Executive Summary:

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement is to establish by cooperative agreement a National Resource Center for Tribes (NRCT).  NRCT will serve as a member of the Children's Bureau's (CB) Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance Network (T/TA Network) which is designed to improve child welfare systems and to support States and Tribes in achieving sustainable, systemic change that results in greater safety, permanency, and well-being for children, youth, and families.  NRCT will become the Network's focal point for coordinated and culturally competent training and technical assistance to Tribes.  The center is intended to successfully engage Tribes, to enhance their access to and utilization of the T/TA Network, to broker T/TA, to assist in the provision of T/TA as needed, to facilitate peer-to-peer consultation between Tribes regarding child welfare issues, and to increase cultural competence and sensitivity to Tribal voices in the T/TA Network and in State child welfare systems.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Statutory Authority

The statutory authority for this announcement is 93.658 Social Security Act, as amended, Title IV-E Section 476(c). The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 amended Section 476 by adding at the end the following:

(c) Technical Assistance and Implementation Services for Tribal Programs

           (1) AUTHORITY - The Secretary shall provide technical assistance and implementation services that are dedicated to improving services and permanency outcomes for Indian children and their families through the provision of assistance

Description

Background

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the Federal Government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.  Within HHS, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is the agency responsible for Federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.  The Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), within ACF, administers national programs for children and youth; works with States, Tribes, and local communities to develop services that support and strengthen family life; seeks joint ventures with the private sector to enhance the lives of children and their families; and provides information and other assistance to parents.  Many of the programs administered by ACYF focus on children from low-income families; abused and neglected children; children and youth in need of foster care, independent living, adoption or other child welfare services; preschool children; children with disabilities; runaway and homeless youth; and children from Native American and migrant families. 

Within ACYF, CB plans, manages, coordinates, and supports child abuse and neglect prevention and child welfare services programs.  CB is the agency within the Federal Government that is responsible for assisting child welfare systems by promoting continuous improvement in the delivery of child welfare services. CB programs are designed to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of all children, including those in foster care, available for adoption, recently adopted, abused, neglected, dependent, disabled, or homeless, and to prevent the neglect, abuse, and exploitation of children. 

The purpose of CB's programs is to promote strengthening of the family unit in order to help prevent the unnecessary separation of children from their families and encourage reunifying families, when possible, if separation has occurred.  State and Tribal child welfare systems are designed to deliver direct services that protect children who have suffered maltreatment, who are at risk for maltreatment, or who are under the care and placement responsibility of the State and/or Tribe because their families are unable to care for them.  These systems also focus on securing permanent legal placement with families, such as reunification, guardianship, and adoption for children and youth who are unable to return home. (For more information about CB's programs, visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb.)

Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance Network

CB's Child Welfare T/TA Network is designed to improve child welfare systems and to support States and Tribes in achieving sustainable, systemic change that results in greater safety, permanency, and well-being for children, youth, and families.  The T/TA Network is currently comprised of a group of T/TA providers funded entirely or partially by CB through grants, contracts, and interagency agreements.  For over a decade, CB has provided funding for a growing network of National Resource Centers (NRC's), the Child Welfare Information Gateway, and other child welfare T/TA providers.

T/TA Network members serve a variety of systems, agencies, organizations, and institutions and perform a diverse range of services.  Despite being authorized by different statutes and charged with diverse tasks and objectives, members of the T/TA Network are collectively charged with the successful promotion of systems change that will ultimately improve outcomes for children, youth, and families in the United States and its territories.  T/TA Network members hold program-specific topical expertise in multiple aspects of child welfare systems and across the continuum of child welfare practice and as such, they are expected to provide States and Tribes with the necessary information, T/TA, and consultation to build capacity within their child welfare systems.  Together, T/TA Network members are expected to facilitate positive change in service delivery, and in some cases comprehensive cross-system reforms, that collectively build systemic capacity and result in more effective and promising practice.

Knowledge development and transfer, leadership development, information management, and dissemination of effective and promising practices have all been key objectives of the T/TA Network.  While network members have overlapping responsibilities in several of these areas, their roles are also complementary.  National Quality Improvement Centers (NQICs) develop knowledge by demonstrating and evaluating innovative practices.  NRCs transfer knowledge to State, Tribal, and local systems and identify evidence-based approaches, while serving as repositories of national expertise in topical areas of child welfare.  Child Welfare Information Gateway houses, manages, produces, and disseminates child welfare information and resources.  The Workforce Institute delivers training and cultivates leadership among professionals in child welfare.  The Technical Assistance Implementation Centers provide resources and in-depth, long-term technical assistance to implement multi-year State and Tribal projects for systemic change.  Other members of the T/TA Network support similar activities intended to build capacity, improve systems, and improve policy and practice in child welfare.  More information about T/TA Network members can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/tta/index.htm.)

CB NRCs are important members of the CB T/TA Network. The following table lists the CB NRC funding opportunities that are being announced in Fiscal Year 2009.

One T/TA Network

CB expects for its T/TA providers to function as "one T/TA Network.". Members are expected to function as a seamless entity in their provision of T/TA service delivery to States and Tribes.  They are expected to individually provide topical expertise as a part of the whole T/TA Network; each member of the Network is expected to: collaborate; coordinate their T/TA; perform project activities that complement one another; subscribe to common principles; cross refer to the appropriate T/TA Network member as needed to be responsive to the needs of States and Tribes; and participate fully in common messaging that clearly identifies each provider with the T/TA Network.

Whenever a T/TA Network member performs activities and provides T/TA that are either entirely or partially supported by CB, these services must be clearly identified with the T/TA Network and perceived by the individual provider's client to be a service of CB.  States and Tribes should be made aware of any existing T/TA Network efforts related to their child welfare systems.  All T/TA Network members are expected to inform their clients about the full array of relevant T/TA Network resources when addressing requests for T/TA.  Integrated service delivery must be pursued when beneficial to the client and collaboration shall take precedence over concerns about an individual TA provider's scope of responsibility.  A T/TA Network member is expected to consult and partner with its Network peers at the request of a client or if additional support or expertise is appropriate, when such collaboration would increase the likelihood of successfully achieving the objectives of the T/TA, and/or when it is appropriate to do so in order to effectively address the T/TA needs of the client.

Coordination

For several years, CB has worked closely with the T/TA Network to continuously develop a more coordinated strategy and approach to working with States and Tribes.  This was a progression from the previous work and mission of the NRCs, which historically worked independently of one another in the provision of T/TA. Collaboration, communication, and coordination among T/TA Network members have greatly increased as a result of this evolution.  Membership in the T/TA Network has been expanded in response to the important contributions that the variety of CB initiatives offer in building capacity for systemic change.  T/TA Network members have developed into a community of resources and centers of topical expertise that are flexible, responsive, collaborative, and coordinated in responding to changing Federal priorities and emerging challenges from the field.  To this end, CB is committed to continuing to plan, implement, and foster a stronger, formalized, coordinated, and seamless T/TA strategy across the network of T/TA providers to support State and Tribal child welfare systems in their change efforts.

CB does not expect any individual T/TA provider to have comprehensive expertise across all aspects of child welfare practice in a child welfare system.  Therefore, NRCs are expected to regularly engage their peers in joint consultation, training, and other T/TA activities when collaboration or partnership is necessary to most effectively serve clients' T/TA needs.  NRCs will collaborate and work closely with Federal staff in CB central and regional offices when States and Tribes submit requests for on-site T/TA and other substantial services.  Each NRC will follow all approval and coordination procedures for T/TA requests and will work cooperatively with the entity designated by CB to coordinate T/TA delivery.  Each NRC will be prepared to serve, if necessary, as a facilitator of collaborative consultation and training in response to T/TA requests related to its area of focus and topical expertise.  NRCs will refer requests to other T/TA Network members when appropriate and collaborate when the expertise of more than one provider is necessary to achieve the objectives of a T/TA request or need.  CB expects T/TA Network members to operate collectively as a single, integrated T/TA service delivery system, providing coordinated and timely implementation delivery of T/TA that avoids delays or duplication of effort.

