TVAP - Publication.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

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

Trafficking Victim Assistance Program

HHS-2022-ACF-IOAS-OTIP-ZV-0150

Application Due Date: 06/27/2022

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:

Trafficking Victim Assistance Program Announcement Type:

Modification Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2022-ACF-IOAS-OTIP-ZV-0150

Primary CFDA Number:

93.598 Due Date for Applications:

06/27/2022 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.

MODIFICATION: OTIP has modified the NOFO from its original version to reflect the application due date of June 27, 2022. This is the only modification to the NOFO.

The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is announcing funds for the Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP). TVAP’s goal is to directly fund time-limited comprehensive case management services to foreign national adult confirmed and potential victims of a severe form of human trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended, who are seeking or have received Health and Human Services (HHS) certification. TVAP must also establish local regional presence to coordinate project activities and direct services. A foreign national includes individuals who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (LPR). 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, which provide direct services and community referrals.

Historically, TVAP served both foreign national minor and adult victims of trafficking; however, in this model TVAP has been redesigned to only serve foreign national adult victims of trafficking using the previous per capita model, as well as a newly developed regional approach to fund regionally located direct service providers. Foreign national minors will be served through a new program, Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program

(HHS-2022-ACF-IOAS-OTIP-TV-0099).

Under TVAP, the following activities are required: 1) provision of comprehensive, culturally and linguistically responsive case management to foreign national adults who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking; 2) development and maintenance of a nationwide https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant 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.

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.

TVAP is informed by a whole-family approach that focuses equally and intentionally on services and opportunities for clients and their immediate family members living within their households. OTIP is encouraging the meaningful engagement of foreign national adult survivors of trafficking, and the hiring of qualified professionals that reflect the communities being served in all project implementation strategies under TVAP.

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

Description

TVAP 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 the TVPA of 2000, as amended, severe forms of trafficking in persons means, as follows:

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 at HHS established TVAP in accordance with 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. In 2018, TVAP was implemented through three separate cooperative agreements; however, the current TVAP NOFO is consolidated under one single cooperative agreement to ensure consistent national coverage for foreign national adult victims of trafficking and build capacity in areas throughout the United States without an established federal anti-trafficking response system. For the purposes of this NOFO, these are defined as geographical regions in the U.S. without a federally funded program with capacity to serve and support foreign national adult victims of labor and/or sex trafficking. Historically, TVAP served both foreign national minor and adult victims of trafficking; however due to the unique needs of child and youth victims of trafficking, the OTIP determined that foreign national minors should be served through a specialized program dedicated to children and youth. ACF intends to fund services for foreign national minors through a new program, Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program

(HHS-2022-ACF-IOAS-OTIP-TV-0099).

The new TVAP model was redesigned to serve foreign national adult victims of trafficking using a two-tiered approach to case management. In the first tier, clients will be able to access comprehensive case management through a nationwide 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 adults is known to occur will be able to access comprehensive case management services through full-time case managers staffed by the prime recipient. This new model will allow foreign national adult victims of 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, the new model funds regional coordination activities within the 10 ACF regions.

In 2021, the Biden Administration published an 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 adults who have experienced human trafficking. Finally, in 2021 the Biden Administration released the new National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (NAP). This NOFO highlights areas that are responsive to the NAP recommendations, where appropriate.

Project Objectives 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

TVAP’s goal is to fund time-limited comprehensive case management services to foreign national adult who are confirmed or potential victims of a severe form of human trafficking, as defined by the TVPA of 2000, as amended, who are seeking or have received HHS certification.

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

1. Provision of comprehensive, culturally and linguistically responsive case management to foreign national adults who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking;

2. Development and maintenance of a nationwide network of community service providers (per capita and full-time case managers) to conduct human trafficking outreach and to provide direct services and community referrals; and,

3. Establishment of 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 TVAP must provide comprehensive case management services nationwide, including in the U.S.

territories. Under TVAP, comprehensive case management must be provided to qualified persons seeking or who have received HHS certification. Under the first tier, the prime must establish a nationwide network of per capita service providers to provide case management. 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. TVAP 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. TVAP Service Requirements, Regional Coordination for more information.

For more information about these geographic areas of higher needs (based on previous accessing of TVAP services, prior certification letter issuance, National Human Trafficking Hotline [NHTH] data, etc.), please visit OTIP’s data page on HHS certification. Post-award, the Federal Project Officer will review and approve the proposed areas of need to determine geographic localities for full-time case management. Please see Section I. TVAP 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 human trafficking and strategically integrate their expertise when developing TVAP project implementation strategies, which can include 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 foreign https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/fact-sheet/resource/certification nationals 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.

