, prior HHS Child Eligibility Letter issuance, National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) data, etc.Please visit OTIP’s data page on Child Eligibility and ACF Children’s Bureau (CB) webpage on Child Maltreatment for this information. Post-award, the Federal Project Officer (FPO) will review and approve the proposed areas of need to determine geographic localities for full-time case management within the regions. Please see Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, Nationwide Network of Providers and Section I. Post-Award Requirements, Schedule of Deliverables for more information.

Informed by the NAP (Priority Action 4.3.2: Leverage federal survivor-consultant networks and federal training and technical assistance centers to ensure survivor input is consistently incorporated into policies and programs), OTIP encourages the prime recipient to engage foreign nationals who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking as children and strategically integrate their expertise when developing Aspire implementation strategies, which can include https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/victim-assistance/child-eligibility-letters https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment hiring qualified professionals who reflect the communities they serve. The prime recipient should incorporate lived expertise in all aspects of the anti-trafficking response development and provide individuals who have experienced human trafficking with opportunities to contribute to program development and activity implementation. These opportunities should provide professional growth and development and not be limited to, or heavily rely on, presentations about their trafficking experience. Survivor engagement must include compensation based upon the level of engagement and comparable rates paid to practitioners and service providers with similar qualifications.

Foreign national individuals with lived experience should be involved in efforts including, but not limited to, the following:

Developing agency-wide policies, and comprehensive case management protocols.

Developing strategies for project implementation, victim identification, program evaluation, etc.

Developing and delivering outreach activities.

Building organizational capacity.

Leading or contributing to support groups and/or mentorship initiatives.

Identifying community partners.

The prime recipient should inform individuals with lived experience of any professional development, leadership training, consultant, and/or employment opportunities available to them in their community and beyond, including OTIP’s National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center (NHTTAC). NHTTAC provides individuals who have experienced human trafficking opportunities to participate in professional development and educational activities, develop anti-trafficking resources, and provide trainings and technical assistance.

ASPIRE SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

Guiding Principles

Aspire incorporates trauma-informed, child-centered, and person-centered approaches to assist foreign national children of different racial, ethnic, cultural, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, and religious backgrounds who have experienced human trafficking. A trauma-informed care model assumes that clients and staff have experienced trauma. This model includes an organizational change that promotes resilience in clients and staff; engages individuals in care;

prevents re-traumatization; and incorporates knowledge about trauma in policies, procedures, practices, and settings. For more information on the development of trauma-informed services and a framework for becoming a trauma-informed organization, system, or service sector, please visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-informed Approach.

All Aspire activities must adhere to the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards, which are a comprehensive series of guidelines that inform and facilitate practices related to culturally and linguistically appropriate health services. Clients served under Aspire must receive comprehensive case management assistance in their preferred language. The prime recipient and, if applicable, the subrecipient(s) must strive to hire staff that https://nhttac.acf.hhs.gov/survivor-involvement https://nhttac.acf.hhs.gov/survivor-involvement https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas/standards https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas/standards can speak to clients in their preferred language and not over-rely on language lines and interpretation services. Participation in Aspire programming is voluntary; clients must have the option to decline services provided by the agency supported under the program. The clients’ concerns and priorities should guide the actions of the service delivery strategy.

Aspire is informed by a whole-family approach that focuses on services and opportunities for clients and family members living within their households. While the TVPA of 2000, as amended, does not authorize direct benefits for family members, this funding allows family members to derive benefits from the services provided, when in the client’s best interest. A focus on whole families is responsive to the NAP (Priority Action 2.6.3: Increase access to employment), as well as the 2019 U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking report, which states:

“Whole families must be considered in helping survivors overcome and heal. Many survivors have children who have been negatively affected by their parent’s trafficking experience and what they have seen and heard. We must lift up parents and children together with services and supports that will help them be safe, find financial stability, and be empowered to find new opportunities. With recent studies suggesting one in seven children have mental health needs and half do not receive treatment, it is imperative, when supporting families, to also address the needs of survivors’ children. We must offer services that help children heal to break intergenerational cycles of victimization.”

Eligible Beneficiaries of Program Services

Eligibility for services under Aspire is limited to foreign national children who have or may have experienced of a severe form of human trafficking, as defined by the TVPA of 2000, as amended. This includes children up to 18 years of age, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation (including individuals who identify as Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and/or asexual (2SLGBTQIA+)), who are not currently receiving trafficking-specific case management services from another federally funded program.

