11/03

KD6.10 Organization [68 FR 65291-65303, 11/19/03]. The Administration for Children and Families, Region VI, Dallas Office, is organized as follows:

Office of the Regional Administrator (KD6A)
Office of State and Tribal Programs (KD6E)
Office of Community Programs (KD6F)

KD6.20 Functions. A. The Regional Office [ 68 FR 65291-65303, 11/19/03] is headed by a Regional Administrator, who reports to the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families through the Director, Office of Regional Operations. In addition, the Office of the Regional Administrator has a Deputy Regional Administrator and an Associate Regional Administrator. The Office is responsible for the Administration for Children and Families' key national goals and priorities. It represents ACF's regional interests, concerns, and relationships within the Department and among other Federal agencies and focuses on State agency culture change, more effective partnerships, collaborative relationships for outcomes/results, and improved, quality customer service. The Office provides executive leadership and direction to state, county, city, territorial and tribal governments, as well as to other public and private local grantees to ensure effective and efficient program and financial management. The Office ensures that these entities conform to federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures governing the programs, and exercises all delegated authorities and responsibilities for oversight of the programs.

The Office takes action to approve certain state and tribal plans, and submits its recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families concerning state plan disapproval. The Office contributes to the development of national policy based on regional perspectives for all ACF programs. It oversees ACF operations and the management of ACF regional staff; coordinates activities across regional programs; coordinates regional initiatives and operations; and assures that goals and objectives are carried out. The Office alerts the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families to problems and issues that may have significant regional or national impact. It represents ACF at the regional level in executive communications within ACF, with the HHS Regional Director, other HHS operating divisions, other federal agencies, and public or private local organizations representing children and families.

The Deputy Regional Administrator serves as the full deputy or “alter ego” to the Regional Administrator, Administration for Children and Families. The Deputy assists the Regional Administrator with responsibility for providing executive direction, leadership and coordination to all ACF programs, financial operations and related activities in the Region. The Deputy has primary responsibility for managing the day-to-day operations. In the absence of the Regional Administrator, the Deputy acts on all matters within the jurisdiction of the Regional Administrator with full authority.

Within the Office of the Regional Administrator, are the Grants Officer, Grants Advisor, the Financial Management Resource Team, and Special Initiatives operations which are under the supervision and direction of the Deputy. The Grants Officer and Grants Advisor, functioning independently of all program offices, provide program staff with expertise in the business and other non-programmatic areas of grant award and administration, and provide appropriate internal controls and checks and balances to ensure financial integrity in all phases of the grants process. The Grants Officer, who serves as the team leader of the Financial Management Resource Team, and the Grants Advisor provide guidance to program offices on more complex financial management issues. The Grants Officer approves and signs all discretionary grants. The Grants Advisor has the full delegated grant authority and serves in that capacity in the absence of the Grants Officer.

The Financial Management Resource Team is responsible for providing centralized financial management and technical administration of certain ACF discretionary, entitlement, and block grant programs. These programs include Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Child Care Programs, Child Support Enforcement, Child Welfare Services, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Child Abuse and Neglect, Developmental Disabilities, Head Start, Early Head Start and Runaway and Homeless Youth. It is responsible for ensuring that, for grants under their cognizance, both federal staff and grantees fulfill applicable statutory, regulatory, and administrative policy requirements. It provides expert grants management technical support to the Office of State and Tribal Programs and Office of Community Programs to resolve complex problems in such areas as cost allocation, accounting principles, audit, deferrals and disallowances.

The Associate Regional Administrator shares in the responsibility for executive direction, leadership and coordination to all ACF programs, financial operations and related activities in the Region. The Associate Regional Administrator has primary responsibility for regional administrative operations and management of the region’s technology programs and operations. The Associate Regional Administrator supervises administrative staff, assisting the Regional Administrator in providing day-to-day support for regional administrative functions, including coordination of the development of regional work plans related to the overall ACF strategic plan; tracks, monitors and reports on regional progress in the attainment of ACF national goals and objectives; coordinates and manages special and sensitive projects; budget planning and execution, facilities management programs and human resource development; focal point for public affairs, in accordance with the ACF Office of Public Affairs and in conjunction with the HHS Regional Director; manages cross-cutting initiatives and activities among the Regional components; and provides telecommunications and data management support to all Regional Office components, including the development of automated applications to support and enhance program, fiscal and administrative operations.

B. The Office of State and Tribal Programs [68 FR 65291-65303, 11/19/03] is headed by a Director who reports to the Regional Administrator. The Office is responsible for providing centralized management, financial management services, and technical administration of certain ACF formula, block and entitlement programs such as Child Support Enforcement (CSE), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care Programs, Child Welfare Services, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Child Abuse and Neglect, Developmental Disabilities and Tribal Programs. The Office provides policy guidance to state, county, city or town and tribal governments, grantees and public and private organizations to assure consistent and uniform adherence to federal requirements governing formula and entitlement programs. It provides guidance and direction to states, local and tribal governments and grantees to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ACF programs. State plans, Tribal plans and Tribal construction plans are reviewed and recommendations concerning state plan approval or disapproval are made to the Regional Administrator. The Office provides technical assistance to entities responsible for administering these programs to resolve identified problems, ensuring that appropriate procedures and practices are adopted, monitoring the programs to ensure their efficiency and effectiveness and establishing regional financial management priorities and reviewing cost allocation plans. The Office provides financial management services for ACF entitlement grants in the region. It also reviews cost estimates and reports for ACF entitlement grant programs and recommends funding levels. The Office performs systematic fiscal reviews and makes recommendations to the Regional Administrator to approve, defer or disallow claims for federal financial participation in ACF entitlement grant programs. As applicable, recommendations are made on the clearance and closure of audits of state programs, paying particular attention to financial management deficiencies that decrease the efficiency and effectiveness of the ACF programs and taking steps to monitor the resolution of such deficiencies. The Office represents the Regional Administrator in dealing with ACF Program Offices on all program policy and financial matters for programs under its jurisdiction. Alerts or early warnings are provided to the Regional Administrator regarding problems or issues that have significant implications for the programs.

C. The Office of Community Programs [68 FR 65291-65303, 11/19/03] is headed by a Director who reports to the Regional Administrator. The Office is responsible for providing centralized program, financial management and technical administration of ACF discretionary grant programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start, and Runaway and Homeless Youth programs. The Office provides policy guidance to state, county, city or town and tribal governments and public and private organizations to assure consistent and uniform adherence to federal requirements. The Office provides technical assistance to entities responsible for administering these programs to ensure that the appropriate procedures and practices are adopted, and monitoring the programs to ensure their efficiency and effectiveness. The Office performs systematic fiscal reviews and makes recommendations to the Regional Administrator to approve or disallow costs under ACF discretionary grant programs. The Office issues certain discretionary grant awards based on a review of project objectives, budget projects, and proposed funding levels. As applicable, recommendations are made on the clearance and closure of audits of grantee programs, paying particular attention to financial management deficiencies that decrease the efficiency and effectiveness of the ACF programs and taking steps to monitor the resolution of such deficiencies. The Office represents the Regional Administrator in dealing with ACF program offices on all program policy and financial matters for programs under its jurisdiction. Alerts or early warnings are provided to the Regional Administrator regarding problems or issues that have significant implications for the programs.

return to table of contents