Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 2.djvu/299

 PUBLIC LAW 101-501—NOV. 3, 1990 104 STAT. 1279 assistance to families at various stages in their development. Such services shall promote parental competencies and behaviors that will lead to the healthy and positive personal development of parents and children through— (1) the provision of assistance to build family skills and assist parents in improving their capacities to be supportive and nurturing parents; (2) the provision of assistance to families to enable such families to use other formal and informal resources and opportunities for assistance that are available within the communities of such families; and (3) the creation of supportive networks to enhance the childrearing capacity of parents and assist in compensating for the increased social isolation and vulnerability of families. SEC. 958. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CENTER ON FAMILY RESOURCE AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— The Commissioner shall establish, through grant or contract, a national center for the collection and provision of programmatic information and technical assistance that relates to all types of family resource and support programs, to be known as the "National Center on Family Resource and Support Programs". (b) FUNCTIONS.— The national center established under subsection (a) shall serve as a national information and data clearinghouse, training, technical assistance, and material development source for family resource and support programs. Such center shall— (1) develop and maintain a system for disseminating information on all types of family resource and support progrsims and on the state of family resource and support program development, including information concerning the most effective model programs; (2) develop and sponsor a variety of training institutes and curricula for family resource and support program staff; (3) identify several model programs representing the various t3T)es of family resource and support programs to develop technical assistance materials and activities to assist other agencies in establishing family resource and support programs; and (4) develop State-wide networks of family resource and support programs for the purpose of sharing and disseminating information. SEC. 959. EVALUATION. The Commissioner shall, through grants or contracts awarded or entered into with independent auditors, conduct evaluations and related activities, of family resource and support programs, including— (1) evaluations of on-going programs; (2) process evaluations focusing on implementation strategies; and (3) the development of simple evaluation models for use by local family resource and support programs. SEC. 960. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTER. —To cany out section 958, there are authorized to be appropriated $2,300,000 for fiscal year 1991, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1992 through 1994. 42 USC 12353. Grant programs. Government contracts. 42 USC 12354. Grant programs. Government contracts. 42 USC 12355.

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