See chart below for more information regarding eligibility requirements:

Population Status Enrollment Requirement(s) Eligibility

Foreign national minor who has experienced labor and/or sex trafficking

Victim of human trafficking

Valid Eligibility Letter from OTIP Eligible for services under Aspire

Foreign national

Potential victim of

Validated screening tool(s) must be completed within 30 days of

Initially eligible to access services under https://www.state.gov/united-states-advisory-council-on-human-trafficking-annual-report-2019/ minor who may have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking human trafficking client entering the program to determine if child experienced human trafficking; referral to OTIP within 24-hours of identifying potential trafficking concerns to determine if child qualifies for an HHS Eligibility Letter (unless client was previously referred)

Aspire; if OTIP issues a Denial Letter indicating that the minor has not experienced human trafficking, client must be referred for appropriate services outside of Aspire

Foreign national or domestic adult over age 18*

N/A N/A

Not eligible for services under Aspire; individual must be referred for services to an appropriate adult-serving program

*Note that an individual who is already enrolled under Aspire can continue to receive services under Aspire for up to 6 months past their 18th birthday before needing to be transferred to an appropriate adult-serving program.

See OTIP’s website for more information about accessing HHS Eligibility Letters for foreign national minors. Please see Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, HHS Eligibility Letters for Foreign National Minors and Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, Mandated Reporting for Child Victims of Human Trafficking for more information.

The prime recipient and subrecipient(s), if applicable, must ensure all clients enrolled in Aspire meet the eligibility criteria as described in the above chart and that clients are not enrolled concurrently in other federally funded programs providing similar services. The prime must develop trauma-informed protocols to assess a prospective client’s eligibility prior to enrollment and must implement universal human trafficking screening for all children and youth receiving services. The prime recipient will advise full-time case managers, regional coordinators, and per capita service providers of the established trauma-informed protocols. Family members in the client’s household are not eligible to enroll as individual clients under Aspire; however, certain family members, including a dependent minor child of the client and those who live in the client’s household, may derive benefits from the client’s services, such as housing, food, family reunification, and other expenses, if determined to be in the client’s best interest. Family members who may derive benefits include a family member who is in receipt of derivative T-nonimmigrant status (derivative T visa) issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Please see Section I. Aspire Administrative Requirements, Financial Requirements for more information.

Adults who have experienced human trafficking as well as children and adults who have not experienced human trafficking are ineligible for assistance; however, to ensure continuity of services, foreign national children who have experienced human trafficking can be served up to https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/victim-assistance/child-eligibility-letters six months past their 18th birthday before needing to be referred to an appropriate adult-serving anti-trafficking program. Overall, if during project activities the prime recipient or, if applicable, subrecipient(s) determine that an individual encountered during project activities is an adult who has or may have experienced human trafficking, the prime recipient and, if applicable, subrecipient(s) must have protocols in place to provide referrals to adult-serving programs that can address the individual’s needs. Appropriate foreign national adult-serving providers include OTIP’s TVAP and Lighthouse: Services, Outreach, and Awareness for Labor Trafficking grant programs. See the OTIP’s Grants webpage for more information about these programs. Please see Section I. Aspire Administrative Requirements, Service Delivery Protocol for more information.

OTIP recognizes that immigration status may be a sensitive subject. Foreign national children who have not yet been screened may not be comfortable disclosing their human trafficking experience, may not be aware of their current immigration status, or may not know if they are a beneficiary of other federal funding. Furthermore, foreign national children who have experienced human trafficking may not have access to identification or immigration documents, or they may have fraudulent documents provided by the individual exploiting them. OTIP encourages creative approaches that work with each foreign national client’s community. Plans can include partnering with legal services agencies or other entities specializing in eligibility or serving foreign national minors with alternate funding until they have built enough rapport to verify a potential client’s status.

Under Aspire, the prime recipient and, if applicable, subrecipient(s) may receive funding from more than one federal agency, but clients may not be served through more than one federally funded human trafficking-related grant, contract, or subaward providing the same or similar services at a time.