Systems of Care Framework

T/TA Network members who provide services directly to child welfare agencies and courts are expected to subscribe to a common set of guiding principles.  The Systems of Care (SOC) framework has become the foundation for an evolving model of practice that guides the way that the NRCs, Implementation Centers, and other T/TA entities support States and Tribes in their pursuit of necessary systemic change.  CB expects T/TA Network members to operate collectively as a single, integrated T/TA service delivery system.

Adopted from its application in the mental health field, SOC refers to a conceptual framework and set of principles that directs child welfare agencies and systems to pursue individualized, coordinated, and holistic approaches to working with children, youth, and families.  In child welfare, SOC is characterized by shared, cross-cutting principles and a continuum of integrated services from prevention to permanency support that span programs, agencies, and institutions.  A SOC approach is community-based, child-centered, family-focused, strengths-based, culturally competent, and comprehensive.  It addresses the physical, mental, emotional, social, educational, and developmental needs of children, youth and their families while taking into account the individual, family, community, and broader systemic risk and protective factors that contribute to a child's safety and well-being.  (More information regarding SOC can be found at http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/service/soc/.)

In the context of T/TA service delivery, subscribing to SOC principles means that NRCT is expected to collaborate with other T/TA Network members and CB and to collectively offer client-centered, individualized, and strengths-based services to States and Tribes. Together, members of the T/TA Network will build relationships and engage child welfare systems.  Frequently, they will conduct joint assessments, provide collaborative consultation, and produce shared products, particularly in programmatic areas where T/TA entities share responsibility for practice issues.  Network members will accept individual and shared accountability for the quality of their consultation and products and their ability to facilitate sustainable systemic change.  Furthermore, NRCT is responsible for ensuring that the consumers of its T/TA, State and Tribal child welfare systems and ultimately the children, youth, and families they serve, have a voice in decision-making regarding the quality and content of service provision.  (Further information about implementing SOC principles in child welfare can be found in Primer Hands On Child Welfare, Improving Child Welfare Outcomes through Systems of Care: Building the Infrastructure, and other publications at http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/service/soc/build/soctoolkit.cfm.  More information about changing systems can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/changing_culture.htm.)

Once a State or Tribe has identified a particular need, barrier, or issue that requires attention, an NRC is expected to partner with its T/TA peers, CB, and the client to comprehensively assess and mutually define the problem in the context of broader systemic conditions.  Rather than assuming that a problem is isolated, NRCT will approach identified problems as opportunities for further investigation, broad systems thinking, and change that will result in sustainable improvement.

National Resource Center for Tribes

In 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) (P.L. 95-608) was enacted "to protect the best interests of Indian children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families."  The legislation established "minimum Federal standards for the removal of Indian children from their families and the placement of such children in foster or adoptive homes."  ICWA identified circumstances in which Tribes have exclusive jurisdiction over child custody proceedings involving Indian children and instances when an Indian child's Tribe has the authority to intervene in State court proceedings for foster care placement or the termination of parental rights.  ICWA also authorized grants to support Indian child and family service programs and allowed for funds to be made available through programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are currently 562 Federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes in the United States (http://www.doi.gov/bia/).  These sovereign nations, communities, and systems have varying degrees of capacity to exercise the authority described under ICWA and to provide child welfare services, but many play a critical role in the support of families and the placement and care of children.  While exact information about numbers of Tribal children involved with child welfare services remains elusive, the data reported to Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)_ on race and ethnicity does suggest that American Indian and Alaska Native children are overrepresented among all children entering foster care.  As reported in AFCARS for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native children entering foster care in 20 States was at least one and one-half times larger than the percentage of these children in the States' general child populations.

Data about the prevalence of American Indian and Alaska Native children in State and Tribal foster care and the role of Tribes in child welfare service delivery suggest that Tribes are a crucial audience for T/TA. Tribes play a critical role in child welfare service delivery.  The primary goal of NRCT is to build the capacities of Tribal agencies, courts, and organizations to support the successful administration of child welfare programs and to provide effective child welfare services.  NRCT is expected to identify and meet the child welfare needs of Tribes, improve Tribal child welfare practice, and help Tribes achieve greater safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families.  NRCT will also promote the delivery of culturally appropriate services to all American Indian and Alaska Native children, youth and families.

Expectations

NRC services will support the delivery of child welfare services in modalities which strengthen parental capacity and reflect approaches that are family-centered, community-based, and individually-focused.   Enhancement of service delivery models which strengthen such practices will be viewed as a relevant consideration in development of training and technical assistance activities.  NRCT services will support the following:

• Family-centered practice designed to strengthen and empower families to protect and nurture their children; safely preserve family relationships and connections when appropriate; recognize the strong influence social systems have on individual behavior; enhance family autonomy; respect the rights, values and cultures of families; and focus on an entire family rather than selected individuals within a family. 
  
  
• Community-based practice designed to support the needs of children within the context of their families and communities; emphasize prevention-oriented services and support; and provide local communities a role in identifying, designing, implementing and overseeing services within the community. 
  
  
• Individualized services designed to tailor interventions to meet the specific needs of children, youth, and families served; recognize that children, youth and families are affected by both individual and environmental factors; recognize that children, youth, families and the environments in which they operate are unique; and offer children, youth and families opportunities to provide input into their strengths, needs, and goals and the means to achieve those goals.
  
  
• Strengthening parental capacity is achieved through practices that enhance services and support for mothers and fathers and recognize the value of involving both parents in care of their children, promote parents' strengths and self-esteem by emphasizing partnership with service providers, and balance parental need for autonomy in decision-making with the need for ongoing support.

NRCT is also expected to:

• Function as a case manager in terms of providing T/TA to Tribes.  NRCT will accept requests from Tribes, do an assessment, identify the T/TA needs and coordinate provision with the members of the T/TA Network.  NRCT will ensure cultural sensitivity for each request and, if necessary, assist in the provision of the T/TA;
  
  
• Subscribe to a SOC framework in the coordination, administration, and delivery of T/TA;
  
  
• Partner closely with CB, members of the T/TA Network, Tribes, States, and other regional and national stakeholders;
  
  
• Convene an advisory board that involves direct and indirect consumers of T/TA including families, youth, and other stakeholders in decision-making about NRCT activities and T/TA;
  
  
• Perform outreach activities that will establish and maintain relationships that engage Tribes and promote their participation in networking activities, utilization of T/TA consultation and  resources, and involvement in other project activities;
  
  
• Partner with CB's Implementation Centers to address systemic issues requiring intensive, long-term technical assistance for implementation and to identify Tribes that have plans for systemic change that may be appropriate candidates for implementation projects;
  
  
• Provide consultation to T/TA Network members to enhance the cultural appropriateness of their T/TA activities to improve Tribal child welfare systems;
  
  
• Partner with Tribes to better understand the specific cultural context of its respective community and to identify, adapt, and implement child welfare programs and practices that are tailored to the needs of its systems, children, and families;
  
  
• Function as a case manager to ensure individualized T/TA that supports the comprehensive assessment of Tribal child welfare issues, development of sound strategic plans for sustainable change, coordination with existing services and resources in the CB T/TA Network available to Tribes, and implementation of effective strategies for improved Tribal child welfare practice;
  
  
• Build the capacity of Tribes to achieve systemic change and improve outcomes for children and families;
  
  
• Conduct and complete a thorough assessment of current Tribal child welfare needs, practices, and issues during Year One of the award and prepare a report for CB based on its findings;
  
  
• Formulate a plan based on its assessment in Year One for future NRCT activities including networking, provision of T/TA, and the development and dissemination of products and resources;
  
  
• Support and facilitate regional peer-to-peer mentoring and networking between Tribal child welfare systems regarding issues related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of Tribal child welfare services;
  
  
• Plan, organize, facilitate, and fund Tribal child welfare meetings (including funding fully or partially allowable costs of travel, lodging, and meals for participants);
  
  
• Design, build, and maintain a publicly accessible website to facilitate dissemination of information and products and to achieve other objectives of the project;
  
  
• Create and disseminate necessary and useful products and resources that will improve Tribal child welfare practice;
  
  
• Utilize relevant information and knowledge gained from the child welfare field and from CB's discretionary research and demonstration projects as a resource to inform project activities and improve T/TA throughout the project;
  
  
• Participate fully in any national cross-site evaluation activities;
  
  
• Develop and conduct a center-specific evaluation; and
  
  
• Present center-specific evaluation findings to CB and the T/TA Network.

