11/03

KD8.10 Organization [68 FR 65291-65303, 11/19/03]. The Administration for Children and Families, Region VIII, Denver Office is organized as follows:

Office of the Regional Administrator (KD8A)
Office of Early Childhood Programs (KD8B)
Office of State and Tribal Programs (KD8C)

KD8.20 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. 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 which focus on 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 tribal construction 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; 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.

An administrative and program support team, under the leadership of the Regional Administrator, directs and facilitates 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, and coordinates and manages special and sensitive projects. Additionally, it manages regional administrative functions, budget planning and execution, facilities management, and human resource development. This Team serves as the focal point for regional public affairs and assists the Regional Administrator in the management of crosscutting initiatives and activities among the regional components. In addition, the Team provides internal systems, telecommunications, and data management support to regional office components.

Within the Office of the Regional Administrator, the Grants Officer, functioning independently of all program offices, provides program staff with expertise in the business and other non-programmatic areas of grant award and administration, and provides appropriate internal controls and checks and balances to ensure financial integrity in all phases of the grants process. The Grants Officer approves and signs all grants and provides guidance to program offices on more complex financial management issues. The grants staff 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 Youth Development Programs, and Adoption Assistance, Child Abuse and Neglect, Runaway and Homeless Youth, Developmental Disabilities, Head Start and Early Head Start. 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 Early Childhood Programs and the Office of State and Tribal Programs to resolve complex problems in such areas as cost allocation, accounting principles, audit, deferrals and disallowances.

B. The Office of Early Childhood Programs [68 FR 65291-65303, 11/19/03] is headed by a Deputy Regional Administrator who reports to the Regional Administrator. The Office is responsible for providing centralized program, financial management and technical administration of certain ACF discretionary and block grant programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start, Runaway and Homeless Youth, Developmental Disabilities, and Child Care Programs. The Office of Early Childhood Programs represents the Regional Administrator in dealing with ACF program offices and grantees on all program and financial management policy matters for programs under its jurisdiction. It alerts the Regional Administrator to problems or issues that have significant implications for the programs.

The Office administers the Head Start, Early Head Start, Runaway and Homeless Youth, Developmental Disabilities, and Child Care Programs and is responsible for providing centralized program, financial management and technical administration of these 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. State and Tribal 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 costs estimates and reports for ACF entitlement and formula grant programs and recommends funding levels. The Office performs systematic fiscal reviews and makes recommendations to the Regional Administrator to approve or disallow costs under ACF discretionary, entitlement and block grant programs. The Office issues grant awards based on a review of project objectives, budget projections, 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.

C. The Office of State and Tribal Programs [68 FR 65291-65303, 11/19/03] is headed by a Deputy Regional Administrator who reports to the Regional Administrator. The Office is responsible for providing centralized management, financial management services, and technical administration of certain ACF block and entitlement programs. The Office represents the Regional Administrator in dealing with ACF program offices on all program policy and financial matters for programs under its jurisdiction. It alerts the Regional Administrator to problems or issues that have significant implications for the programs.

The Office administers the Child Support Enforcement (CSE), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Welfare Services, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Youth Development, and Child Abuse and Neglect programs and is responsible for providing centralized program, financial management and technical administration of these 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 and tribal 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 costs 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.

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