Mandated Reporting for Child Victims of Human Trafficking

As highlighted in NAP (Priority Area 2.1.1: Develop or update, validate, and implement screening forms and protocols), any time a prime recipient and/or subrecipient(s), if applicable, identifies a child who may have experienced trafficking through their project activities, the prime recipient and/or subrecipient(s), if applicable, must have protocols in place and follow all federal, state, and local mandated reporting requirements in accordance with the TVPA of 2000, as amended, the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014, and the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-22). This includes, but is not limited to, following all state and local child welfare reporting requirements and reporting trafficking concerns according to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C. 5106), which was amended by Public Law 114-22 to include human trafficking in definitions of “child abuse and neglect” and “sexual abuse.” Additionally, for foreign national minors these child welfare reporting requirements include notifying OTIP no later than 24 hours after discovering that a foreign national minor may have experienced trafficking (22 U.S.C. 7105 (b)). Please see Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, HHS Eligibility Letters for Foreign National Minors for more information.

See CB’s About CAPTA: A Legislative History fact sheet for more information about general https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/grants https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/about.pdf child welfare reporting requirements and OTIP’s website for more information about reporting requirements for trafficking concerns related to foreign national minors.

HHS Eligibility Letters for Foreign National Minors

The TVPA of 2000, as amended (22 U.S.C. 7105 (b)), requires federal, state, or local officials to notify HHS within 24 hours after discovering a foreign national minor who may have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking to facilitate the provision of assistance. Therefore, the prime recipient and subrecipient(s), if applicable, is required to submit a Request for Assistance (RFA) on behalf of any foreign national minor with potential trafficking concerns to OTIP to facilitate the minor’s accessing of public benefits and services. Requirements to receive an HHS Eligibility Letter are the following: (1) the minor is a foreign national; (2) there is concern that the minor experienced labor and/or sex trafficking at any point in their life and in any location (inside or outside the United States); (3) the minor is under the age of 18 at the time the RFA is submitted to HHS. Eligibility letters allow foreign national minors to access benefits and services to the same extent as a refugee, including federal and state benefits and services (e.g., refugee cash assistance; Medicaid; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program; Women, Infants, and Children Program; Matching Grant Program, Unaccompanied Refugee Minors foster care program, etc.). As some benefits and services are time-limited, the prime recipient and, if applicable, subrecipient(s) must ensure clients who have received HHS Eligibility letters are expeditiously connected to public benefits. Please see Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, Mandated Reporting for Child Victims of Human Trafficking for more information.

Information about the HHS RFA process for foreign national minors is available on OTIP’s website. Information about benefits available to foreign national minor who have experienced trafficking can be found on OTIP’s Child Eligibility Benefits fact sheet.

Comprehensive Case Management Services

Under Aspire, the prime recipient must conduct comprehensive case management services throughout the project period. Comprehensive case management services should empower clients to identify and achieve personal milestones toward well-being and independence and may include leadership development opportunities for individuals who have experienced human trafficking. Case management services and activities should be low-barrier and include service plan development, counseling, monitoring, evaluating client progress, and securing and coordinating direct services. Comprehensive Case Management Services must be provided through the nationwide network of providers, Tier One Per Capita or Tier Two full-time case managers.

Comprehensive case management services must address underlying vulnerabilities and risk factors that put children at risk of exploitation including, but not limited to, prior abuse, substance misuse by a caregiver, exposure to domestic violence, disrupted caregiver relationships, poverty, immigration, placement changes, homelessness, racism, and familial or community rejection because of sexual orientation or gender identity. Because many children are first identified as having experienced human trafficking during their teenage years, special https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/victim-assistance/child-eligibility-letters/request-assistance https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/victim-assistance/child-eligibility-letters/request-assistance https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/victim-assistance/child-eligibility-letters/request-assistance https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/otip/child_eligibility_handout.pdf emphasis should be placed on life skills activities to assist with their successful transition into adulthood and self-sufficiency.

Comprehensive case management services must include helping clients navigate systems of care, direct services, public benefits, and/or community referrals for the following, all of which reflect service priorities identified by the U.S. Advisory Council and the NAP (Priority Action 2.6.1:

Increase access to mental health and other healthcare services; Priority Action 2.6.3: Increase access to employment; and Priority Action 2.6.4: Increase access to education):

1. Culturally responsive, child-centered, and linguistically appropriate services tailored to the unique needs of foreign national children who have experienced human trafficking

2. Identification, screening, assessment, safety planning, and service planning

3. Advocacy and information about crime victims’ rights and services

4. Direct assistance to support unmet basic needs and the well-being of children who have experienced human trafficking

5. Assessment and determination of specific protective factors for clients to be connected with to support the child’s overall well-being and safety and to prevent further exploitation or re-trafficking

