[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1970-1981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-249]
[[Page 1969]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part X
Department of Justice
_______________________________________________________________________
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
_______________________________________________________________________
Fiscal Year 1995 Competitive Discretionary Grant Programs for Title IV
Missing and Exploited Children's Program and Application Kit; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 1995 /
Notices
[[Page 1970]]
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
[OJP (OJJDP) No. 1039]
RIN 1121-ZA06
Notice of the Fiscal Year 1995 Competitive Discretionary Grant
Programs for Title IV Missing and Exploited Children's Program and
Application Kit
AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, DOJ.
ACTION: Notice of the Fiscal Year 1995 Competitive Discretionary Grant
Programs for Title IV Missing and Exploited Children's Program and
announcement of the availability of the OJJDP Application Kit for
discretionary assistance awards under Title IV, the Missing Children's
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5771-5780).
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SUMMARY: The Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), pursuant to the Missing Children's
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5771-5780, Title IV of the Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5601 et
seq., is required through grants or contracts, to: establish and
operate a 24-hour toll-free telephone line; establish and operate a
national resource center and clearinghouse; periodically conduct
national incidence studies on missing children; and provide information
on the use of record information to identify and locate missing
children. In addition, the Administrator is authorized to support
research, demonstration, or service programs to educate parents,
provide information, aid communities, increase knowledge, collect data,
address the needs of missing children and their families, and establish
or operate statewide clearinghouses to assist in locating and
recovering missing children.
There were no comments received in response to OJJDP's proposed
Title IV competitive programs for Fiscal Year 1995. Therefore, the
proposed programs, as set forth in the Federal Register of October 12,
1994 and announced in this Notice, will be included in OJJDP's final
Title IV program plan. The OJJDP Application Kit for the three programs
that follow, containing a copy of application form 424, standard and
special conditions, the OJJDP Peer Review Guidelines, OJJDP's
Competition and Peer Review Procedures, and General Application and
Administrative Requirements, can be obtained by calling the Juvenile
Justice Clearinghouse, toll-free, 24 hours a day, at (800) 638-8736.
The program announcements contain specific instructions on
competitive program requirements, including eligibility requirements
and selection criteria. All applications will be evaluated and rated by
a peer review panel according to the announced selection criteria. Peer
review will be conducted in accordance with the OJJDP Competition and
Peer Review Policy, 28 CFR part 34, subpart B.
DATES: Applications under each of the three programs must be received
by 5 p.m. e.s.t., February 21, 1995. Applications received after the
deadline date will not be considered.
ADDRESSES: Applications must be received by mail or hand-delivered to:
Ron Laney, Director, Missing and Exploited Children's Program, Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 633 Indiana Avenue,
NW., 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20531. Hand-delivered applications will
be received between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: See Application Kit and Requests for
Proposals that follow.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must be public agencies or
nonprofit private organizations or combinations thereof to be eligible
for funding under the Missing Children's Assistance Act. No proposals,
concept papers, or other application materials not relevant to this
announcement should be submitted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Laney, Director, Missing and
Exploited Children's Program, at the above address. Telephone (202)
514-7774. This is not a toll-free telephone number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Grant Program: National Resource Center and Clearinghouse
Purpose
The purpose of this solicitation is to continue the maintenance and
management of activities, program development and fiscal support
necessary to sustain those services required of a national resource
center and clearinghouse under Title IV, the Missing Children's
Assistance Act.
The award will be made for a project period of three years. One
cooperative agreement will be awarded with an initial budget period of
12 months. Up to $3,050,000 will be allocated for the initial 12 month
award. Subsequent funding support will be determined by the performance
of the grantee and program development needs as determined by OJJDP.
Background
OJJDP awarded a discretionary grant to the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in April of 1984. Title IV of
the JJDP Act was subsequently enacted by Congress on October 12, 1984.