Roles and Responsibilities

NRCT is expected to become a knowledgeable source of cultural competency in working with Tribal communities, and to provide consultation, training, and resources for Tribal child welfare systems.  As a member of CB's T/TA Network, the NRCT will become the focal point for coordinated and culturally competent training and technical assistance to Tribes.  NRCT is intended to successfully engage Tribes, to enhance their access to and utilization of the T/TA Network, to assess Tribal child welfare need and broker T/TA, and to facilitate peer-to-peer consultation between Tribes regarding child welfare issues.  The NRCT will also work to increase cultural competence and sensitivity to Tribal voices in the T/TA Network and in State child welfare systems.

CB periodically articulates its priorities for the T/TA Network and identifies critical and emerging issues that specific NRCs will address with targeted T/TA activities (i.e., peer-to-peer dialogue, resource development, and dissemination).  The NRCT will work with CB and other members to address these priorities throughout the project period.

Collaboration

NRCT will lead collaborative efforts related to Tribal child welfare practice and culturally competent practice with Tribal child welfare systems and American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.  NRCT will function as a case manager in responding to T/TA requests for the Tribes.  It will perform an assessment with the Tribe, identify T/TA needs and broker within the Network to arrange for the provision of T/TA.  It will assist in the provision of coordinated, culturally competent T/TA as needed.   NRCT will be the primary provider of T/TA to build the capacities of Tribal child welfare systems.  NRCT will frequently rely on the knowledge of its peers in their respective areas of expertise and on their experience working with Tribes and States to pursue systemic change.  CB expects, for example, NRCT to partner closely with the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Legal and Judicial Issues and the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections to share information and explore practice issues related to ICWA.  Similarly, NRCT will consult with the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Data and Technology to address issues related to building and improving Tribal technological infrastructure and conducting data collection.  NRCT is expected to consult and partner with members across the T/TA Network on a range of practice issues from the prevention of abuse and neglect in Tribal communities to customary adoption.  NRCT will be pivotal in the delivery of culturally competent T/TA to Tribes.  The Center will also become a key resource for enhancing the cultural appropriateness of T/TA that other Network members provide to improve the practice of Tribes and States with American Indian and Alaska Native children, youth, and families.

In addition, NRCT will provide consultation to CB's Implementation Centers and participate in collaborative assessment activities and preparation that will support their execution of Tribal implementation projects.  NRCT will work with Child Welfare Information Gateway to ensure that products and resources related to Tribal child welfare are easily accessible and effectively disseminated.  NRCT will also explore opportunities to collaborate with other T/TA Network members, like the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, to support the development of Tribal child welfare expertise and leadership across the country. 

NRCT must also reach out to partners in other service systems beyond child welfare.   Members of the T/TA Network like the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and the National TA Center for Children's Mental Health should be fully utilized, but NRCT is also expected to build relationships with other Federal providers of T/TA to Tribes.  NRCT will work with CB to identify and pursue T/TA partnerships across Federal bureaus, offices, and agencies.

Advisory Board

In collaboration with CB and other members of the T/TA Network, NRCT will establish a Tribal Child Welfare Advisory Board (Advisory Board).  The Advisory Board will review the plans and activities of NRCT and the larger T/TA Network and provide recommendations regarding the Network's approach to serving Tribal child welfare systems and improving practice with American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.  Advisory Board members will be comprised of a diverse group of Tribal leaders, child welfare professionals, and stakeholders including family members and youth.  The Advisory Board will provide the NRCT with expert consultation that contributes to its assessment (described below under Assessment of Tribal Needs and Child Welfare Practice) during Year One and help to guide its activities throughout the project.

Outreach

Effective outreach will be necessary for NRCT and other members of the T/TA Network to successfully engage Tribes and promote their utilization of T/TA and available resources.  Upon award of the cooperative agreement, NRCT will immediately assume responsibility for leading a coordinated, strategic plan for ongoing outreach to Tribal child welfare systems.  Outreach activities are intended to introduce Tribes and Tribal organizations to the services and activities of NRCT and the T/TA Network, foster communication, build trust, and increase accessibility to T/TA. During Year One, NRCT's outreach will encourage Tribal participation in advisory, assessment, and networking activities, in particular.  Throughout the project, NRCT will partner with T/TA Network members to coordinate and perform joint outreach activities, when appropriate.

T/TA for Enhanced Tribal Capacity, Effective Child Welfare Practice, and Systemic Change

CB recognizes that NRCT effectiveness begins with developing and maintaining positive working relationships with Tribes and expects that this activity will be NRCT's first step as an NRC and a role that it will continue to play throughout this agreement.  NRCT will provide on-and off-site assessment and consultation with Tribes with the goal of building the capacities of Tribal agencies, Tribal courts, and Tribal organizations to support the successful administration of child welfare programs and delivery of effective child welfare services.  CB expects NRCT to respond skillfully to T/TA requests independently.  When necessary, CB expects  NRCT to partner with other NRCs and members of the T/TA Network to ensure  T/TA needs of a Tribe are met in a coordinated, culturally competent manner.  NRCT must be capable of successfully facilitating consultation from multiple T/TA Network members as the lead consultant on Tribal T/TA requests.  The Center must be accessible and readily available to travel when necessary and appropriate when addressing T/TA requests that warrant face-to-face meetings to produce desired results.  NRCT must also be prepared to consult and train on cultural competency on a wide range of issues that address principles, policies, and practices at all levels of a child welfare system from caseworker decision-making to State and Tribal partnerships.  

NRCT will serve Tribes that differ significantly in the size and scope of their respective child welfare programs.  Once a Tribe has identified a particular need, barrier, or issue that requires attention, NRCT will partner with the Tribe, CB, and its T/TA peers, as necessary, to comprehensively assess and mutually define the problem in the context of cultural and systemic conditions, the Tribal infrastructure and capacity.  Rather than assuming that a problem is isolated, NRCT will approach identified problems as opportunities for further investigation, broad systems thinking, and change that will result in sustainable improvement.  NRCT will develop strategic plans for systemic change and deliver, track, and evaluate T/TA as the NRCT helps its clients achieve their goals.

Within the larger scope of potential T/TA requests that NRCT may receive, the Center will focus specifically on:

1. Assessing the types of services, administrative functions, data and information collection, program management, and reporting for which T/TA is needed;
   
   
2. Working with the Tribe to identify specific T/TA needs and collaborating with the T/TA Network for its provision; and
   
   
3. Collaborating with the T/TA Network to ensure that T/TA is delivered in a coordinated, culturally competent manner.

NRCT will support the provision of T/TA that is consistent with SOC principles and informed by evidence-based and evidence-informed practice in Tribal child welfare, but NRCT will not uniformly prescribe any particular model of child welfare practice.  NRCT is expected to have the capacity to respond to the needs of its clients, to competently consider a range of potential strategies when problem-solving, and to adapt and tailor its T/TA based on the unique nature and context of each request. 

