This report details the results of an Audit of the Office of Justice Programs Victim Assistance Funds Subawarded by the Florida Department of Legal Affairs to Speak Up for Kids of Palm Beach County, Inc., West Palm Beach, Florida.
This audit of the Office of Justice Programs Victim Assistance Funds Subawarded by the Florida Department of Legal Affairs (FDLA) to Speak Up for Kids of Palm Beach County, Inc., West Palm Beach, Florida, concluded that Speak Up for Kids provided services to child victims of crime in West Palm Beach, Florida. Auditors found that Speak Up for Kids should improve policies and procedures related to grant financial management and should establish written policies and procedures to improve internal controls over the financial management of subawards and to ensure that its financial records accurately reflect expenditures charged to the subawards. The report recommends that OJP work with the FDLA to assist Speak Up for Kids in improving its subaward management and administration. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) provided funds to the Florida Department of Legal Affairs (FDLA) to make subawards to support victim assistance programs in the state of Florida. The purpose of the FDLA’s subawards was to provide child advocacy services to child victims of crime. As of December 2023, the FDLA had reimbursed Speak Up for Kids a cumulative amount of $1,654,533 for the subawards reviewed. The objective of this DOJ Office of the Inspector General audit was to review how Speak Up for Kids used Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds to assist crime victims and assess whether it accounted for these funds in compliance with award requirements, terms, and conditions.