6. Allowable and reasonable expenses such as food, clothing, transportation assistance, child care (if the child is a parent), and interpreter services, including Certified Deaf Interpreters

7. Health care, including mental health, behavioral health, substance use treatment, medical, residential treatment, and dental services

8. Emergency, transitional, and long-term housing assistance, including foster care

9. Employment assistance, vocational training, and job training and placement (e.g., employment-related services through Job Corps or the Department of Labor's American Job Centers)

10. Coordination with benefit issuing agencies; foster care; state and local child welfare;

child protective services; schools; call centers; organizations and entities serving unaccompanied children, immigrants, and refugees; law enforcement; migrant education and migrant health programs; and other relevant organizations on responding to the needs of children who have experienced human trafficking

11. Emergency and crisis stabilization support to client (placement or housing stabilization, support during mental health crisis, etc.)

12. Collaboration with client’s family and/or caregiver(s) as determined in the best interest and safety of the child

13. Educational assistance

14. Life skills training

15. Peer-to-peer support and mentoring

16. Family reunification and supportive services intended to support broader well-being

17. Assisting clients to receive public benefits, including identifying the benefits available, assisting with the application preparation and submission, tracking the status of an application, assisting with collecting supporting documentation that a benefit-granting agency may require, and helping clients appeal a denial of benefits, etc.

18. Legal advocacy and services related to the client’s human trafficking experience, including explanation of legal rights and protections, cooperation with law enforcement, assistance with immigration for foreign national clients (e.g., explanation of immigration relief available, referral to immigration legal services to apply for T visa or Continued Presence (CP), etc.), and assistance with family and civil matters (e.g., protection orders, victims’ rights enforcement and compliance efforts, representation in family court, expungement or vacatur of criminal records, and name changes)

19. Coordinating RFA process with OTIP for any foreign national minor clients in order for them to obtain an HHS Eligibility Letter and access refugee benefits and services

Nationwide Network of Providers

Under Aspire, a nationwide network of case managers must be created and maintained to provide comprehensive case management services through direct assistance and community referrals. This network must be developed to ensure foreign national minor victims of trafficking have access to services through a provider (per capita or prime full-time case manager) no matter where the individual is geographically located in the nation as described in Section I. Aspire Overview, Project Scope. The nationwide network of case managers (per capita or full-time) will coordinate with the Regional Coordinators for technical assistance and support as needed.

Children who have experienced human trafficking have unique needs that must be considered when determining screening, training, service provision, and other interventions. All interventions by the nationwide network of providers should be age-appropriate and child-centered to ensure the minor is an active participant in their care and decision-making for service planning. Additionally, when determined to be appropriate and in the best interest of the minor, the minor’s non-offending family members and/or caregivers should be involved in the minor’s service planning and/or service provision.

When working with a child who has or may have experienced trafficking, the nationwide network of providers must coordinate with a variety of entities from a multidisciplinary approach in order to provide comprehensive and supportive care and ensure the overall safety, placement, and stability of the minor. These entities should include, but are not limited to, state and local child protective services, child welfare agencies, hotlines, law enforcement, schools, the child’s family members, shelters, local and state agencies, health care professionals, OTIP and other relevant federal agencies, and attorneys.

For more information on recommendations for providing services to children who have experienced human trafficking, see the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children in the U.S.’ report, Best Practices and Recommendations to States.

Per Capita Service Providers, Tier One The Aspire prime recipient is authorized to form a partnership(s) with other local organizations to achieve the project objectives through subawards (i.e., per capita service providers to provide per capita case management). The prime recipient must adhere to 45 CFR § 75.351 and 45 CFR 75.352(a)(4) when formalizing partnerships with subrecipient(s). To establish this network of per capita service providers, the prime recipient must actively identify, recruit, and build https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/otip/nac_report_2020.pdf partnerships with providers with expertise in providing comprehensive case management services to foreign national minor victims of labor and/or sex trafficking.

These partnerships must be with organizations with capacity to serve foreign national minors, including but not limited to, social service organizations, domestic violence shelters, faith-based organizations, and legal service organizations, to develop and deliver culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate services. Please see Section I. Aspire Administrative Requirements, Subawards for more information. For the purpose of this NOFO, the term per capita service providers and the term subrecipient(s) may be used interchangeably.