Foreign nationals 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.

TVAP SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

Guiding Principles

TVAP incorporates trauma-informed and person-centered approaches to assist foreign national adults of different racial, ethnic, cultural, gender identity, sexual orientation or 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 TVAP 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 TVAP must receive comprehensive case management assistance in their preferred language. The prime recipient and, if applicable, its subrecipient(s) must strive to hire staff that can communicate with clients in their preferred language, and not over-rely on language lines and interpretation services. TVAP 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.

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

TVAP 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, TVAP 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 NAP (Priority Action 2.6.3: Increase access to employment), as well as the 2019 U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking report that 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 TVAP is limited to foreign national adult who are confirmed or potential victims of a severe form of human trafficking, as defined by the TVPA of 2000, as amended, who are seeking or have received HHS certification and who are actively pursuing, or have received, T-nonimmigrant status (T visa), Continued Presence (CP), or a bona fide T visa that has not been denied from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Adults who received a Child Eligibility letter as a minor are eligible for services under TVAP. This includes adults (individuals over the age of 18), 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. For the purposes of this NOFO, potential victims of human trafficking are foreign national adults who have not yet started the process to receive a T visa or CP or are in the process of applying. To initiate the process of securing a T visa or CP, potential victims must meet with an attorney or law enforcement official within 2 months of enrollment in TVAP unless unable to do so due to physical, emotional, or psychological trauma; or because of logistical constraints. Under TVAP, the prime recipient and, if applicable, its 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 at a time. See DHS’s website for more information about accessing T visas and CP. Please see Section I. TVAP Service Requirements, HHS Certification Letters for more information.

TVAP was authorized by 22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(B) to assist foreign nationals who have previously experienced labor and/or sex trafficking, therefore, U.S. citizens, LPRs, and/or individuals who have not experienced human trafficking are ineligible for assistance. The prime recipient, if applicable, and subrecipient(s) must ensure all clients enrolled into TVAP meet the eligibility criteria in 22 U.S.C. 7105(b) and that clients are not enrolled concurrently in other federally funded programs providing similar services. The prime recipient must develop trauma-https://www.state.gov/united-states-advisory-council-on-human-trafficking-annual-report-2019/ https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/victim-assistance/child-eligibility-letters https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-of-human-trafficking-and-other-crimes/victims-of-human-trafficking-t-nonimmigrant-status https://www.ice.gov/doclib/human-trafficking/ccht/continuedPresenceToolkit.pdf informed protocols to assess a prospective client’s eligibility prior to enrollment. The prime recipient will advise full-time Case Managers, Regional Coordinators, and per capita service providers of the established trauma-informed protocols. Potential clients who have not yet been screened may not be comfortable disclosing their human trafficking experience, be aware of their current immigration status, or know if they are a beneficiary of other federal funding. Please see Section I. TVAP Administrative Requirements, Service Delivery Protocol for more information.

OTIP recognizes that immigration status can be a sensitive subject for many clients. Individuals who have experienced human trafficking may not have access to identification or immigration documents, or they may have fraudulent documents provided by the trafficker. Others may have arrived in the U.S. with proper documentation but fell out of status when employers or traffickers did not complete paperwork or did not give them access to documents to establish LPR status. Additionally, foreign nationals who have experienced human trafficking are often identified and apprehended in groups that may include a variety of U.S.

citizens, LPRs, and foreign national individuals. OTIP encourages creative approaches that work for each client’s community. Plans can include partnering with legal services agencies or other entities specializing in eligibility or serving clients with alternate funding until they have built enough rapport to verify a potential client’s status. If the prime recipient or, if applicable, its subrecipient(s) determines that the potential client is a U.S. citizen or LPR who has experienced human trafficking, the prime recipient and, if applicable, its subrecipient(s) must have protocols in place to provide referrals to programs that can address their needs.

Family members in the client’s household are not eligible to enroll as individual clients under TVAP; however, certain family members, including those who live in the client’s immediate household, may derive benefits from the client’s services, such as housing, child care, food, family reunification, and other expenses determined in the client’s best interest. Other eligible family members who may derive benefits include a family member who is in receipt of a derivative T visa issued by DHS and a dependent minor child of a confirmed or potential foreign national adult victim of trafficking who is seeking or has received HHS certification. Please see Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions for more information.

Mandated Reporting and Referring Minors to Services

If the full-time Case Managers, Regional Coordinators, or per capita service providers determine that an individual encountered during project activities is a minor (an individual under the age of

18) who has or may have experienced human trafficking, they must follow all mandated reporting protocols and have protocols in place to provide referrals to child and youth-serving programs that can address the individual’s needs within 24 hours of identification as highlighted in NAP (Priority Area 2.1.1: Develop or update, validate, and implement screening forms and protocols).