The original award was to establish a national resource center and
clearinghouse designed: to provide technical assistance to State and
local governments, individuals, parents, and other agencies in locating
and recovering missing children; to coordinate programs that focus on
reuniting missing children with their lawful custodians; to develop,
publish, and disseminate instructive materials about programs,
techniques and services responsive to missing children issues; and to
provide technical assistance and training to law enforcement agencies,
State and local government agencies, individuals, and other agencies
addressing missing children issues relative to prevention,
investigation, reunification, and treatment in missing and exploited
children cases.
Since the establishment of the Missing and Exploited Children's
Program in 1984, OJJDP has funded a comprehensive program of research.
Major studies have been completed that define and document the complex
issues of cases of missing children. The National Incidence Studies for
Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children in America
(NISMART), published in 1990, was the first national study to provide
reliable data about the numbers and types of missing child cases and to
clarify the types of cases and situations that make up the ``missing
children'' population. Since then, other research projects have been
completed that provide critical information about the dynamics of
missing child cases, the psychological impact of abduction on children
and families, and what happens after a missing child returns home.
It has become clear that there is not a single ``missing child''
problem. Children are abducted by strangers and acquaintances as well
as by parents or other family members. The research has shown that
family abduction is a far greater problem than previously realized, and
that the effects on children can be disastrous and long-lasting.
Recovering children abducted by family members can be extremely
difficult and costly. Many children who run away return home quickly,
but a significant number run many times and live on the streets,
constantly exposed to danger [[Page 1971]] and exploitation. Some of
the children previously thought of as runaways have in actuality been
thrownaway or abandoned. Every year many children are harmed after they
become lost or wander away. Thousands of children are abducted for
short periods of time and molested. It is estimated that there are more
than 114,000 attempted abductions of children each year.
Missing and exploited children are often already known to community
agencies as victims. Runaway and abducted children may experience
physical and sexual assault while away from home. Runaways often leave
home to escape abuse, and children may become involved in sexual
exploitation as a direct or indirect result of earlier victimization.
Many family abduction cases involve families with histories of domestic
violence. Most parental-abducted children have suffered from being the
focus of bitter conflict prior to being taken. Recovery of abducted
children seldom means the end of the conflict or the traumatic effects
of an abduction, yet these children only occasionally receive the
mental health services that could help them cope. Recent studies
indicate that children who come from households characterized by
violence, abuse or neglect may also be more vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation by persons outside their home.
The issues surrounding missing and exploited children are varied,
complex, and tragic. The missing and exploited children problem is not
a minor dilemma that can be resolved with a single approach or by any
single agency. Law enforcement officers and other professionals who
become involved in these cases face difficult challenges. Agencies must
work in collaboration with others who share that responsibility.
The first ten years of the Missing and Exploited Children's Program
have seen a great deal of progress in our understanding of the issues
of these child victims. They also have identified areas of need and
provided recommendations for future direction and activities. Building
upon the work of the last decade, the goal of the Missing and Exploited
Children's Program is to ensure that critical information gleaned from
research and demonstration programs is successfully incorporated into
existing and new projects funded by OJJDP. As the national
clearinghouse and resource center, the successful applicant must play a
pivotal role in advancing the national response to missing and
exploited children.
Objectives
1. To continue the operation of a 24-hour national toll-free
telephone line by which individuals may report information regarding
the location of any missing child, or other children 13 years of age or
younger, whose whereabouts are unknown to such child's legal custodian,
and request information pertaining to procedures necessary to reunite
the child with the child's legal custodian.
2. To continue the operation of a national resource center and
clearinghouse designed:
a. To provide information to State and local governments, public
and private nonprofit agencies, and individuals regarding:
(1) Free or low cost legal, restaurant, lodging, and transportation
services that are available for the benefit of missing children and
their families;
(2) The existence and nature of programs being carried out by
Federal Agencies to assist missing children and their families; and
(3) The lawful use of school records and birth certificates to
identify and locate missing children.
b. To provide, and coordinate with OJJDP's Title IV Training
Program, technical assistance and training to State and local
governments, including law enforcement and other appropriate agencies
in:
(1) Investigating, reporting, locating, recovering, and
facilitating the reuniting of missing children with their families and/
or lawful custodians;
(2) Family abduction cases;
(3) National and/or regional missing children poster distribution;
(4) Developing and distributing information and training
publications relevant to missing, abducted, and exploited children's
issues; and
(5) Providing case management assistance, sighting and lead
information analysis assistance for missing children cases.
