Form M-7F Form M-7F Voluntary Agency Site Visit Guide

Updated: 02/20/20 OMB 0970-0564 [valid through MM/DD/2024]

OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

Division of unaccompanied Children Operations

VOLAG Site VISIT GUIDE

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To be completed by the Program Director and returned to the ORR/UCP UAC Monitor.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

1. Describe how the organizational structure ensures effective implementation of the Unaccompanied Children’s (UC) program as required by Federal regulations?

2. Provide names of the main VOLAG staff that provide oversight and monitoring of the long-term foster care (LTFC) and transitional foster care (TFC) sub-recipient(s) and explain their roles and responsibilities.

3. Describe VOLAG’ relationship with the LTFC and TFC subcontractor.

4. Describe VOLAG’ relationship with ORR/DUCO headquarters and field staff, DHS, and GDIT Case Coordinators.

5. Do you coordinate or attend a monthly meeting with the other stakeholders? If not, why not?

6. Provide a list of all of the sub-recipient’s policies, procedures, pamphlets, and UAC documents that have been referred to the assigned ORR Project Officer for clearance? Sexual Abuse Prevention Coordinator for clearance? Date of referral? Status of ORR clearance?

QUALITY ASSURANCE/ INTERNAL MONITORING

1. Describe how your agency monitors the quality of the program areas listed below. Include how often the program areas are monitored, the entity/individual responsible for monitoring (e.g. sub-recipient and/or VOLAG), the monitoring tools used, and the actions taken when noncompliance is detected.

• UAC case files

• UAC Portal files

• Subcontractor personnel files

• Foster parent files

• Foster parent and subcontractor staff training

• Educational services

• Vocational services

• Independent living services (LTFC)

• Recreational services

• Medical, dental, and mental health services for UAC

• Residential structure, furniture, and equipment

• Legal services

• UAC placement suitability

• Admission and orientation services

• General program operations

• Staff adherence to confidentiality procedures

• Staff adherence to media P&P

• Subcontractor’s quarterly/annual reports

• Subcontractor’s internal policies and procedures ensuring the maintenance, safety (including safety from maltreatment), and security of UAC

• Accurate and timely submission of SIRs

CASE MANAGEMENT/RELEASE AND REUNIFICATION

1. Describe how VOLAG accepts and makes LTFC placement determinations.

2. Describe your agency’s release and family reunification procedures.

3. Describe VOLAG procedures for keeping and safeguarding closed files after a child has been discharged from the care of one of the sub-recipients.

HEALTH SERVICES

1. How does VOLAG ensure/assist their subcontractors nationwide in establishing collaborative relationships with medical providers?

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

1. If applicable, describe VOLAG nationwide process for referring children to an outside provider (including timeframes) when a mental health problem has been identified.

2. If applicable, describe VOLAG nationwide Mental Health P&P.

3. If applicable, describe and/or attach VOLAG nationwide Behavior Management P&P.

OTHER SERVICES

1. If applicable, describe VOLAG nationwide procedures when a child is deemed a runaway risk?

2. If applicable, describe how VOLAG nationwide procedures are responsive to UAC with trafficking concerns.

3. If applicable, describe VOLAG nationwide UAC grievance procedures.

4. If applicable, describe VOLAG nationwide sub-recipients staff grievance procedures.

ADMINISTRATION

1. Who provides staff training to subcontractors? How often?

2. Who writes VOLAG quarterly program progress reports?

3. Describe the procedures for approving key personnel.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

1. Describe how the agency conducts background checks for staff that may have unsupervised, direct access to children or youth.

   • Provide detailed summary explaining background checks that are completed on staff prior to hire/direct access to UAC.

   • Provide detailed summary explaining background re-investigation checks that are completed after initial background check clearance for staff. How often do they occur?

   • Provide detailed explanation of the documentation in the HR file confirming that the FBI fingerprint check and the child abuse/neglect check have been completed for all staff.

   • Explain how the agency determines if subject has resided in another state during five year period prior to hire or start date.

• Provide detailed summary explaining your agency requirements for FBI Fingerprint Checks and Child Abuse/Neglect Checks. (attach policy/procedure)

• Provide the following documentation in ‘password’ protected attachment:

  1. list of all staff hired in last two calendar years:

     1. name

     2. position

     3. start date

     4. date PASS FBI fingerprint check

     5. date PASS CA/N check

     6. resident of state for last five years (yes or no)

     7. Please note any issues with checks; if staff resided in another state (indicate when CA/N check PASSED for that state). Provide an explanation if it was not a ‘PASS’ prior to hire/start date.

FINANCE

1. How do the subcontractors work with the Finance and Human Resources department at VOLAG headquarters?

2. What are the procedures for determining the reasonableness/allowability/allocation of expenditures made from grant funds?

3. Is there someone trained and assigned to implement these policies and procedures?

4. Who prepares the monthly financial invoices and the SF-425 (financial report)?

5. Has the agency received donations in the last Fiscal Year? If so, how did the agency use the donated items? How did the agency account for these funds in the overall budget?

6. In the last fiscal year, have there been any profit/income generated from UAC vocational/arts & crafts projects? If so, how does your agency account for these funds?

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED OR ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROGRAM

To expedite the monitoring process, please email the completed Monitoring Site Visit Guide as well as copies of the following materials to ____________________.

1. Organizational chart for VOLAG (UAC program only);

2. VOLAG monitoring protocols;

3. VOLAG desk and on-site monitoring tools and instruments (checklists, questionnaires, internal reports, etc.);

4. VOLAG quality assurance tools or resources;

5. Fiscal Year 2019 and 2020 monitoring and site visit reports and any relevant follow up;

6. VOLAG monitoring schedule for Fiscal Year 2019 and 2020;

7. Current UAC Handbook/Manual provided to UACs during orientation for each sub-recipient;

8. Current state license for each sub-recipient; and

9. Formal agreements/subcontracts or Memorandums of Understandings with local service providers and the sub-recipients.

THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) STATEMENT OF PUBLIC BURDEN: The purpose of this information collection is to allow ORR Monitoring Team staff to collect information and supporting documents related to the overall functioning and oversight of the care provider program as part of the pre-monitoring process for biennial site visits. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 8 hours per response (plus an additional 28 hours if the site visit is performed by a contractor monitor), including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. This is a mandatory collection of information (Homeland Security Act, 6 U.S.C. 279). An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. If you have any comments on this collection of information please contact UCPolicy@acf.hhs.gov.