Coordination

NRCT is expected to regularly engage other NRCs in joint consultation, training, and other T/TA activities.  NRCT will follow any T/TA coordination procedures that CB establishes for the T/TA Network and will be prepared to serve as the principal facilitator of collaborative consultation and training in response to T/TA requests related to Tribal child welfare.  In addition to responding to T/TA requests, NRCT will consult with its peers, refer requests to other T/TA Network members when appropriate, and coordinate T/TA when the expertise of more than one provider is necessary to achieve the objectives of the request.

Assessment of Tribal needs and child welfare practice

During the first year of the cooperative agreement, NRCT will explore current practices in Tribal child welfare and review existing resources and tools in an effort to better understand the challenges facing Tribes and to identify systemic and practice issues.  The primary source for the information is expected to come from an assessment with the Tribes that would include onsite visits.  CB expects the results of this thorough assessment to inform NRCT's T/TA and to drive its future activities.  NRCT will submit a plan for its assessment to CB for review, revision, and approval shortly after award of the cooperative agreement and present final summary documents or products resulting from the assessment, including plans for subsequent T/TA activities, to CB by the end of Year One.  A draft plan is to be submitted by the end of the ninth month in the first year.

Each applicant for this cooperative agreement will present a preliminary plan in its application recommending key questions for investigation and proposing the scope and duration of its assessment activities.  Following award of the cooperative agreement, as part of its broad assessment, NRCT will 1) identify existing and emerging Tribal child welfare issues, interventions, and models of practice; 2) inventory available curricula, tools, products, and other resources that target Tribal child welfare systems and other providers of services to American Indian and Alaska Native children; and 3) consult with key Tribal stakeholders as well as institutions, organizations, and individuals that have demonstrated leadership in the arena of Tribal child welfare.  CB expects that the NRCT's assessment will provide CB, the NRCT, and the larger T/TA Network with sufficient information about systemic issues impacting Tribes to inform future strategies for T/TA.

Networking

NRCT will provide regular opportunities for Tribal child welfare systems to share information, experiences, and lessons regarding the development, implementation, and administration of Tribal child welfare services.  Networking activities should be accessible and involve as many Tribal child welfare systems as is reasonable and feasible.  NRCT will also provide opportunities for Tribes and States to participate in cross-system learning and communication. 

Guided by its assessment in Year One, NRCT is expected to identify important and pressing topics for discussion and to find creative and innovative ways to engage Tribes and to foster systemic change and improvement through peer-to-peer mentoring.  The strengths and limitations of employing more advanced technologies in an attempt to enhance communication should be carefully considered.  NRCT will be challenged to successfully engage Tribes in activities that are relevant, meaningful, and sensitive to their sometimes differing needs and capacities.  The center may choose to target peer-to-peer activities specifically to systems that share common models of practice, cultures, organizational characteristics, objectives, and/or challenges.

NRCT must collaborate with other members of the T/TA Network, CB, Tribes, and, where appropriate, States, to integrate networking approaches that are well-coordinated, practical, appropriate, and likely to increase cross-system consultation.  NRCT may also facilitate dialogues between Tribal and State child welfare systems to promote the use of culturally appropriate services that are likely to improve safety, permanency and well-being outcomes for American Indian and Alaskan Native children and families.

National or Regional Meetings for Tribes

NRCT will develop an effective and cost-efficient strategy to convene Tribes on a national and/or regional basis, including meetings that are centered around practice related to in-home services, foster care, kinship guardianship and adoption.  NRCT will plan, organize, facilitate, and fund Tribal child welfare meetings (including paying in full or in part allowable costs of travel, lodging, and meals for participants).  Each Tribal meeting will be an opportunity for Tribes to discuss critical and emerging issues in Tribal child welfare, share information about effective practices, and participate in solution-focused dialogue about the challenges that can prevent Tribes from achieving intended reforms and sustainable improvement.  Tribal meetings will also be opportunities to inform Tribes about CB priorities and T/TA Network resources and activities.  Each applicant for this cooperative agreement will propose in its application how to best utilize Tribal meetings to disseminate information, engage participants, and promote ongoing networking.  NRCT will also submit its plan for these meetings to CB for review, revision, and approval shortly after award.

NRCT's plan for Tribal child welfare meetings will be cost-effective and promote Tribal participation across the country.  CB expects the meetings to build relationships, increase peer-to-peer consultation, encourage connections with CB regional offices and T/TA Network, and facilitate the transfer of knowledge.  NRCT may also propose to investigate collaborative Tribal meetings with other Federal T/TA providers when appropriate. NRCT will consult with CB and seek its approval prior to engaging potential partners, and NRCT will collaborate with CB to develop Tribal meeting content and structure. All plans regarding Tribal meetings must be approved by CB. 

Product Development & Dissemination

NRC with the topical expertise will be a repository for information and resources and a dissemination point for products that address its particular range of issues related to Tribal child welfare.  CB expects NRCT to be the point of contact for Tribes to access T/TA delivered in a culturally competent manner that is sensitive to the individual Tribe.  NRCT will make general information about itself, the T/TA Network, Tribal child welfare programs and services, as well as specific training curricula, research, reports, tools, and other resources widely available.  During Year One of the cooperative agreement, NRCT will design, build, and maintain a publicly accessible website to facilitate dissemination and other objectives of its project.  NRCT is expected to consult with the Child Welfare Information Gateway and other T/TA Network members to capitalize on opportunities to link to useful information and facilitate easy navigation by website users without unnecessarily duplicating effort.

The efficient and effective use of technology to support dissemination is strongly encouraged when appropriate. All plans for product development and dissemination are subject to CB approval.

NRCT will participate in annual CB-supported meetings as a component of its dissemination activities and may be requested to present at national conferences when opportunities for T/TA to groups of clients arise. 

Specific tasks to be performed by the NRCT during the Planning and Implementation Phases

NRCT is expected to develop and sustain relationships with Tribes to collaborate, perform outreach, receive and respond to T/TA requests including making on- and off-site visits, broker T/TA from members of the Network, ensure that the T/TA is delivered with cultural competency, convene an advisory board, facilitate peer-to-peer networking, disseminate information about products and resources, and evaluate its activities throughout the project period. 

CB, however, expects NRCT to devote significant effort to tasks that will provide a foundation for future project activities during the first six to twelve months of the award.

During Year One, the NRCT will:

• Build and strengthen its relationships with Tribes, CB, members of the T/TA Network, and other key stakeholders;
  
  
• Consult with CB and other T/TA Network members about its preliminary project plans;
  
  
• Revise and refine, if necessary, its preliminary plans for an advisory board, a nationwide assessment of Tribal child welfare issues and T/TA needs, topically-focused peer-to-peer networking, website development and resource accessibility, and center-specific evaluation;
  
  
• Obtain approval from CB for its plans;
  
  
• Recruit advisory board membership and convene its first meeting;
  
  
• Conduct an assessment of Tribal child welfare issues, practices, and needs;
  
  
• Design and build a public website;
  
  
• Submit summary documents or products from its completed assessment and a proposed plan for future T/TA activities to CB for review and approval; and
  
  
• Develop a plan for convening Tribes nationally and/or regionally around broad child welfare topics and develop a strategy for convenings on practice related topics for in-home, foster care and adoption services.  As a model, NRCs currently hold annual meetings for State foster care managers and another for State adoption managers. The plan may include a variety of methods for convening.

During this planning and assessment period, the center's capacity to broker T/TA will be limited.  NRCT is expected, however, to be available for some collaborative efforts shortly after the date of award and to become increasingly available for consultation and leadership regarding Tribal T/TA requests.  NRCT's role in T/TA should steadily increase nine months after the project start date. 

During years two through five, NRCT will shift its effort from planning and assessment to more substantial delivery of on- and off-site consultation and training, peer-to-peer facilitation, and other collaborative activities.  Tasks performed in years two through five  will be guided by findings from its nationwide assessment. 