c. To disseminate nationally information about innovative and model
missing children programs, services, and legislation at the State and
local level.
d. To provide technical assistance to appropriate agencies and
custodial parents in cases of national and international noncustodial
family abduction and coordinate efforts with the U.S. Department of
State, U.S. Department of Criminal Justice, and INTERPOL.
e. To provide case analysis (based on leads and sightings) for
ongoing missing child case investigative assistance that has been
undertaken in over 6,500 missing child cases. Some of the tasks
involved in this case assistance are as follows: technical assistance
contacts with parents, law enforcement, state missing children
clearinghouses, private attorneys, prosecutors, F.B.I., INTERPOL, State
Department and support groups; and case follow-up activities by
monitoring NLETS, verifying full NCIC entries, review of recent
sightings and providing relevant sighting pattern analysis and leads to
appropriate cognizant agencies in a timely manner.
f. To coordinate public and private programs that locate, recover
or reunite missing children with their legal custodians.
g. To monitor and provide case analysis for ongoing missing child
case investigative assistance that has been undertaken in more than
6,500 ongoing missing child cases plus more than 3,000 new case/lead
assignments each quarter. Some of the tasks involved in this case
investigative assistance are as follows: technical assistance contacts
with parents, law enforcement, state clearinghouses, private attorneys,
prosecutors, F.B.I., INTERPOL, U.S. State Department and support
groups; and case follow-up activities by monitoring NLETS and verifying
full NCIC entries, review of recent sightings and providing relevant
sighting pattern analysis and leads to appropriate cognizant agencies
in a timely manner.
h. To provide, when requested on cases of nonfamily abduction, on-
site assistance by and coordination of the trained volunteers who are
retired law enforcement personnel through Project ALERT and close
coordination and liaison with the Federal Morgan Hardiman Task Force.
i. To provide, when appropriate, state-of-the-art image enhancement
and aging procedures for follow-up on long-term missing children cases.
j. To provide and maintain a computer information network
connection with State missing children agencies to facilitate the
exchange of appropriate missing children case information, and
technical assistance and training information developed by or through
the National Clearinghouse.
k. To develop a documented process for determining the publications
development targeted at meeting the Title IV mandates based on the
needs of the field and the numbers and types of cases being identified.
l. To develop a formalized process for working with the state bar
associations for providing parents and/or legal guardians with a
referral process for obtaining pro bono or sliding scale legal
[[Page 1972]] services in civil matters concerning abducted children.
Program Strategy
This solicitation and resulting cooperative agreement will ensure
the effective continuance by OJJDP of a national resource center and
clearinghouse function for the training and technical assistance
program to law enforcement agencies; State and local governments;
entities of the criminal justice system, public and private nonprofit
agencies; and individuals in the prevention, investigation,
prosecution, and treatment of abducted, missing, and exploited children
and in assisting, locating, and reuniting the missing children with
their families or legal custodians.
The applicant must demonstrate the experience and capability to
provide timely, relevant professional program continuity for the
national resource center and clearinghouse program. The successful
applicant must demonstrate, in detail, the ability to enlist, train and
manage the technical and professional personnel who will provide
knowledgeable, credible program continuation and professional program
technology transfer to parents, criminal justice system professionals,
and nonprofit and community agencies.
