10 U.S.C. § 1788: Additional family assistance

The Secretary of Defense may provide for the families of members of the armed forces serving on active duty, in addition to any other assistance available for such families, any assistance that the Secretary considers appropriate to ensure that the children of such members obtain needed child care, education, and other youth services. The assistance authorized by this section should be directed primarily toward providing needed family support, including child care, education, and other youth services, for children of members of the armed forces who are deployed, assigned to duty, or ordered to active duty in connection with a contingency operation. provide information regarding safe childcare practices to covered households; identify and assess risk factors for child abuse in covered households; and facilitate connections between covered households and community resources. The Secretary may not carry out the pilot program through the Family Advocacy Program. Urban location. Rural location. Large population. Small population. High incidence of child abuse, neglect, or both. Low incidence of child abuse, neglect, or both. Presence of a hospital or clinic. Lack of a hospital or clinic. Joint installation. Serving only one Armed Force. The pilot program shall terminate two years after implementation. The Secretary shall design the pilot program in consultation with military family groups to respond to the needs of covered households. Postnatal services, including screening to identify family needs and potential risk factors, and make referrals to appropriate community services with the use of the electronic data described in subparagraphs (F) and (G). The Secretary shall identify at least three approaches to screening, identification, and referral under subparagraph (A) that empirically improve outcomes for parents and infants. General maternal and infant health exam. Safe sleeping environments. Feeding and bathing. Adequate child supervision. Common hazards. Self-care. Postpartum depression, substance abuse, or domestic violence. Community violence. Skills for management of infant crying. Other positive parenting skills and practices. The importance of participating in ongoing healthcare for an infant and for treating postpartum depression. Finding, qualifying for, and participating in available community resources with respect to infant care, childcare, parenting support, and home visits. Planning for parenting or guardianship of children during deployment and reintegration. Such other matters as the Secretary, in consultation with military families, considers appropriate. Home visits to provide support, screening and referral services shall be offered as needed. The number of visits offered shall be guided by parental interest and family need, but in general is expected to be no more than three. the first in-home visit under subparagraph (D) shall, to the extent practicable, incorporate both parents, in person with the local parent and by electronic means with the deployed parent; and another such home visit shall be offered upon the return of the parent from deployment, and shall include both parents, if determined in the best interest of the family. An electronic directory of community resources available to covered households and pilot program personnel to help covered households access such resources. help pilot program personnel refer eligible covered beneficiaries to services and resources under the pilot program; track usage of such services and resources and interactions between such personnel and covered households; and evaluate the implementation, outcomes, and effectiveness of the pilot program. Participation in the pilot program shall be at the election of a covered beneficiary in an eligible household. Not later than 30 days after implementing the pilot program, the Secretary shall notify each covered household of the services provided under subsection (b). No later than 30 days after a birth in a covered household, the Secretary shall contact such covered household to encourage participation in the pilot program. The Secretary shall carry out no fewer than five assessments of the pilot program. For purposes of this subsection, the Secretary shall also select such number of other military installations the Secretary determines appropriate as comparison installations for purposes of assessing the outcomes of the pilot. Success in contacting covered households for participation in the pilot. The percentage of covered households that elect to participate in the pilot program. The extent to which covered households participating in the pilot program are connected to services and resources under the pilot program. The extent to which covered households participating in the pilot program use services and resources under the pilot program. Compliance of pilot program personnel with pilot program protocols. Which installations the Secretary selected for the pilot program under subsection (a)(2). Why the Secretary selected the installations described in subparagraph (A). Names of the installations the Secretary selected as comparison installations under subsection (d)(2). How the pilot program is carried out, including strategy and metrics for evaluating effectiveness of the pilot program. A comprehensive description of, and findings of, the assessments under subsection (d). A comprehensive description and assessment of the pilot. extend the term of the pilot program; expand the pilot program to additional installations; or make the pilot program permanent. If the Secretary determines that any element of the pilot program is effective, the Secretary shall implement such element permanently for the Department of Defense. contains an eligible covered beneficiary; and is located at a location selected by the Secretary for the pilot program. The term ‘eligible covered beneficiary’ means a covered beneficiary (as that term is defined in section 1072 of title 10 , United States Code) who obtains prenatal or obstetrical care in a military medical treatment facility in connection with a birth covered by the pilot program. With respect to a military installation, the term ‘community’ means the catchment area for community services of the installation, including services provided on the installation by the Secretary and services provided by State, county, and local jurisdictions in which the installation is located, or in the vicinity of the installation.” whose parent or parents serve as members of the Armed Forces on active duty (including members of the Selected Reserve on active duty pursuant to a call or order to active duty of 180 days or more); and who are affected by the deployment of their parent or parents or the relocation of the military unit of which their parent or parents are a member. The purpose of the pilot program is to develop models for improving the capability of military child and youth programs on or near military installations to provide assistance to military parents with young children through a program of activities focusing on the unique needs of children described in subsection (a). The Secretary of Defense may not commence the pilot program before October 1, 2007 , and shall conclude the pilot program not later than the end of the three-year period beginning on the date on which the Secretary commences the program. The identification and mitigation of specific risk factors for such children related to military life. The maximization of the educational readiness of such children. In selecting military installations to participate in the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall limit selection to those military installations whose military personnel are experiencing significant transition or deployment or which are undergoing transition as a result of the relocation or activation of military units or activities relating to defense base closure and realignment. At least one of the installations selected under paragraph (1) shall be a military installation that will permit, under the pilot program, the meaningful evaluation of a model under subsection (d) that provides outreach to parents in families with a parent who is a member of the National Guard or Reserve, which families live more than 40 miles from the installation. If a military installation is selected under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall require appropriate personnel at the military installation to develop goals, and specific outcome measures with respect to such goals, for the conduct of the pilot program at the installation. Upon completion of the pilot program at a military installation, the personnel referred to in paragraph (3) at the installation shall be required to conduct an evaluation and assessment of the success of the pilot program at the installation in meeting the goals developed for that installation. the goals to be developed under subsection (e)(3); specific outcome measures; and the selection of curriculum and the conduct of developmental screening under the pilot program. Upon completion of the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on all of the evaluations prepared under subsection (e)(4) for the military installations participating in the pilot program. The report shall describe the results of the evaluations, and may include such recommendations for legislative or administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate in light of the evaluations, including recommendations for the continuation of the pilot program.”