The TVPA of 2000, as amended, requires federal, state, or local officials notify HHS within 24 hours after discovering a foreign national minor who may be a victim of labor and/or sex trafficking to facilitate the provision of assistance. Therefore, the full-time Case Managers, per capita service providers, or Regional Coordinators must submit a Request for Assistance (RFA) on behalf of any foreign national minor with potential trafficking concerns to OTIP and subsequently refer the minor to a child and youth-serving program to facilitate the minor’s access to 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. Information about the HHS RFA process for foreign national minors is available on OTIP’s website.

Appropriate child and youth-serving providers include OTIP’s Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program. Information about benefits available to foreign national minor victims of trafficking can be found on OTIP’s Child Eligibility Benefits fact sheet.

HHS Certification Letters

In accordance with the TVPA of 2000, as amended, OTIP issues certification letters to foreign national adult victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons after receiving notice that DHS granted the individual CP, T visa, or a bona fide T Visa that has not been denied. Certification letters allow clients to access public 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.). When appropriate, the prime recipient full-time Case Managers and per capita service providers must coordinate the issuance of certification letters with clients and HHS OTIP. As some benefits and services are time-limited, the full-time case managers and per capita service providers must make efforts to ensure clients who have received HHS certification letters are expeditiously connected to public benefits.

Information about benefits available to foreign national adult victims of human trafficking can be found on OTIP’s Certification for Adult Victims of Human Trafficking Information and Data page. For more information about accessing T visas, visit DHS’s Victims of Human Trafficking: T Nonimmigrant Status website. For more information about accessing CP, visit DHS’s Continued Presence Resource Guide.

Comprehensive Case Management Services

Under TVAP, comprehensive case management services must be conducted throughout the project period. Comprehensive case management services must include helping clients navigate systems of care, direct services, public benefits, and/or community referrals for the following, which reflect service priorities identified by the U.S. Advisory Council and in NAP (Priority Action 2.6.1: Increase access to mental health and other healthcare services); NAP (Priority Action 2.6.3: Increase access to employment; and Priority Action 2.6.4: Increase access to education):

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 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/fact-sheet/resource/certification https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/fact-sheet/resource/certification https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-of-human-trafficking-and-other-crimes/victims-of-human-trafficking-t-nonimmigrant-status https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-of-human-trafficking-and-other-crimes/victims-of-human-trafficking-t-nonimmigrant-status https://www.ice.gov/doclib/human-trafficking/ccht/continuedPresenceToolkit.pdf

1. Culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate services tailored to foreign national adults

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 foreign nationals who have experienced human trafficking

5. Allowable and reasonable expenses such as food, clothing, transportation assistance, child care, and interpreter services, including Certified Deaf Interpreters

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

7. Emergency, transitional, and long-term housing assistance

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

9. Assisting clients to obtain HHS certification

10. 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 answer application questions, appeal a denial of benefits, etc.

11. Coordination with migrant health programs

12. 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 (e.g., explanation of immigration relief available, referral to immigration legal services to apply for T visa or 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)

13. Educational assistance

14. Life skills training, including managing personal finances

15. Peer-to-peer support and mentoring

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

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.

Nationwide Network of Providers

Under TVAP 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 adult 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.

TVAP 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.

Per Capita Service Providers, Tier One The TVAP 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 partnerships with providers with expertise in providing comprehensive case management services to foreign national adult victims of labor and/or sex trafficking.

These partnerships must be with organizations with capacity to serve foreign national adults, 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. TVAP 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. TVAP 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 adult 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. TVAP 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 consider various factors including but not limited to, the following:

Geographic cost of living;

Local access to pro bono services;

Number of qualified family members;

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

Length of time enrolled in TVAP;

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 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 TVAP, the nationwide network of providers must 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 TVAP 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 TVAP 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 TVAP, the nationwide network of providers must conduct client satisfaction surveys to assess the satisfaction with services being provided and to identify areas of program improvement. Please see Section I. TVAP 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.

