Program Monitoring Form - NASCSP

COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT (CSBG)
PROGRAM MONITORING GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
The primary reason for CSBG monitoring is to improve program operations and to assure
compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and contractual agreements. Program monitoring
should identify both strengths and weaknesses and provide in resolving programmatic deficiencies.
The results and recommendations generated by program monitoring will be shared in an exit
interview with local agency personnel.
Date(s) of Field Evaluation:
Program Monitors:
Legal Name of Agency: .
Address:
Phone Number:
Counties Served:
PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM MONITORING
STAFF:
Agency Director:
Fiscal Officer:
Staff Member(s):
The following materials should be available for the program monitoring visit:
1. Agency bylaws
2. Agency personnel and fiscal policies manuals
3. Minutes of Board and Executive Committee meetings for the past year
4. Agency Work Plans for current and preceding program years
5. Notices, minutes of public hearings held in the past year
6. Regular Financial and Program Reports
7. Client files
8. Names, addresses, occupation and term of all board members

I. AGENCY OPERATIONS
1. Section 676(b)(1): Does the agency provide a range of services and activities
having a measurable and potentially major impact on causes of poverty in the
community or those areas of the community where poverty is a particularly
acute problem?
YES
NO
2. Does the agency provide activities that are designed to assist low-income
families and individuals, including families and individuals receiving
assistance under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et
seq.), homeless families and individuals, migrant or seasonal farmworkers,
and elderly low-income individuals and families?
YES
NO
a) to remove obstacles and solve problems that block the achievement of
self-sufficiency (including self-sufficiency for families and individuals
who are attempting to transition off a State program carried out under
part A of title IV of the Social Security Act)?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:
b) to secure and retain meaningful employment?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:
c) to attain an adequate education with particular attention toward
improving literacy skills of low-income families in the communities
involved, which may include carrying out family literacy initiatives?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:

d) to help to make better use of available income?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:
e) to obtain and maintain adequate housing and a suitable living
environment?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided
f) to obtain emergency assistance through loans, grants or other means to
meet immediate and urgent family and individual needs including the
need for health services, nutritious food, housing and employment
related assistance?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:
g) to achieve greater participation in the affairs of the communities
involved, including the development of public and private grassroots
partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, local housing
authorities, private foundations, and other public and private partners
to document best practices based on successful grassroots intervention
in urban areas, to develop methodologies for widespread replication,
and strengthen and improve relationships with local law enforcement
agencies, which may include participation in activities such as
neighborhood or community policing efforts and to make more
effective use of and to coordinate with, other programs (including
State welfare reform efforts)?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:

h) to address the needs of youth in low-income communities through
youth development programs that support the primary role of family,
give priority to the prevention of youth problems and crime, and
promote increased community coordination and collaboration in
meeting the needs of youth, and support development and expansion
of innovative community-based youth development programs that
have demonstrated success in preventing or reducing youth crime,
such as programs for the establishment of violence-free zones that
would involve youth development and intervention models (such as
models involving youth mediation, youth mentoring, life skills
training, job creation, and entrepreneurship programs), and afterschool
child care programs?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:
3. Does the agency provide on an emergency basis for the provision of such
supplies and services, nutritious foodstuffs, related services, as may be necessary
to counteract conditions of starvation and malnutrition among lowincome
individuals (Section 676(b)(4))?
YES NO
Activities/Services Provided:
4. Does the agency coordinate and establish linkages between governmental and
other social services programs to assure the effective delivery of such services
to low-income individuals and to avoid duplication of such services, and to
coordinate the provision of employment and training activities in communities
with entities providing activities through statewide and local work-force
investment systems under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Section
676(b)5))?
YES
NO
Activities/Services Provided:

5. Does the agency coordinate with other anti-poverty programs in the region,
including emergency energy crisis intervention programs under Title XXVI
(relating to low income home energy assistance) in efforts to ameliorate
poverty in the community (Section 676(b)(6))?
YES
NO
Other anti-poverty programs:
6. Board of Directors (Section 676B(a) & Section 676(b)(10))
A. Does the agency maintain a broadly representative board which meets
the requirements of the CSBG Act with the board selected by the
funded agency (Section 676B(a))?
YES
NO
B. Number of Board Members:
1) 1/3 public elected officials, their designees, or other public
officials?
YES
NO
2) At least one-third democratically selected representatives of the
low income in the area served?
YES
NO
Selection Process:
3) Are the remaining members officials or members of business,
industry, labor, religious, law enforcement, education, or other
major groups and interests in the area served?
YES
NO
Selection Process:

4) Do the Board members reside in or conduct regular business
activities in the agency=s service area?
YES
NO
5) Is the ethnic make-up of the Board reflective of the ethnic
make-up of the area served?
YES
NO
What ethnic groups, if any, are under-represented?
6) Does the agency maintain a roster of board membership?
YES
NO
7) Are any board members serving beyond expiration dates
specified in the bylaws? If yes, which members?
YES
NO
C) What procedures have been established for a low-income individual,
community organization, or religious organization, or a representative
of low income individuals that considers its organization or low
income individuals to be inadequately represented on the board to
petition for adequate representation on the board?
D) Powers of Governing Board
1) Do the bylaws adequately outline the Board's responsibilities?
YES
NO
2) Do the bylaws allow an Executive Committee?
If so, are the Executive Committee's responsibilities clearly
outlined?
YES
NO
3) Are committee actions approved or ratified by the full Board as
appropriate?
YES
NO

4) Do the bylaws prescribe a procedure for creating committees
and selecting members of committees?
YES
NO
5) Does the structure of committees reflect Board composition?
YES
NO
6) What is the effective date of the bylaws?
7) Have the bylaws been properly adopted or revised?
YES
NO
8) Have the bylaws been reviewed or revised in the past 12
months?
YES
NO
What is the date of the most recent review/revision of the
bylaws?
E. Board Training
1) How are Board members made aware of their responsibilities
as Board and Committee members before accepting a position?
2) Is there a Board manual?
YES
NO
3) Does the Board discuss and plan types of training to improve
its own performance?
YES
NO
F. Board Meetings
1) Are minutes of all Board and Committee meetings taken and
maintained in a central file?
YES
NO
a) Are the minutes signed by a responsible meeting
participant?
YES
NO
b) Does the format of the minutes provide for accurate
reporting of actual business conducted and actions
taken?
YES
NO

c) Are minutes typed and mailed to Board members
sufficiently in advance of meetings to provide
opportunity for review?
YES
NO
2) Are Board and/or Committee members receiving adequate,
timely notice of meetings, (i.e., time, place and agenda)?
YES
NO
a) What is the length of prior notice?
b) What methods are used to notify members?
c) What methods are used to notify the public?
3) Are the frequency and duration of Board/Committee meetings
adequate to cover at least discussion of and action on priority
issues?
YES
NO
4) Board and Committee meetings attendance
a) During the preceding year has the Board failed to have
a quorum? When?
YES
NO
b) Does attendance at meetings reflect equitable balance
of the 3 key sectors?
YES
NO
If not, what sector(s) is/are not participating
adequately?

c) Do non-members frequently attend Board meetings?
YES
NO
Are they provided the opportunity to participate in
discussion or to provide input?
YES
NO
5) Are meetings conducted in accordance with accepted rules of
order?
YES
NO
6) Are meeting minutes, financial reports and other explanatory
materials adequately explained to members and reviewed
during meetings?
YES
NO

II.
PROGRAM OPERATIONS
1. Program Management
A. Has the agency complied with program requirements pertaining to
application, records and reporting?
YES
NO
B. Are agency and client records maintained for each year?
YES
NO
C. Are records kept according to grant requirements?
YES
NO
D. Is the client count unduplicated?
YES
NO
E. Is a client contact sheet used?
YES
NO
F. Does the agency record the number of persons/households served?
YES
NO
G. Does the agency collect data on outcomes based on the Results
Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) System?
YES
NO
H. Is client eligibility for services determined? Explain agency process.
YES
NO
I. Are agency services available throughout the service area? If not,
explain:
YES
NO
J. How are clients identified?
K. How does the agency do client and agency outreach within the service
area?

L. What is the agency relationship with city and county governments
within the service area?
M. What is the agency relationship with other service providers within the
service area?
2. PLANNING CAPABILITY AND PROCESS
A. How does the agency develop the community action plan for CSBG?
B. Who participates in the process?
C. What methods are used to obtain input from low income persons?
D. What priority needs, if any, that have been identified through the
planning process have not been addressed in the agency=s CSBG plan
or other program plans?

E. What steps has the agency taken to diversify the sources of funding for
its low income assistance efforts? What other sources of funding are
received by the agency?
F. Has the agency conducted an organizational evaluation the past year?
YES
NO
Describe the evaluation process and indicate any organizational
deficiencies that were identified or any corrective actions that were
taken.
G. Did the agency evaluate program performance in the past year?
YES
NO
Describe any programmatic deficiencies that were identified and/or
any corrective actions that were taken.
.

III.
REVIEW OF PROGRAM AND CASE FILES

IV.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The undersigned conducted the Program Monitoring of ______________________________________
and met with agency representatives to discuss the findings.
________________________________________
Signature
________________________________________
Date
________________________________________
Signature
________________________________________
Date
I have reviewed the Program Monitoring report and agree to undertake the corrective actions
recommended herein.
________________________________________
Board Chairperson
________________________________________
Date
________________________________________
Agency Director
________________________________________
Date