A State shall be eligible for a grant under this subchapter for a fiscal year if—

(1)

(A) the Governor of the State has designated a lead entity to administer funds under this subchapter for the purposes identified under the authority of this subchapter, including to develop, implement, operate, enhance, or expand community-based and prevention-focused, programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect;

(B) such lead entity is an existing public, quasi-public, or nonprofit private entity (which may be an entity that has not been established pursuant to State legislation, executive order, or any other written authority of the State) that exists to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect with a demonstrated ability to work with other State and community-based agencies to provide training and technical assistance, and that has the capacity and commitment to ensure the meaningful involvement of parents who are consumers and who can provide leadership in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs and policy decisions of the applicant agency in accomplishing the desired outcomes for such efforts;

(C) in determining which entity to designate under subparagraph (A), the Governor should give priority consideration equally to a trust fund advisory board of the State or to an existing entity that leverages Federal, State, and private funds for a broad range of child abuse and neglect prevention activities and family resource programs, and that is directed by an interdisciplinary, public-private structure, including participants from communities; and

(D) in the case of a State that has designated a State trust fund advisory board for purposes of administering funds under this subchapter (as such subchapter was in effect on October 3, 1996) and in which one or more entities that leverage Federal, State, and private funds (as described in subparagraph (C)) exist, the Governor shall designate the lead entity only after full consideration of the capacity and expertise of all entities desiring to be designated under subparagraph (A);

(2) the Governor of the State provides assurances that the lead entity will provide or will be responsible for providing—

(A) community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect composed of local, collaborative, public-private partnerships directed by interdisciplinary structures with balanced representation from private and public sector members, parents, adult former victims of child abuse or neglect, and public and private nonprofit service providers and individuals and organizations experienced in working in partnership with families with children with disabilities;

(B) direction through an interdisciplinary, collaborative, public-private structure with balanced representation from private and public sector members, parents, adult former victims of child abuse or neglect, and public sector and private nonprofit sector service providers, and parents with disabilities; and

(C) direction and oversight through identified goals and objectives, clear lines of communication and accountability, the provision of leveraged or combined funding from Federal, State, and private sources, centralized assessment and planning activities, the provision of training and technical assistance, and reporting and evaluation functions; and

(3) the Governor of the State provides assurances that the lead entity—

(A) has a demonstrated commitment to parental participation in the development, operation, and oversight of the community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect;

(B) has a demonstrated ability to work with State and community-based public and private nonprofit organizations to develop a continuum of preventive, family centered, comprehensive services for children and families through the community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect;

(C) has the capacity to provide operational support (both financial and programmatic) ¹ training, technical assistance, and evaluation assistance, to community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect, through innovative, interagency funding and interdisciplinary service delivery mechanisms; and

(D) will integrate its efforts with individuals and organizations experienced in working in partnership with families with children with disabilities, parents with disabilities, and with the child abuse and neglect prevention activities of the State, and demonstrate a financial commitment to those activities.