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst.html

Regional Coordination, Staffed by the Prime Recipient

Under TVAP, 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 Federal Project Officer will review and approve the recommended areas of need. Please see Section I. TVAP Overview, Project Scope, Section I. TVAP Service Requirements, Nationwide Network of Community Based 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:

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, emergency assistance, immigration needs, public benefits, legal needs, medical needs, mental health needs, etc.);

Outreach, screening, and identification efforts with potential foreign national adult victims of human trafficking, or vulnerable populations considered to be at a higher risk for victimization within region (during situations of large cases, surges in potential victims in a particular area in the region, etc.) (see Section I. TVAP 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 Refugee Coordinators; benefit issuing agencies; Social Security Administration; anti-trafficking initiatives at local, state, and regional levels; government officials; migrant health centers; social service organizations;

or law enforcement);

Technical assistance to per capita service providers (tier one) and full-time Case Managers (tier two) 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 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; and 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 to provide https://www.acf.hhs.gov/oro/regional-offices https://www.acf.hhs.gov/oro/regional-offices these coordination activities in each of the ACF regions. Please see Section I. Post-Award Requirements, Schedule of Deliverables for more information. Below are the states that are in each ACF region.

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.

Outreach

In response to 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 adults 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 potential foreign national adult victims of trafficking in a specific area in the region (e.g. increase in individuals from Afghanistan resettling into the U.S. and demonstrating high-risk for victimization). See Section I. TVAP Service Requirements, Regional Coordination for more information.

OTIP distinguishes between outreach and public awareness. Outreach is direct contact with potential foreign national individuals 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, foster care, runaway and homeless youth shelters, homeless shelters, and elder and child 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.

Public awareness includes education efforts aimed at the general public. Examples include community awareness raising, newspaper articles, radio or television interviews, and tabling at conferences. Prime recipients may not use TVAP funds to fund any public awareness activities throughout the project period.

As part of the outreach strategy under TVAP, 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 adults who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking by assessing common indicators of human trafficking, including the following experiences:

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

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

Does not control their own identity documents (e.g., passport, driver’s license, Social

Security card, tribal identification, etc.).

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

Appears to be monitored by another person when talking or interacting with others.

Is receiving threats of harm from their employer/supervisor.

Is working in dangerous conditions without proper safety gear, training, adequate breaks, and other precautions.

Is living in dangerous, overcrowded, or inhumane conditions provided by an employer.

Wants to stop participating in the coercive engagement of selling, or trading sex, but is intimidated or feels afraid to leave.

Discloses they were reluctant to engage in selling sex but that someone pressured them into it.

Lives where they work or are transported by guards, vans, or contractors between home and workplace.

Has a trafficker or manager in the sex trade.

Works in an industry where it may be common to be pressured into performing sex acts for money, such as a strip club, go-go bar, or illicit massage business or cantina.

Has controlling romantic partner or “sponsor” who will not allow the individual to meet or speak with others alone or monitors their movements, spending, and/or communications

Is not in control of their own money or has no financial records and/or bank account.

Is being pressured to work to pay off debts or remittances.

Is being forced, coerced, or pressured to provide a labor or service that contributes to an illegal or illicit activity or business operation (e.g., assault, arms smuggling/dealing, decoy services, extortion, gang activity, financial scams, human smuggling/foot guiding, drug cultivation/production, drug transporting/distribution, drug smuggling, commercial sexual exploitation, look-out/scouting, robbery, and wildlife smuggling).

The prime recipient must decide who will conduct outreach (i.e., prime recipient, full-time Case Managers, or Regional Coordinators) but the tool(s) must be consistent across all outreach activities. Optional outreach and screening tools that may be used in project activities are available on the OTIP website’s Resource Library. The federal government programs identified https://www.acf.hhs.gov/otip/resource-library below can promote, coordinate, and make referrals to service delivery systems and training and technical assistance resources.

National Human Trafficking Hotline

NHTTAC

Family Violence Prevention & Services Office of Refugee Resettlement U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Exchange

Prime recipients must submit all public-facing materials, including subrecipient materials, used during project activities that it intends to count towards its project objectives for review and approval by the Federal Project Officer. Prime recipients must review all public-facing materials created and used by the subrecipient to ensure compliance with the Stevens Amendment. Materials must be submitted for approval at least 30 days prior to the intended event, regardless of prior approvals through other programs or from past HHS, Department of Justice, or state officials. For more information on prior approval requirements, please see Section I., Post-Award Requirements, Tools and Resources.

TVAP ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS

Subawards

Recipients under this grant program may opt to transfer a portion of substantive programmatic work to other organizations through subaward(s). The prime recipient must maintain a substantive role in the project. ACF defines a substantive role as conducting activities and/or providing services funded under the award that are necessary and integral to the completion of the project. Subrecipient monitoring activities alone, as specified in 45 CFR § 75.352, do not constitute a substantive role. Furthermore, ACF does not fund awards where the role of the applicant is primarily to serve as a conduit for passing funds to other organizations unless that arrangement is authorized by statute. Subrecipient(s) must meet the eligibility requirements identified in the NOFO, Section III.1. Eligible Applicants. Additionally, all subrecipient(s) must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one.