After the award of the cooperative agreement, NRCT may revise its plans to coordinate its activities with other grantees.  Throughout the project, NRCT will communicate closely with its FPO.  As priorities shift and needs for T/TA change, NRCT will remain flexible and work with CB to adapt and revise its project plans as necessary.   All project plans are subject to review, revision, and final approval by CB. 

Structure

The structure of NRCT will allow sufficient flexibility to address varying levels of T/TA requests by Tribes.  Flexibility in the structure will support a variety of T/TA modalities such as on-site and off-site assessment of and planning for culturally competent T/TA, information dissemination, curriculum or framework development, peer-to-peer T/TA, conference presentations, regional meetings and collaborative activities with CB's Implementation Centers and other T/TA Network members.

Dissemination

CB expects for NRCT to be the point of contact for easily accessible, well-organized, and user-friendly resources for Tribes.  NRCT will make general information about itself, the T/TA Network, applicable programs and services, as well as specific training curricula, research, reports, tools, or other resources widely available.  NRCT is expected to consult with Child Welfare Information Gateway and other T/TA Network members to capitalize on opportunities to link to useful information and facilitate easy navigation by website users without unnecessarily duplicating effort.

National cross-site evaluation

NRCT must allocate funds and devote sufficient resources to participate fully in a national cross-site evaluation and to conduct its own center-specific evaluation activities.

NRCT will participate fully in CB's National Cross-site Evaluation of the T/TA Network.  The cross-site evaluation employs a participatory and utilization-focused approach to 1) evaluate the activities, processes, and approaches of the CB T/TA Network members in their efforts to successfully achieve systems change, and 2) examine the degree to which networking, collaboration, information sharing, adherence to common principles, and common messaging occurs across the T/TA Network.  The National Cross-site Evaluation of the T/TA Network began its design phase in Federal fiscal year 2009.

NRCT will have regular contact with the cross-site evaluation contractor and participate as an important stakeholder in the evaluation.  NRCT will be actively involved in the execution of the cross-site evaluation, participating as necessary in the development of evaluation instruments, collection of qualitative and quantitative information, interpretation of data, and utilization of findings.  NRCT will be required to enter information into the T/TA Network's automated data collection system within the timeframes set by CB and the cross-site evaluation. CB expects regular and timely reporting of on-site T/TA and other activities into the web-based tracking system currently known as the Technical Assistance Tracking Internet System (TATIS).  NRCT will be responsible for including a quality assurance component in its evaluation plan that tracks timely and accurate reporting into the system.

Center-specific evaluation

In addition to performing evaluation activities that meet the requirements of the cross-site evaluation, NRCT will conduct its own center-specific evaluation activities.  CB expects NRCT to regularly evaluate its performance and to use this information to improve its processes and services.  NRCT will design and conduct an evaluation using multiple measures, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods as necessary.  Center-specific evaluation activities must complement NRCT's participation in the cross-site evaluation and avoid unnecessary duplication.

In its center-specific evaluation activities, NRCT will build on the components of the national cross-site evaluation, addressing more nuanced questions or examining different evaluation questions that are likely to yield practical information and promote the improvement of its T/TA modalities.  Center-specific evaluation findings are expected to be substantive, highlighting both project strengths and challenges.  During the course of the project period, NRCT will facilitate communication for the purpose of T/TA improvement ("feedback loops"), ensuring that its findings are shared with other members of the T/TA Network and CB's central and regional offices.

A list of potential "domains" and examples of questions for center-specific evaluation can be found in Section IV.2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: APPROACH.

Upon award of the cooperative agreements, NRCT will share its preliminary center-specific evaluation plans with other members of the T/TA Network and the cross-site evaluation contractor.  NRCs may choose to include common evaluation components (i.e., methods, collection tools, processes, outputs, and/or outcomes) in their center-specific designs, particularly when evaluating joint activities and collaborative T/TA that is provided to a Tribal child welfare system by multiple T/TA Network members.

All evaluation plans must be approved by the FPO.  Prior to beginning its evaluation activities, NRCT will review and revise its center-specific evaluation design in partnership with CB.

NRCT will regularly update its FPO about ongoing evaluation activities and findings in required progress reporting and provide CB with a written report at the end of the project.  NRCs will collaborate with each other, their State and Tribal partners, CB, the national evaluation contractor, and other members of the T/TA Network when necessary to produce a comprehensive evaluation report at the conclusion of the project period and present findings to CB, the T/TA Network, and other stakeholders.

Logic model and Gantt chart

The applicant is required to submit in its application a logic model for its planning and implementation.  The logic model also must accompany all subsequent submissions of plans related to this announcement to CB.

Travel for Meetings and Presentations

Approximately six weeks after the award of the cooperative agreement, the NRCT project director, project evaluator, and representatives of other key partners and/or subcontractors involved in the execution of the award, if applicable, will be required to attend a one-day meeting with the FPO and other Federal staff in Washington, D.C.  The purpose of this meeting is to review and approve activities and planning timelines in year one of the award and to clarify expectations for the project.

Within six months of the award of the cooperative agreements, the NRCT project director, project evaluator, and representatives of other key partners and/or subcontractors involved in the execution of the award, if applicable, must make an oral presentation to CB staff in Washington, D.C., describing and supporting its implementation plans for each of the major areas of activity.

The applicant's budget for the first 12-month budget period should include anticipated costs for these two meetings, as well as costs for two key staff persons to attend two additional CB meetings.

In addition, the NRCT project director or another designated representative will attend T/TA Network meetings held twice annually in the Washington, D.C. metro area over the duration of the five-year project period.  All expenses related to attendance at these two-day meetings also should be included in the applicant's proposed budget. 

Project Requirements

The acceptance of funds for project responsive to this announcement will signify the applicant's assurance that it will comply with the following requirements:

1. Have the project fully functioning with 90 days following the notification of the grant award.
   
   
2. Participate in any national evaluation or technical assistance contract that relates to this program announcement.
   
   
3. Submit all performance indicator data, program evaluation, and financial reports in a timely manner (See Section VI.3). CB will accept the interim and final report on disk or electronically using a standard word-processing program, however grantees are required to provide the original and two copies of performance progress and final reports.
   
   
4. Submit an original and two copies of the final report, the final evaluation report, and any program products to CB within 90 days of the project end date.
   
   
5. Allocate sufficient funds in the budget to provide for the project director, the evaluator, and other key partners to attend the meetings described in this program announcement.
   
   
6. Convene the Advisory Board at least once annually and allocate funds to support this face-to-face meeting (including allowable cost of travel, lodging, and meals for participants) in its budget.
   
   
7. Convene Tribal child welfare meetings and allocate funds to support these face-to-face meetings (including allowable costs of travel, lodging, and meals for participants) in its budget.
   
   
8. Propose and justify a percentage of the project budget to be allocated to program evaluation.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

Explanation of Other:

The cooperative agreement awarded will be for a project period of 60 months. The initial award will be for a 12-month budget period. The award of continuation beyond each 12-month budget period will be subject to satisfactory progress on the part of the awardee and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Federal Government.

Awards under this announcement are subject to the availability of funds.

Description of Anticipated Substantial Involvement under the Cooperative Agreement:

A cooperative agreement is a specific method of awarding Federal assistance in which substantial Federal involvement is anticipated. A cooperative agreement clearly defines the respective responsibilities of CB and the grantee prior to the award. CB anticipates that agency involvement will produce programmatic benefits to the recipient otherwise unavailable to them for carrying out the project. The involvement and collaboration includes:

• CB review and approval of planning stages of the activities before implementation phases may begin;
  
  
• CB and recipient joint collaboration in the performance of key programmatic activities (i.e., strategic planning, implementation, information technology enhancements, T/TA, publications or products, and evaluation);
  
  
• Close monitoring by CB of the requirements stated in this announcement that limit the grantee's discretion with respect to scope of services offered, organizational structure, and management processes; and
  
  
• Close monitoring by CB during performance which may, in order to ensure compliance with the intent of this funding, exceed those Federal stewardship responsibilities customary for grant activities.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Private institutions of higher education
• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses

Eligible applicants are public or private organizations knowledgeable and experienced in the field of Indian Tribal affairs and child welfare. (42 U.S.C. 476(c)(C))

Collaborative efforts and interdisciplinary approaches are acceptable.  Applications from collaborations must identify a primary applicant responsible for administering the cooperative agreement.

