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Appendix D: Activities and Training Topics Claimable as a Title IV-E Match

Title IV-E Training Contracts Financial Handbook February 2013

To determine what is claimable as an expense under the federal Title IV-E program and the rate at which the expense may be claimed, see these subsections:

Activities Claimable at the 75% Match Rate

Closely Related Activities Claimable at the 75% Match Rate

Activities Claimable at the 50% Match Rate

Training Topics Not Claimable Under Title IV-E

Activities Claimable at the 75% Match Rate

The expenses incurred while conducting these activities are claimable at the 75 percent match rate under the Title IV-E Program, according to 45 CFR §1356.60:

  •  Eligibility determinations and re-determinations

  •  Fair hearings and appeals

  •  Rate setting

  •  Referral to services

  •  Preparation for and participation in judicial determinations

  •  Placement of the child

  •  Development of the case plan

  •  Case reviews

  •  Case management and supervision

  •  Recruitment and licensing of foster homes and institutions

Closely Related Activities Claimable at the 75% Match Rate

The expenses incurred while conducting these closely related activities are claimable at the 75 percent match rate under the Title IV-E Program, 45 CFR §1356.60):

  •  Social work practice, such as family centered practice and social work methods, including interviewing and assessment

  •  Cultural competency related to children and families

  •  Title IV-E policies and procedures

  •  Child abuse and neglect issues, such as the impact of child abuse and neglect on a child, and general overviews of the issues involved in child abuse and neglect investigations, if the training is not related to how to conduct an investigation of child abuse and neglect

  •  Permanency planning, including using kinship care as a resource for children involved with the child welfare system

  •  General substance abuse, domestic violence, and mental health issues related to children and families in the child welfare system, if the training is not related to providing treatment or services

  •  Effects of separation, grief and loss, child development, and visitation

  •  Communication skills required to work with children and families

  •  Activities designed to preserve, strengthen, and reunify the family, if the training is not related to providing treatment or services

  •  Assessments to determine whether a situation requires a child’s removal from the home, if the training is not related directly to conducting a child abuse and neglect investigation. (Training on how to conduct specialized assessments such as psychiatric, medical, or educational assessments is not permitted.)

  •  Ethics training associated with a Title IV-E state plan requirement, such as the confidentiality requirements in 42 U.S.C. §671(a)(8).

  •  Contract negotiation, monitoring, or voucher processing related to the Title IV-E program

  •  The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), or another child welfare-related automated system that:

  •  is closely related to the administrative activities allowable in accordance with 45 CFR §1356.60(d), and

  •  is claimed by the state Title IV-E training, rather than as SACWIS developmental or operational costs (see AT-ACF-OISM-001)

  •  Independent living and the issues confronting adolescents who are preparing to live independently, consistent with 42 U.S.C. §677(b)(3)(D) and the Child Welfare Policy Manual (CWPM), §3.1H, Q/A #1

  •  Determining foster care candidacy and pre-placement activities directed toward reasonable efforts in 42 U.S.C.§671(a)(15), if the training is not related to providing a service

  •  How to refer clients to services, not on how to perform the service

  •  Grievance procedures

  •  Negotiation and review of adoption assistance agreements

  •  Post-placement management of subsidy payments

  •  Home studies

  •  A proportionate share of the development and use of adoption exchanges

  •  Evidence-based practice: Training on the importance of using evidence-based techniques for case planning and on modifying agency evidence-based practice

  •  Screening and assessment: How to use of screening and assessment tools to develop the child's case plan

  •  Protective factors: Introduction to the concept of risk and protective factors and prevention; effective strategies for prevention; overview of strategies to target and encourage development of protective factors

  •  Resilience: Strategies for minimizing the traumatic experience of placements for children, including facilitating attachment and promoting stable relationships

  •  Relational competence: An overview of the role of relational competence in family relationships

  •  Child social and emotional development and well-being: Principles of child growth and social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development

  •  Trauma: An overview of trauma, including definitions, key terms related to trauma and the long term impact of trauma experiences; the ways that trauma may impact children's functioning and well-being at various stages of development; the impact of and restoring developmentally appropriate functioning general descriptions of effective treatments and strategies for addressing traumatic reactions

  •  Cultural competence: How to assess and serve the needs of children without bias and ensure their safety, including how to parent youth who are struggling with issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression

Activities Claimable at the 50% Match Rate

The expenses incurred while conducting these activities are claimable at the 50 percent match rate under the Title IV-E Program, 45 CFR §1356.60. The match must be allocated proportionally across all benefiting programs and may include Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Title IV-B, Subparts 1 and 2:

  •  State agency personnel policies and procedures

  •  Skills to enhance job performance, such as writing, basic computer skills, and time management

  •  First aid, CPR, or facility security training

  •  General supervisory skills or other generic skills needed to perform job training on specific topics

  •  Ethics training, unrelated to the training offered under the Title IV-E state plan

  •  Team building and stress management training

  •  Safe driving

  •  Worker retention

  •  Worker safety

Training Topics Not Claimable for Reimbursement Under Title IV-E

The following topics may be included in the Title IV-B state plan, but are not claimable for state university contracts according to Title XX and Title IV-B, Subparts 1 and 2:

  •  How to address or treat a child’s or family’s problems or behaviors. (Training on such topics supports the delivery of social services, rather than the administration of the Title IV-E state plan.)

  •  Investigating child abuse and neglect. (Training on the specialized skills required for these activities is needed before a child enters foster care or adoption, and even before a child becomes a candidate for foster care.)

  •  Child welfare or social service topics that are not related directly to the Title IV-E programs or the administration of the Title IV-E state plan

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