Full-time Case Managers, Tier Two, Staffed by the Prime Recipient Throughout the project period, in addition to per capita services, the prime recipient must develop a plan to identify areas of high need within the nationwide network where full-time case managers are justified to serve clients. See Section I. Aspire Overview, Project Scope and Section I. Post-Award Requirements, Schedule of Deliverables for more information. The prime recipient must make this determination based on a documented high volume of foreign national minor victims of trafficking seeking assistance. Full-time Case Managers must be staffed by the prime recipient.

Per Capita Funding

The per capita funding amount includes both administrative costs for case management services and participant expenses. Administrative costs are the expenses that support the day-to-day operations of the case management services. The prime recipient must ensure that all clients across the nationwide network of providers have equal access to services and resources. Per capita participant expense allotment should be consistent, regardless of whether the client is receiving per capita case management services or full-time case management services. Aspire must implement and manage a per capita funding model to cover the delivery of case management services and must ensure that clients receive equitable allotted per capita funding despite whether they are served directly by the prime or through a subrecipient; however, only Tier One per capita service providers can charge the administrative per capita case management costs. The prime recipient, in consultation with the OTIP project officer, is expected to establish a cap on funding for services to enrolled clients. In doing so, OTIP expects the prime recipient to develop a formula that projects the number of victims served in each budget period, as well as variances in the cost-of-service delivery. To determine an appropriate per capita funding cap, the prime recipient must take into account various factors including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Geographic cost of living;

2. Local access to pro bono services;

3. Number of qualified family members;

4. Whether the client has received certification and access to public benefits;

5. Length of time enrolled in Aspire;

6. Level of specific needs of the client.

Furthermore, if the client is able to secure needed support through other means like transitional housing at no cost, the client’s expenses may be reallocated for other eligible costs incurred by the client at a different time during the enrollment period. The prime recipient must develop a plan that incorporates this per capita funding model and considers these various factors to ensure that all clients have equal access to resources and services no matter their geographic location. Please see Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions and Section I. Post-Award Requirements, Schedule of Deliverables for more information.

The nationwide network of providers must have the capacity to deliver all required services to clients directly through their agency and/or through a formal partnership(s), which includes referring clients to the appropriate community agency if no such partnership exists. If a client requires services that are beyond the full-time case managers or per capita service providers capacity, the client must be provided with referrals to services within the client’s community. Under Aspire, the nationwide network of providers ensure that proper documentation of all referrals is provided in the client case files.

The nationwide network of providers must strive to refer clients to pro bono providers whenever possible. If a client requires services within the scope of Aspire that are beyond the full-time case managers or per capita service provider’s capacity and cannot be covered through pro bono providers, they may use Aspire funds to cover service costs related to the client's need in accordance with the following restrictions: a) funds may not be used to pay for direct benefits for family members; b) all client-related costs must be allowable, reasonable, allocable, and commensurate with allowable program activities as noted in the NOFO and CFR; and c) any costs found to be unallowable will be disallowed. Please see Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions for more information.

Under Aspire, the nationwide network of providers must conduct client satisfaction surveys to assess the quality of services being provided and to identify areas of program improvement. Please see Section I. Aspire Administrative Requirements, Service Delivery Protocol for more information. The prime recipient is encouraged to develop client satisfaction surveys and other evaluation tools through partnerships with colleges and universities, including but not limited to historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and other minority serving institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. No more than 2 percent of total award funds per budget period may be used to support client satisfaction evaluation efforts. Please see Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions for more information.

Regional Coordination, Staffed by the Prime Recipient

Under Aspire, the prime recipient must employ regional coordinators located within each of the 10 ACF geographic regions to coordinate project activities, including advocacy, complex case coordination, oversight, technical assistance, and outreach activities. For more information about these 10 ACF geographic regions, please visit ACF’s Office of Regional Operations webpage describing the ACF regional offices. The FPO must review and approve the recommended areas of need. Please see Section I. Aspire Overview, Project Scope, Section I.

Aspire Service Requirements, Nationwide Network of Providers, and Section II. Federal Award Information, Description of ACF's Anticipated Substantial Involvement Under the Cooperative Agreement Award for more information.

The regional coordination activities must include the following at a minimum:

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html https://www.acf.hhs.gov/oro/regional-offices https://www.acf.hhs.gov/oro/regional-offices

Advocacy to local, state, regional, and federal officials and/or agencies to address complex and emergency client needs that are raised by per capita and full-time case managers within the region, including, but not limited to, housing, family breakdown and/or placement instability needs, emergency assistance, immigration needs, public benefits, placement needs, educational needs, child welfare needs, safety needs, legal needs, medical needs, mental health needs, etc.