The terms "Indian," "Indian Tribe," and "Tribal Organization" used in this announcement are defined under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).

Foreign entities are not eligible under this announcement.

Faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply under this announcement.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: None

3. Other:

Disqualification Factors

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to Request Application Package:

ACYF Operations Center
c/o The Dixon Group, Inc.
ATTN: Children's Bureau
118 Q St., NE.
Washington, DC 20002-2132
Phone:  866-796-1591
Phone 2:  or TTY 711
Email: cb@dixongroup.com

2. Content and Form of Application Submission:

Each application must contain the following items in the order listed:

Application for Federal Assistance. (Standard Form (SF) 424, SF-424A and SF-424-B). Follow the instructions that accompany the forms and those in Section V, Application Review Information.

Certifications/Assurances. See Forms, Assurances, and Certifications, below.

Table of Contents. List the major sections of the application, and show the page that each section begins on.

Project Summary/Abstract (one page maximum, double spaced).  See Section IV.2, Project Description.  Clearly mark this page with the applicant name as shown on SF-424, identify the program announcement and the title of the proposed project as shown on SF-424 and the service area as shown on SF-424. The summary description should not exceed 300 words

Care should be taken to produce a summary/abstract that accurately and concisely reflects the proposed project. It should describe the objectives of the project, the approach to be used, and the results or benefits expected.

The Project Description. Applicants should organize their project description in this sequence: 1) Objectives and Need for Assistance; 2) Approach; 3) Evaluation; 4) Organizational Profiles; and 5) Budget and Budget Justification.  

Budget and Budget Justification. Include information on the required cost item of Travel for Meetings and Presentations (See Section I).

Indirect Charges. If claiming indirect costs, provide documentation that the applicant currently has an indirect cost-rate approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or another cognizant Federal agency.

Third-Party Agreements. If applicable, include a letter of commitment or Memorandum of Understanding from each partner and/or contractor describing their role, detailing specific project tasks to be performed, and expressing commitment to participate if the proposed project is funded. Note: General letters of support not expressing specific commitments are not required and will not be considered by reviewers under the evaluation criteria.

Staff and Position Data.  Include job descriptions and curriculum vitae/ resumes for proposed project staff.

Page Limit. The length of the entire application package may be less than but must not exceed 110 pages.  This includes the required Federal Standard Forms and certifications (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, and Certification Regarding Lobbying) table of contents, project summary, project description, logic model, project schedule or Gantt chart, budget/budget justification, supplemental documentation, proof of non-profit status, summaries of sub-grants and contracts, letters of agreement, CVs and resumes, and any other pages included in the application package.  All pages of the application package must be sequentially numbered, beginning with page one.  All pages of each application will be counted to determine total length.  All pages exceeding the 110-page limit will be removed and will not be considered in the reviewing process.  A cover letter and general letters of support are not required. Applicants are reminded that if a cover letter and general letters of support are submitted, they will count towards the 110-page limit.

Each applicant must organize its application in the order listed in this section and number all application pages.  Pages will be counted in the order they are submitted in hard copy and numbered when received electronically.  All pages that exceed the page limit will be removed and will not be reviewed.

General Content and Form Information. To be considered for funding, each application must be submitted with the Standard Federal Forms and must follow the guidance provided. The application must be signed by an individual authorized to act for the applicant agency and to assume responsibility for the obligations imposed by the terms and conditions of the award.

The project description must be typed and double-spaced on a single side of 8.5 x 11 inch plain white paper with a least one inch margins on all sides, using black print with 12-point size Times New Roman font.

For charts, budget tables, supplemental letters and documents, applicants may use a different point size and font, but no less than 10-point size and single spaced.

Applicants that deviate from this format and page limit requirements risk having pages removed from their application.

All copies of an application must be submitted in a single package.  Each application under this funding opportunity must be submitted in a separate package (original and two copies).   The package must be clearly labeled for the specific funding opportunity it is addressing.

Because each application will be duplicated, do not use or include separate covers, binders, clips, tabs, plastic inserts, maps, brochures, or any other items that cannot be processed easily on a photocopy machine with an automatic feed.  Do not bind, clip, staple, or fasten in any way separate subsections of the application, including supporting documentation.  Use a clip (not a staple) to securely bind the application together.  Applicants are advised that the copies of the application submitted, not the original, will be reproduced by the Federal Government for review.

Tips for Preparing a Competitive Application.  It is essential that applicants read the entire announcement package carefully before preparing an application and include all of the required application forms and attachments.  The application must reflect a thorough understanding of and support the purpose and objectives of the applicable legislation.   Reviewers expect applicants to understand the goals of the legislation and the CBs interest in each topic.  A "responsive application" is one that addresses and follows all of the evaluation criteria in ways that demonstrate this understanding.  Applications that are considered to be "unresponsive" or do not clearly address the evaluation criteria or program requirements generally receive very low scores and are rarely funded.

CB's website (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/) provides a wide range of information and links to other relevant websites. Before preparing an application, applicants can learn more about CB's mission and programs by exploring the website.

Organizing the Application. Reviewers will use the specific evaluation criteria in Section V of this funding announcement to review and evaluate each application. The applicant should address each of these specific evaluation criteria in the project description. Applicants should organize their project description in this sequence: 1) Objectives and Need for Assistance; 2) Approach; 3) Evaluation; 4) Organizational Profiles; and 5) Budget and Budget Justification. The applicant must use the same headings as these criteria, so that reviewers can readily find information that directly addresses each of the specific review criteria.

Logic Model. A logic model is a tool that presents the conceptual framework for a proposed project and explains the linkages among program elements.  While there are many versions of the logic model, they generally summarize the logical connections among the needs that are the focus of the project, project goals and objectives, the target population, project inputs (resources), the proposed activities/processes/outputs directed toward the target population, the expected short- and long-term outcomes the initiative is designed to achieve, and the evaluation plan for measuring the extent to which proposed processes and outcomes actually occur.  Information on the development of logic models is available on the Internet at http://toolkit.childwelfare.gov/toolkit.

Evaluation.  Project evaluations are very important.  If the applicant does not have the in-house capacity to conduct an objective, comprehensive evaluation of the project, then CB advises that the applicant contract with a third-party evaluator specializing in social science or evaluation, or a university or college, to conduct the evaluation.  In either case, it is important that the evaluator has the necessary independence from the project to assure objectivity.  A skilled evaluator can help develop a logic model and assist in designing an evaluation strategy that is rigorous and appropriate given the goals and objectives of the proposed project.  Additional assistance may be found in a document titled "Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation."  A copy of this document can be accessed at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/other_resrch/pm_guide_eval/reports/pmguide/pmguide_toc.html.

Protection of Human Subjects.   See Section IV.2, Project Description. General information about HHS Protection of Human Subjects regulations can be obtained at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/. Applicants may also contact OHRP by email (ohrp@csophs.dhhs.gov) or by phone (240-453-6900).

General information about the HHS Protection of Human Subjects regulations can be obtained at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/. Applicants may also contact OHRP by email (ohrp@csophs.dhhs.gov) or by phone (240-453-6900).

Electronic Submission.  Applicants that submit their applications electronically are advised to be sure that they secure and retain their service ticket number for reference whenever they have any interaction with the Grants.gov Contact Center.