The operation of a national resource center and clearinghouse
requires the applicant to provide and arrange for all necessary
operational, training publications, analytical and technical assistance
personnel, facilities, equipment, materials, and services required for
the successful continuation of the existing program activities. These
include the following activities:
1. The provision to State and local governments, public and private
nonprofit agencies, and individuals information regarding free or low-
cost legal, restaurant, lodging, and transportation services that are
available for the benefit of missing children and their families;
2. The development of a public education/awareness campaign
utilizing the media and other sources specifically focused on the area
of family abductions and the true impact this type of abduction has on
the children, families involved, and society in general;
3. To coordinate publications, media activities and all special
events with and through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention;
4. The provision to State and local governments, public and private
nonprofit agencies, and individuals information regarding the existence
and nature of programs being carried out by Federal agencies to assist
missing/exploited children and their families;
5. To provide and coordinate with OJJDP's Title IV Training Program
technical assistance and training to criminal justice agencies, State
and local governments, elements of the criminal justice and youth
service system, public and private nonprofit agencies, organized
missing/exploited children community organizations, and individuals in
locating, recovering, and reuniting missing children with their family
or legal custodian;
6. The provision of a national 24-hour toll-free telephone line by
which individuals may report information regarding the location of any
missing child and request information pertaining to the necessary
procedures to reunite such child with the child's legal custodian(s);
7. The provision of information derived from the national 24-hour
toll-free telephone line to appropriate cognizant entities in a timely
manner;
8. The coordination of the operation of the 24-hour toll-free
telephone line with the operation of the national communications system
established to serve runaways (under section 313 of the Runaway and
Homeless Youth Act, 42 U.S.C. 5712a);
9. The coordination of public and private programs that seek to
locate, recover, or reunite missing children with their legal
custodians;
10. The dissemination of information about, and the provision of
technical assistance and training publications regarding comprehensive,
innovative, community, multi-agency missing children programs,
services, and legislation;
11. The provision of information to State and local governments,
public and private nonprofit agencies and individuals to facilitate the
lawful use of school records and birth certificates to identify and
locate missing children; and
12. The provision and maintenance of a national on-line computer
for the dissemination of information and technical assistance to and
communication between the State Clearinghouses, law enforcement
agencies, and appropriate nonprofit organizations established to assist
in locating, recovering, and reuniting of missing children with their
legal guardian(s) including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada
and New Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom.
13. The applicant will include in its application a detailed plan
for the establishment of a grant advisory board independent of any
existing organizational advisory board. The advisory board will be made
up of at least ten (10) individuals representing, at a minimum, the
following agencies: law enforcement, nonfamily abduction victim parent,
family abduction victim parent, nonprofit missing children
organization, social services, mental health, courts, prosecution. This
board membership will be submitted to OJJDP for approval.
14. The applicant will include in its application a detailed plan
to justify a proposed resource allocation (staff and funds) based on
the actual number of missing/abducted child cases by category and the
amount and type of technical assistance needed to meet the mandates of
the national resource center and clearinghouse.
15. The applicant will include in its application a detailed plan
for coordination with the American Bar Association's Center on Children
and the Law, in the development of a formalized process for working
with the state bar associations and other appropriate organizations for
providing parents and legal guardians with a referral service for
obtaining pro bono or sliding scale legal services in civil matters
concerning their abducted children.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants are invited from public agencies and not-for-profit
private organizations. Applicant organizations may choose to submit
joint proposals with other eligible organizations as long as one
organization is designated in the application as the applicant and co-
applicants are designated as such.
The applicant and co-applicants must demonstrate fully the required
experience to deliver continuation support services as required in
section VI. Applicants must demonstrate, in addition to program
knowledge and support experience, programmatic and fiscal management
capabilities to implement a project of this size and scope effectively.
Applicants who fail to demonstrate that they have the experienced
capability to manage a program of this size and complexity will be
ineligible for funding consideration.
Specific Application Requirements
All applicants must submit a completed Standard Form 424,
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424); a Standard Form 424A,
Budget Information; OJP Form 4000/3, Assurances; and OJP Form 4061/6,
Certifications. In addition to these forms, all applicants must include
a project summary, a budget narrative, and a program narrative. All
not-for- [[Page 1973]] profit organizations who have not recently
received Office of Justice Programs funding must submit a completed
Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (OJP 712011).
All forms must be typed. The SF 424 must appear as a cover sheet
for the entire application. The project summary should follow the SF
424. All other forms must then follow. Applicants should be sure to
sign OJP Forms 4000/3 and 4061/6.
