(a) Authority
The Commissioner shall make grants under this section to States on a formula basis for the purpose of improving the coordination of services provided to children, youth, and families.
(b) Application
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, the chief executive officer of a State shall prepare and submit to the Commissioner an application containing a plan providing assurances that—
(1) the independent State body is committed to interagency planning that results in statewide policies promoting systematic collaboration among agencies on behalf of young individuals as demonstrated by joint planning, joint financing, joint service delivery, common intake and assessment, and other arrangements that reduce barriers to services and promote more effective local service delivery systems for young individuals;
(2) such plan will be based on needs as identified through an analysis of updated reports (such as "State of the Child" reports) prepared by the State, including detailed information gathered by the State, to the extent practicable, on young individuals and the families of such individuals concerning—
(A) age, sex, race, and ethnicity;
(B) the residences of such individuals;
(C) the incidence of homelessness among such individuals;
(D) the composition of families of such individuals;
(E) the economic situations of such individuals;
(F) the incidence of poverty among such individuals;
(G) experiences in the care of such individuals away from home;
(H) the health of such individuals;
(I) violence in the homes or communities of such individuals;
(J) the nature of the attachment of such individuals to school and work;
(K) dropout rates of such individuals from school; and
(L) the character of the communities in which such individuals reside;
(3) the system to be used for the distribution of funds within the State will require that—
(A) each area have an equal opportunity to apply for or receive funds under this part; and
(B) the public be given an opportunity to express views concerning the development and administration of such plan;
(4) the independent State body will provide an inventory of existing public and private services for children, youth and their families and will evaluate the need for supportive services within the State to address the purposes of this chapter and determine the extent to which existing public and private programs meet such need;
(5) the independent State body will make such reports, in such form, and containing such information, as the Commissioner may require;
(6) such fiscal control and fund accounting procedures will be adopted as may be necessary to ensure proper disbursement of, and accounting for, Federal funds paid under this part to the chief executive officer of the State, including any such funds paid to the recipients of a grant or contract;
(7) the independent State body will conduct periodic evaluations of activities and projects carried out pursuant to this section and section
12338 of this title and will report the results and recommendations to the chief executive officer of the State and the State legislature;
(8) the chief executive officer of the State will provide technical assistance or in-service training opportunities for personnel responsible for carrying out the purposes of this section and section
12338 of this title; and
(9) the chief executive officer of each State will provide for the implementation of the requirements of section
12338 of this title, relating to supportive services.
(c) Use of grants to States
Notwithstanding section
12340(g) of this title, the amounts made available to each State under section
12340(a) of this title may be used to make grants to a State to enable such State to pay such percentages as the independent State body of such State determines to be appropriate, of the cost of administering the State plan of such State including—
(1) the costs of the preparation of such plan and the provision of technical assistance to local areas;
(2) the costs of the evaluation of activities carried out under such plan;
(3) the costs of the collection of data and the carrying out of analyses related to the need for supportive services within the State;
(4) the costs of the dissemination of information obtained under paragraph (3); and
(5) the costs of the provision of short-term training to personnel of public or nonprofit private agencies and organizations engaged in the operation of programs authorized by this part.
(e) 1 Supplement not supplant
Amounts received by a State under this section and section
12338 of this title shall be used only to supplement, not to supplant, the amount of Federal, State, and local funds expended for the purposes for which grants are made under this section and section
12338 of this title. In no event shall such expenditures be used to satisfy the matching requirements of any other Federal program.
(f) Relationship to family resource and support program grants
If a State intends to apply for a grant under section
12339 2 of this title to be used for the same calendar year as the grant under this section, such State shall include in the application for a grant under this section a description of plans for family resource and support programs and for the coordination of the use of all funds received under this part.