D-U-N-S Requirement

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Part I   THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION OVERVIEW

PURPOSE

Part II   GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING A FULL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Due Date for Applications: 05/11/2009

Explanation of Due Dates

Acknowledgement of Received Application

ACF will not provide acknowledgement of receipt of hard copy application packages submitted via mail, courier services, or by hand delivery.  Applicants who submit their application packages electronically via http://www.Grants.gov will receive two email acknowledgements from that website:

• An automatic acknowledgement of the application's submission that will provide a Grants.gov tracking number.
  
  
• An acknowledgement that the submitted application package has passed or failed a series of checks and validations.

4. Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs:

State Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

5. Funding Restrictions:

6. Other Submission Requirements:

Submission by Mail

Hand Delivery

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. CRITERIA:

OBJECTIVES AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE - 20 points

In reviewing the objectives and need for assistance, reviewers will consider the extent to which:

1.      In reviewing the objectives and need for assistance, reviewers will consider the extent to which: The applicant demonstrates a strong understanding of 1) Tribal sovereignty, regional and cultural differences and historical distrust; 2) the SOC framework; 3) the structure and purpose of the T/TA Network; and 4) the purpose of the NRCT.

          a.       The applicant clearly links and explains the relevance of NRCT's guiding SOC framework to the purpose of the program announcement and NRCT's approach to T/TA.

          b.      The applicant demonstrates evidence of cultural sensitivity in applying these concepts in a Tribal context.

2.      The applicant demonstrates a thorough understanding of capacity building, systemic intervention, and organizational change and the barriers that prevent systemic change from occurring in Tribal child welfare systems.

          a.       Citing appropriate literature and other sources, the applicant identifies and clearly describes those theories that will guide its assessment and planning in addressing Tribal T/TA needs for organizational and systemic change.

          b.      The applicant demonstrates the knowledge and ability to draw on multiple capacity building, systemic intervention, and change management methods and strategies to comprehensively assess needs and address the needs.  The applicant demonstrates the ability to draw appropriate T/TA from the Network or to develop appropriate T/TA that is tailored to the unique characteristics, culture, and needs of each child welfare system they serve.

3.      The applicant demonstrates a thorough understanding of the following:

          a.       Citing relevant data, literature, reports, and/or other evidence, the applicant demonstrates an understanding of the characteristics of child welfare systems and thorough knowledge of State, Tribal, and regional child welfare issues that these systems face, particularly with respect to serving American Indian and Alaska Native children, youth and families.

          b.      Providing evidence, the applicant identifies disparity and demonstrates a strong understanding of over-representation among particular populations served by child welfare systems.

          c.       The applicant demonstrates sufficient knowledge of issues relating to Tribal sovereignty and sensitivity to challenges faced by Tribal child welfare systems, suggesting that the applicant could successfully develop and maintain positive relationships with Tribes and identify helpful and culturally sensitive T/TA to Tribes.

4.    The applicant presents a clear, concise, and appropriate vision for the proposed project.

          a.       The applicant presents a clear, concise, and appropriate vision for the proposed project.  The applicant provides a clear description of the activities to be provided.  The activities are linked to a reasonable statement of the goals (the intended end products of an effective project) and objectives (measurable steps for reaching these goals) of the proposed project.

          b.      The applicant demonstrates that the goals, objectives, and proposed activities are appropriate for its role in the larger T/TA Network and consistent with the project's purpose as described in this announcement.  The applicant demonstrates that it understands the unique difference in its role than that of the other members of the T/TA Network.

APPROACH - 40 points

In reviewing the approach, reviewers will consider the extent to which:

1.      The applicant clearly demonstrates that it would function as a member of "one T/TA Network" as described in the Background section of this funding opportunity announcement.  The application includes a detailed description of how it would collaborate, coordinate its T/TA, perform project activities that complement the work of its CB T/TA Network partners, subscribe to common principles, and participate fully in common messaging that would clearly identify itself with the T/TA Network.

2.      The applicant provides a clear and reasonable timeline (e.g. charts such as Gantt chard, bar chart or other chart that illustrated project schedules) and narrative for implementing the proposed project, including major milestones and target dates.

          a.       The applicant describes the factors that could speed or hinder project implementation and explains how these factors would be managed.

3.      The applicant presents a sound and feasible Phase I (Planning Phase) plan consistent with the expectations described in this announcement.

          a.       The applicant identifies key collaborators and stakeholders and clearly explains how and why these partners would be critical to the success of the project.  The applicant presents a convincing plan for engaging these partners and for effectively utilizing these collaborators in the further development of the project design.

          b.      The applicant demonstrates a commitment to developing protocols for assessing individual Tribal needs and to work to respond to these needs by coordinating T/TA with other CB child welfare NRCs and with other members of the T/TA Network.

          c.       The applicant demonstrates a commitment to follow all approval and coordination procedures for T/TA requests and work collaboratively with any national T/TA coordinating entity that CB chooses to establish during the course of the project period.

          d.      The applicant proposes a thorough and sound process for revising and finalizing its planned activities, execution of these activities, and evaluation after award and prior to securing CB approval.

          e.       The applicant describes a plan for completing the Tribal child welfare assessment process.

4.      The applicant presents a convincing plan for performing outreach to Tribal child welfare systems.  The proposed outreach activities are clearly described and are likely to engage Tribes in T/TA activities.

          a.       The applicant identifies potential Tribal child welfare systems that might be the focus of targeted outreach, and the applicant provides sufficient explanation and justification for this approach in each case.

          b.      The applicant's plans for outreach will employ the knowledge and expertise of relevant stakeholders and resources.

          c.       The applicant describes an approach that is culturally competent and specific to engaging Tribal systems.  This approach is likely to successfully engage Tribes in the activities and services available through the T/TA Network.

5.      The applicant presents a sound plan for promoting, strengthening, and formalizing peer-to-peer consultation and problem-solving between child welfare systems.  The proposed networking activities are likely to increase peer-to-peer transfer of knowledge and communication among Tribes, and between States and Tribes.

          a.       The applicant's networking plan demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the barriers to successful consultation and partnership across jurisdictions.  The applicant proposes feasible approaches or steps to building a collaborative network that take these barriers into consideration.

          b.      The networking approach described by the applicant can be reasonably expected to become a meaningful tool in the pursuit of positive systemic reform within the context of the applicant's other proposed activities.

6.      The applicant describes a reasonable and sound preliminary plan for the structure of its proposed activities over the five-year project period.  The project structure complies with the requirements described in this announcement and details the prospective number of projects as well as their duration and their relative size in allocated funds.  The applicant provides sufficient justification for this design.

          a.       The applicant clearly explains and justifies the types of child welfare systems that it will target and the systemic issues or child welfare outcomes at which the project activities may be aimed.

          b.      The applicant presents a sound plan for effectively and efficiently developing a shared vision and strategies for achieving objectives, entering into mutually binding agreements with Tribal partners, and collaborating to successfully execute its T/TA activities.  The applicant's plan will promote excellent and supportive customer service to its Tribal partners.

          c.       The applicant details how it will ensure that the T/TA will be highly accessible, coordinated, and individualized.  The applicant explains how T/TA Network members and stakeholders will be engaged and facilitated to support its Tribal partners and how the duplication of efforts and services will be avoided.  The applicant's approach to its T/TA activities is client-directed and includes sound plans for supporting Tribes with expert consultation in assessment, strategic planning, and implementation that is likely to result in systemic change.

          d.      The applicant describes how its approach to T/TA will be tailored and responsive to its Tribal partners.  The applicant's plan for T/TA includes a method for selecting from multiple capacity-building and change management approaches and employing those strategies that are most appropriate to meet the needs of the client.  The applicant demonstrates a commitment to providing T/TA that will foster consistency between capacity building, systemic interventions and the Tribe's vision for change and service principles

          e.       The applicant's plan includes feasible and sound strategies for ensuring that Tribes will have access to the proposed T/TA activities, and that Tribes will receive the necessary individualized and culturally competent T/TA from the Network to build capacity and pursue sustainable systemic change

7.      The applicant's plans for outreach, networking, and T/TA are consistent with the SOC framework as described in this announcement.  As a whole, the applicant's approach adheres to a coherent vision for T/TA to Tribes that is well integrated and coordinated with the larger T/TA network.