The project summary must not exceed 250 words. It must be clearly
marked and typed single spaced on a single page. Applicants should take
care to write a description that accurately and concisely reflects the
proposal.
The program narrative must be typed double spaced on one side of
page only. The program narrative may not exceed 60 pages. The program
narrative must include all items indicated in the Selection Criteria
section of this solicitation. This page limit does not apply to
supporting materials normally found in appendices (such as preliminary
surveys, resumes, and supporting charts or graphs).
In submitting applications that contain more than one organization,
the relationships among the parties must be set forth in the
application. As a general rule, organizations that describe their
working relationship in the development of products and the delivery of
services as primarily cooperative or collaborative in nature will be
considered co-applicants. In the event of a co-applicant submission,
one co-applicant must be designated as the payee to receive and
disburse project funds and be responsible for the supervision and
coordination of the activities of the other co-applicant. Under this
arrangement, each organization must agree to be jointly and severally
responsible for all project funds and services. Each co-applicant must
sign the SF 424 and indicate their acceptance of the conditions of
joint and several responsibility with the other co-applicant.
Applications that include noncompetitive contracts for the
provision of specific services must include a sole source justification
for any procurement in excess of $25,000. The contractor may not be
involved in the development of the statement of work. The applicant
must provide sufficient justification for not offering for competition
the portion of work proposed to be contracted.
The following information must be included in the application
Program Narrative (part IV of SF 424):
1. Organizational Capability: The applicant must demonstrate that
it is eligible to compete for this cooperative agreement and have
substantial organizational experience and resources that can be
directly applied to provide programmatic support that will assure OJJDP
the effective continuance of a national resource center and
clearinghouse function for: The 24 hour national toll free telephone
line; the information analysis of sighting and leads; case management
assistance experience, procedures and data base information technology
support to handle case processing procedures effectively and
responsively for more than 6,500 ongoing missing children cases plus
more than 3,000 new case/lead assignments each quarter; and the
provision of the training publications and technical assistance
programs to law enforcement agencies, State and local governments,
elements of the criminal justice system, public and private nonprofit
agencies, and individuals in the prevention, investigation,
prosecution, and treatment of the missing and exploited children cases
and in assisting in the locating and reuniting of the missing children
with families or legal custodians.
The criteria used for evaluating applicants is based upon the
responsiveness of the applicant to the program information and
descriptions found in this solicitation. Applicants must demonstrate
that they are eligible to compete for this cooperative agreement on the
basis of eligibility criteria established in this notice.
2. Organizational Experience: a. The applicant must demonstrate the
requisite knowledge of and experience with the missing and exploited
children issue necessary to provide capable, responsible management of
a national resource center and clearinghouse, including having direct
access to NCIC and NLETS.
b. The applicant must demonstrate experience and expertise in
providing technical assistance and training to a diverse audience
requiring such services with regard to the missing and exploited
children issues described in this solicitation.
c. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to develop as well as
provide missing and exploited children specialized issue-related
training and service oriented training materials to the recipient
jurisdictional, professional, citizens, community needs, and other
OJJDP training programs.
d. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to provide for
national missing children sighting analysis and case management
practices that can collate national sightings, lead and case
information in a relevant, and timely manner to assist, facilitate and
coordinate multi-jurisdictional, national and international missing
children investigations.
e. The applicant must demonstrate extensive state-of-the-art
information technology experience to manage, facilitate and service
high volume electronic assisted response for technical assistance
information needs and exchanges that require fast, accurate responses.
f. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to provide continuity
of comprehensive missing and exploited children issue services in
response to the program objectives and strategies described in this
solicitation.
3. Program Goals and Objectives: A succinct statement demonstrating
the applicant's understanding of the objectives and tasks associated
with the program must be included. The application must also include a
problem statement and a discussion of the past and potential future
contributions of the applicant's program to the missing and exploited
children issues required to be performed by a national missing and
exploited children's clearinghouse and resource center. The applicant
must describe the proposed approach for achieving the objectives of the
program and the requirements of the program strategy as detailed in
this announcement.
