Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program

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This NOFO has been modified. Section II. Federal Award Information has been updated to change award amount based on budget period. 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.  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.     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. Under Aspire, the following activities are required throughout the project period: Provide comprehensive, culturally, and linguistically responsive case management to foreign national children who have experienced labor and/or sex trafficking. 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. 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. Please visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/oro/regional-offices for a list of ACF regions. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, 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).  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 domestic and 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.

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