8.      The applicant's plan includes an effective and cost-efficient strategy for convening Tribes nationally and/or regionally around broad child welfare topics, including convenings on practice related topics for in-home, foster care, kinship guardianship and adoption services. 

EVALUATION - 15 points

In reviewing the evaluation plan, reviewers will consider the extent to which: 

1.      The applicant has included in its application a well-organized, one-page logic model that clearly links (a) objectives, problems, needs, barriers, or conditions that prevent sustainable systems change; (b) inputs/resources; (c) project activities; (d) outputs; and (e) short- and long-term outcomes.

          a.       The logic model effectively illustrates the project's approach and guides its evaluation plan.

2.      The applicant presents a reasonable preliminary center-specific evaluation plan that can be expected to provide regular, meaningful feedback to NRCT for project improvement.  The applicant identifies specific evaluation questions for investigation, appropriate methods (e.g., written surveys, questionnaires, conference calls, focus groups, and unstructured telephone or in-person interviews), and realistic timeframes.  Its proposed methods and quantitative and qualitative measures are appropriate for the objectives of the evaluation.  The applicant proposes a sound process for making certain that evaluation findings are shared and used at multiple levels of responsibility within the NRC.  The proposed measures are aligned with the principles of the SOC framework, and the evaluation design is likely to support the NRCT's efforts to subscribe to a coherent vision for T/TA with the T/TA Network.

3.      The center-specific evaluation plan is likely to yield substantive and useful information in the domains listed in Section VI.2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION- APPROACH.  The plan clearly identifies the domains in which evaluation findings will be pursued and provides sound rationale for these selections.

4.      The applicant demonstrates sufficient in-house capacity to conduct an objective evaluation of the project, or provides a sound plan for contracting with a third-party evaluator specializing in social science or evaluation, or a university or college to conduct the evaluation.

5.      The applicant presents a sound plan for documenting project activities and results, including the development of a data collection infrastructure that is sufficient to support a methodologically sound evaluation.  Appropriate data sources are identified and relevant data would be collected.  There is a sound plan for collecting and analyzing these data, securing informed consent and implementing an IRB review, and Tribal review, if applicable.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILES - 20 points

In reviewing the organizational profiles, reviewers will consider the extent to which:

1.      The applicant organization and its staff document experience and expertise in successful collaboration with a variety of partners in the provision of T/TA.  The applicant makes a strong case that it has the capacity and the commitment to function as a member of "one T/TA Network" as described in the Background section of this funding opportunity announcement.

2.      The applicant (and its partners and contractors, if applicable) demonstrates sufficient and relevant experience and expertise in administration, development, implementation, management, and evaluation of similar projects.  The applicant has sufficient experience and expertise in strategic implementation, organizational change, and systemic intervention to broker high quality T/TA.  The applicant is grounded in experience and demonstrates a thorough understanding of child welfare systems, child maltreatment, and child welfare issues.  The applicant possesses sufficient knowledge about State and Tribal child welfare systems and populations to develop sound, culturally competent outreach and networking activities.

3.      The applicant has provided a feasible plan for accessibility for frequent on-site consultation to its Tribal partners.

4.      The applicant possesses the organizational capability to successfully perform the activities described in this announcement and to fulfill its assigned role and function within the larger T/TA Network.

5.      The proposed project director and key project staff possess sufficient and relevant knowledge, experience, and capabilities to implement and manage a project of this size, scope and complexity effectively (e.g., resumes and/or curricula vitae).

6.      The roles, responsibilities, and time commitments of each proposed key project staff position, including consultants, subcontractors and/or partnering agencies or organizations, are clearly defined and appropriate for the successful implementation of the proposed project.  The applicant has secured commitments from its key partners, if applicable.  The application includes appropriate MOUs or letters of commitment from key partnering organization(s) as appropriate.

7.      There is a sound management plan for achieving the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, for accomplishing project tasks and ensuring quality.  The plan clearly describes the effective management and coordination of activities carried out by any partnering organizations, subcontractors and consultants (if applicable).

BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION - 5 points

In reviewing the budget and budget justification, reviewers will consider the extent to which:

1.      The costs of the proposed project are reasonable and appropriate, in view of the activities to be conducted and expected results and benefits.  The applicant proposes and justifies the amount and percentage of the project budget to be allocated to program evaluation.

2.      The applicant's fiscal controls and accounting procedures would ensure prudent use, proper and timely disbursement and accurate accounting of funds received under this program announcement.

3.      The applicant proposes and justifies the amount and percentage of the project budget to be allocated to Travel and Meetings.

2. Review and Selection Process:

A panel of at least three reviewers (primarily experts from outside the Federal Government) will use the evaluation criteria described in this announcement to evaluate each application. The reviewers will determine the strengths and weaknesses of each application, provide comments about the strengths and weaknesses, and give each application a numerical score.

The results of the competitive review are a primary factor in making funding decisions. In addition, Federal staff conducts administrative reviews of the applications and, in light of the results of the competitive review, will recommend applications for funding to the ACYF Commissioner. ACYF reserves the option of discussing applications with other funding sources when this is in the best interest of the Federal Government. ACYF may also solicit and consider comments from ACF Regional Office staff in making funding decisions. ACYF may take into consideration the involvement (financial and/or programmatic) of the private sector, national, or State or community foundations; a favorable balance between Federal and non-Federal funds for the proposed project; or the potential for high benefit from low Federal investment. ACYF may elect not to fund any applicants having known management, fiscal, reporting, programmatic, or other problems that make it unlikely that they would be able to provide effective services or effectively complete the proposed activity.

With the results of the peer review and the information from Federal staff, the Commissioner of ACYF makes the final funding decisions. The Commissioner may give special consideration to applications proposing services of special interest to the Government and to achieve geographic distributions of grant awards. Applications of special interest may include, but are not limited to, applications focusing on underserved or inadequately served clients or service areas and programs addressing diverse ethnic populations.

Since ACF will be using non-Federal reviewers in the process, applicants have the option of omitting from the application copies (not the original) specific salary rates or amounts for individuals specified in the application budget and Social Security Numbers, if otherwise required for individuals. The copies may include summary salary information.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates:

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Award Notices:

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements:

3. Reporting Requirements:

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Program Office Contact:

Eileen West
Children's Bureau
Portals Office Building, 8th Floor
1250 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20024
Phone:  202-205-8438
Email: eileen.west@acf.hhs.gov

For hearing or speech impaired callers, contact the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 (TTY (Text Telephone) / ASCII (American Standard Code For Information Interchange)).

Grants Management Office Contact:

Lisa Dammar, Grants Officer
Division of Discretionary Grants
ACYF/ Operations Center
c/o Dixon Group, Inc. ATTN: Children's Bureau
118 Q St., NE.
Washington, DC 20002-213
Phone:  866-796-1591
Phone 2:  or TTY 711
Email: cb@dixongroup.com

For hearing or speech impaired callers, contact the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 (TTY (Text Telephone) / ASCII (American Standard Code For Information Interchange)).

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

Additional information about this program and its purpose can be located on the following website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/

For general information regarding this announcement please contact:

ACYF Operations Center
c/o The Dixon Group, Inc.
ATTN: Children's Bureau
118 Q St., NE.
Washington, DC 20002-2132
Phone: 866-796-1591

Phone 2:  TTY 711

Email: cb@dixongroup.com

Checklist

You may use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package.

Posted on March 11, 2009