H.R. 2957 — STRONG Support for Children Act of 2025

This section amends Title XXXI of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300kk) by adding a new section directing the Secretary to establish a program that awards grants to up to 5 eligible entities for data analysis to identify high-risk geographic areas (e.g., census tracts with high rates of adverse childhood experiences, poor health outcomes, exclusionary school discipline, substance use disorders, poverty, foster care involvement, housing instability, food insecurity, inequities, or incarceration) and strategies to improve child outcomes, and to implement those strategies by facilitating access to trauma-informed services (e.g., home visiting, parenting education, voluntary substance use disorder prevention and treatment, mental health supports, family violence prevention, child advocacy, economic and nutrition assistance, housing services, school-based mental health, wraparound programs for foster youth, supports for LGBTQ+ children and families, and family resource centers). Grant recipients may use up to 25% of funds in the first 24 months (and 10% in subsequent years) for data analysis, up to 5% for administration and oversight (including data systems), and must comply with Medicaid primary payer rules. The Secretary must prioritize applicants using community-based system dynamic modeling.

This section establishes a grant program under which the Secretary awards not fewer than 9 and not more than 40 grants (subject to appropriations) to local governments or Indian Tribes, acting through their public health departments, to establish or expand gender-responsive, culturally specific, trauma-informed care coordination services for children aged 0 through 5 at risk of adverse childhood experiences and their caregivers, including prenatal people of any age. Grants are $250,000 to $1,000,000 per fiscal year (subject to appropriations). In awarding grants, the Secretary gives priority to high-need communities based on indicators such as barriers to prenatal care, birth or infant mortality or morbidity, caregiver mental health or substance use disorders, community violence, low-income children, child abuse or neglect fatalities or near-fatalities, birth and infant health outcome disparities, exclusionary discipline or law enforcement referrals, and homelessness or housing instability; for Tribal areas, the Secretary consults with Indian Tribes through the Indian Health Service Director to establish relevant criteria. Required uses include conducting strengths-based risk and needs assessments inputted into a centralized intake system and training grant-funded staff in trauma-informed, reparative, culturally sensitive, gender-responsive, and healing-centered strategies. Permissible uses include (1) employing care coordinators, case managers, community health workers, certified infant mental health specialists, and outreach specialists to connect clients to services addressing social determinants of health and trauma treatment; (2) training community providers and partners; (3) expanding and connecting community service networks, including outreach to homeless families; (4) compiling information on local, state, and federal resources such as housing, food, workforce development, home visiting, parenting skills, substance use and mental health programs, and early childhood education; (5) subject to statutory limits, establishing or updating databases to track grant effectiveness; and (6) developing referral partnerships with community organizations, treatment providers, housing providers, health and mental health providers, and relevant federal and state programs.