§20305 — Title 34 Navy | U.S. Code

Summary

The Administrator must give grants to national groups to provide training and technical help for people who handle child abuse cases. One type of grant is for prosecutors and other lawyers to improve how child abuse cases are criminally prosecuted. The other is for child abuse professionals who protect children, step in during abuse, and treat victims. Grants must raise the quality of services and support the evidence-based Children’s Advocacy Center Model and team-based responses, including program evaluation and financial oversight of federal funds. Groups getting prosecutor grants must be closely connected to state court prosecutors and have experience training them. Groups for child-abuse professionals must offer many training tools (including a digital library) and have experience training responders like police, child welfare workers, forensic interviewers, medical staff, victim advocates, and mental health providers. The Administrator must set application rules that follow other parts of the law. Prosecutor training must include better child interview methods, strong investigative techniques, agency coordination, and how to present evidence in court, including alternative courtroom procedures described in the law.

Title 34, §20305

Navy — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator shall make grants to national organizations to provide technical assistance and training to—

(1)prosecutors and other attorneys and allied professionals instrumental to the criminal prosecution of child abuse cases in State or Federal courts, for the purpose of improving the quality of criminal prosecution of such cases; and

(2)child abuse professionals instrumental to the protection of children, intervention in child abuse cases, and treatment of victims of child abuse, for the purpose of—

(A)improving the quality of such protection, intervention, and treatment; and

(B)promoting the effective delivery of the evidence-informed Children’s Advocacy Center Model and the multidisciplinary response to child abuse, including best practices in programmatic evaluation and financial oversight of Federal funding.

(b)(1)An organization to which a grant is made for specific training and technical assistance for prosecutors under subsection (a)(1) shall be one that has—

(A)a significant connection to prosecutors who handle child abuse cases in State courts, such as a membership organization or support service providers; and

(B)demonstrated experience in providing training and technical assistance for prosecutors.

(2)An organization to which a grant is made for specific training and technical assistance for child abuse professionals under subsection (a)(2) shall be one that has—

(A)a diverse portfolio of training and technical resources for the diverse professionals responding to child abuse, including a digital library to promote evidence-informed practice; and

(B)demonstrated experience in providing training and technical assistance for child abuse professionals, especially law enforcement officers, child protective service workers, prosecutors, forensic interviewers, medical professionals, victim advocates, and mental health professionals.

(c)(1)The Administrator shall establish the criteria to be used for evaluating applications for grants under this section, consistent with section 11183 and 11186 of this title.

(2)The grant criteria established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall require, in the case of a grant made under subsection (a)(1), that a program provide training and technical assistance that includes information regarding improved child interview techniques, thorough investigative methods, interagency coordination and effective presentation of evidence in court, including the use of alternative courtroom procedures described in this title.11 See References in Text note below.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This title, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), means title II of Pub. L. 101–647, known as the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title II to the Code, see

Short Title

of 1990 Act note set out under section 10101 of this title and Tables. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 13003 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section. Some section numbers or references in amendment notes below reflect the classification of such sections or references prior to editorial reclassification.

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 117–354, § 3(5)(A)(i), substituted “prosecutors and other attorneys and allied” for “attorneys and other allied”. Subsec. (a)(2)(B). Pub. L. 117–354, § 3(5)(A)(ii), inserted “Center” after “Advocacy”. Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 117–354, § 3(5)(B), added subpar. (A) and struck out former subpar. (A) which read as follows: “a broad representation of attorneys who prosecute criminal cases in State courts; and”. 2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(e)(1), substituted “to—” and pars. (1) and (2) for “to attorneys and others instrumental to the criminal prosecution of child abuse cases in State or Federal courts, for the purpose of improving the quality of criminal prosecution of such cases.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(e)(2), added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “An organization to which a grant is made pursuant to subsection (a) shall be one that has, or is affiliated with one that has, broad membership among attorneys who prosecute criminal cases in State courts and has demonstrated experience in providing training and technical assistance for prosecutors.” Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(h)(3), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 11183 and 11186 of this title. Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 115–424, § 2(e)(3), inserted “, in the case of a grant made under subsection (a)(1),” after “shall require”. 2002—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 107–273 substituted “section 5673 and 5676 of this title” for “section 5665a, 5673, and 5676 of this title”. 1992—Subsecs. (a), (c)(1). Pub. L. 102–586, § 6(d), substituted “Administrator” for “Director”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–273 effective on the first day of the first fiscal year that begins after Nov. 2, 2002, and applicable only with respect to fiscal years beginning on or after the first day of the first fiscal year that begins after Nov. 2, 2002, see section 12223 of Pub. L. 107–273, as amended, set out as a note under section 11101 of this title.

§20305 Grants for specialized technical assistance and training programs