4. Program Implementation Plan: The applicant must describe its
proposed approach to achieving the goals and objectives of the project.
A program implementation plan outlining the major activities involved
in implementing the program, resource allocation, the program
management must be included. A clear time-task workplan identifying
major milestones, tasks, and products should be part of the
application.
The applicant should include an organizational chart depicting the
roles and responsibilities of key personnel and organizational
functional components that will be responsible for supporting and
implementation of the program. The applicant should provide detailed
position descriptions, qualification, and criteria selection for the
positions. Part-time and practitioner professionals should also be
included, with a statement of their qualifications and experience that
would directly relate to the service needs of this program. The
applicant should denote which staff members are considered key project
personnel and emphasize their position experience. [[Page 1974]]
5. Program Budget: The applicant must provide a three year budget
to be prepared by year. Any co-applicant associated costs must be
detailed separately and accounted for in as much detail as the
principal applicant. The applicant must provide a detailed
justification for all costs by object class category as specified in
the SF 424. Costs must be reasonable and the basis for these costs must
be well documented in a separate budget narrative.
6. Products: A concise description of the products to be produced
should be included. The applicant must describe existing and future
program activities and products that have and will be developed or
utilized to continue to service the program; and should describe how
and who will be served by these products.
Selection Criteria
In general, all applications will be reviewed in terms of their
demonstrated past, present, and potential ability to continue the
development and provide the requisite services of a national resource
center and clearinghouse for servicing missing and exploited children
issues, as they are defined under title IV, The Missing Children's
Assistance Act. The experience and knowledge involved for delivery of
these services in a capable, efficient, and professional manner is a
vital criterion for selection.
All applicants will be evaluated and rated based on the extent to
which they meet the following criteria:
1. Organizational and programmatic capability must be demonstrated.
The project management structure must be adequate for the successful
conduct of the project. The applicant must have demonstrated
clearinghouse and resource center program management and information
technology capabilities and experience and capabilities in the areas
described and defined throughout this solicitation; experience working
with the various missing children issue groups and agencies at the
national, state, municipal, community, individual levels, and
international levels; providing technical assistance, training and
information products related to missing and exploited children;
providing missing child case assistance, analysis and coordination;
promoting the development of professional approaches to missing
children issues; providing assistance in organizational development
processes for improved multi-agency delivery of services relating to
missing children issues; and the relevant experience of applicant's
staff in the missing children issues and their capabilities to address
the perceived program needs. Fiscal integrity and organizational
stability must be demonstrated over time. (35 points)
2. The applicant must demonstrate an understanding of an approach
to implementing the program objective of organizing, providing and
maintaining the high level service delivery demands of a national
resource center and clearinghouse for missing children. (30 points)
3. The qualifications of staff members identified to manage and
implement the program, including consultants, must be adequate for the
successful implementation of the objectives. (25 points)
4. The applicant must provide a sound and fully-justified budget
that is cost effective to the service provided. The proposed costs must
be complete, appropriate, and reasonable to the activities of the
project. All costs should be fully justified in a budget narrative or
with other supporting documentation. (10 points)
Award Period
The project period for the cooperative agreement supporting the
missing and exploited children national resource center and
clearinghouse is three (3) years. One cooperative agreement will be
awarded with an initial budget period of 12 months.
Award Amount
Up to $3,050,000 has been allocated for the initial budget period.
Commensurate financial support for the remaining two project budget
periods will be determined by the performance of the grantee, program
development needs as determined by OJJDP, and the availability of
funds.
Submission of Application
Applicants must submit the original, signed application (Standard
Form 424) and two unbound copies to OJJDP. Application forms and
supplementary information will be provided upon request for the
Application Kit. Potential applicants should review the OJJDP Peer
Review Guideline and the OJJDP Competition and Peer Review Procedures.
These documents will be provided in the Application Kit.