Outreach, screening, and identification efforts with both potential foreign national children who have experienced human trafficking or vulnerable populations considered to be at a higher risk for trafficking within the region during situations of large group cases or surges in potential cases in a particular area in the region (see Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, Outreach for more information).

Coordination of complex and large group cases (multiple clients involved in a situation of trafficking) as needed.

Regular coordination with local, state, and regional organizations, officials, and agencies to develop partnerships in efforts to support needs of clients and case management efforts, including, but not limited to, relevant state and local child welfare organizations;

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; child protective services; OTIP protection and prevention divisions; schools; state refugee coordinators; benefit-issuing agencies; Social Security Administration; organizations and entities serving unaccompanied children, immigrants, and refugees; Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR); foster care; ORR Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program (URM) federallyfunded foster care program; call centers; anti-trafficking initiatives at local, state, and regional levels; government officials; migrant education and health centers; social service organizations; and law enforcement.

Technical assistance to per capita service providers (Tier 1) and full-time case managers (Tier 2) within the region.

Coordination of referrals with network of providers within region.

Support to per capita and full-time case managers within the region to navigate systems of care and provide direct services to clients.

Oversight to ensure consistency in standards of care and adherence to core competencies for case management services provided across region.

Recruitment efforts to build partnerships for nationwide network of providers Attendance at human trafficking-related task force meetings.

Coordination with other regions to develop lessons-learned and maintain consistency in standards of care across nationwide network of providers.

These regional coordination activities must be provided directly by the prime recipient geographically located within the region. The prime recipient must submit a plan for review and approval by the FPO to provide these coordination activities in each of the ACF regions. Please see Section I. Post-Award Requirements, Schedule of Deliverables for more information. Please see the Executive Summary for the states that are in each ACF region.

Outreach

In response to the NAP (Principle 1.1: Enhance outreach and education efforts to prevent human trafficking), within each region, the prime recipient and/or prime recipient staff (i.e. full-time case managers and regional coordinators) must conduct targeted outreach to foreign national children throughout the project period in venues, markets, and industries where labor and/or sex trafficking is known or suspected to occur, particularly during times of surges in the number of children who may have experienced trafficking in a specific area in the region (e.g., increase in unaccompanied children migrating to the United States and demonstrating high risk for trafficking). See Section I. Aspire Service Requirements, Regional Coordination for more information.

OTIP distinguishes between outreach and public awareness. Outreach is direct contact with potential foreign national children who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking or populations who are vulnerable for or are considered to be at a higher risk for human trafficking. Examples include street outreach, targeted online outreach, and human trafficking screening carried out in court diversion programs, detention centers, community organizations, agricultural settings, hospitality industry, construction industry, restaurants, factories, domestic work settings, migrant health centers, and foster care settings. Though screenings may be conducted during outreach events, it is not required, as it may not always be feasible or safe to do so.

Outreach activities must reflect the priorities reflected in the NAP (Priority Action 3.2.2:

Enhance capabilities to locate children who are missing, including those who have run away from foster care, and are vulnerable to human trafficking).

As part of the outreach strategy under Aspire, the prime recipient must recommend standardized screening tool(s) that are validated and evidence-and trauma-informed to identify and evaluate client needs throughout the service relationship. The prime recipient may elect to use one or multiple tools, but all tools used must be designed to identify foreign national children who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking by assessing the following common indicators of human trafficking, including if the individual:

Feels pressured by their employer or caregiver to stay in a job or situation they want to leave.

Is unable to attend school or participate in other activities due to obligation to work.

Owes money to an employer, recruiter, caregiver, or another individual and/or is not being paid what they were promised or are owed.

Does not control their own identity documents (e.g., passport, drivers license, Social

Security card, tribal identification, etc.).

Is living and working in isolated conditions, largely cut off from interaction with others or support systems.

Expresses wanting to have sex with others in order to receive gifts, money, shelter, food, etc.

Reports being fearful of employer or of quitting job.

Ran away from placement due to concerns of labor or sexual exploitation by caregiver or another individual.

Discloses that someone offered or gave them something of value (money, food, shelter, gifts, etc.) in exchange for engaging in sex acts (whether or…