Grant Program: Title IV Training and Technical Assistance
Purpose
The purpose of this solicitation is to establish a mechanism for
the maintenance, management, and standardization of activities; program
design, development, and implementation; and fiscal support necessary
to sustain those services required for the development of a coordinated
and comprehensive Training and Technical Assistance Program under Title
IV, the Missing Children's Assistance Act.
The award will be made for a project period of three years. One
cooperative agreement will be awarded with an initial budget period of
12 months. Up to $750,000 will be allocated for the initial 12 month
award. Subsequent funding support will be determined by the performance
of the grantee and program development needs as determined by OJJDP.
Background
Since the beginning of the Missing and Exploited Children's
Program, OJJDP has funded an aggressive program of research and program
development. The first major program was the establishment of a
National Resource Center and Clearinghouse on Missing Children that was
established under the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children in April 1984. Since that time, OJJDP has funded numerous
other programs and projects for the design, development, and
implementation of model projects and approaches. Currently, OJJDP funds
over fifty (50) programs and projects in this area, many of which have
an emphasis on designing and developing training and technical
assistance materials for practitioners on the local, state, and federal
level.
Additionally, major studies funded by OJJDP have been completed
that define and document the complex issues of missing children cases.
The National Incidence Studies for Missing, Abducted, Runaway and
Thrownaway Children in America (NISMART) was the first national study
done that provides reliable data about the numbers and types of missing
child cases and to clarify the types of cases and situations that make
up the ``missing children'' population. Since the last Request for
Proposals (RFP), other research projects have been completed that
provide critical information about the dynamics of missing child cases,
the psychological impact of abduction on children and families, and
what happens after a missing child comes home.
It has become clear that there is not a single ``missing child''
problem. Children are abducted by strangers and acquaintances as well
as by parents or other family members. The research has shown that
family abduction is a far greater problem than previously realized, and
the effects on children can be disastrous and long-lasting.
[[Page 1975]] Recovering children abducted by family members often is
extremely difficult and costly. Many children who run away return home
quickly, but a significant number run many times and live on the
streets constantly exposed to danger, exploitation, and becoming
involved in criminal activity. Some of the children previously thought
of as runaways have in actuality been thrownaway or abandoned. Every
year many children are harmed after they become lost or wander away.
Thousands of children are abducted for short periods of time and
molested. It is estimated that there are more than 114,000 attempted
nonfamily abductions of children each year.
Missing and exploited children are often already known to community
agencies as victims. Runaway and abducted children may experience
physical and sexual assault as part of their missing episode. Runaways
often leave home to escape abuse, and children may become involved in
sexual exploitation as a direct or indirect result of earlier
victimization. Many family abduction cases involve families with
histories of domestic violence. Most parentally-abducted children have
suffered from being the focus of bitter conflict prior to being taken.
Recovery of abducted children seldom means the end of the conflict or
the traumatic effects of an abduction, yet these children seldom
receive the mental health services that could help them cope. Recent
studies indicate that children who come from households characterized
by violence, abuse or neglect may be more vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation by persons outside their home as well. The issues
surrounding missing and exploited children are varied, complex, and
tragic. The missing and exploited children problem is not a minor
dilemma that can be resolved with a single approach or by any single
agency. Law enforcement officers and other professionals who become
involved in these cases face difficult challenges. Agencies must work
in collaboration with others who share that responsibility.
The general consensus of all of the Title IV research projects,
demonstration programs, and professionals on the local, state, and
federal levels is that there is an overwhelming need for training of
and technical assistance to agencies and personnel working with these
types of cases. These sources also indicate that this training and
technical assistance must be provided through a central source
providing coordination and standardization of the materials and
information offered.
This same idea of coordination and standardization was supported by
the professionals associated with the development of OJJDP's Title IV
Long Range Plan is the overwhelming need for coordinated and
comprehensive training and technical assistance to enhance the skills
of the professionals charged with the responsibility of handling these
very complex and complicated cases.
Under the current process for the design, development, and delivery
of training and technical assistance, each grantee is faced with the
responsibility of developing their own stand alone mechanism for the
accomplishment of this task. This system not only creates additional
expense but it also does nothing to address the issue of
standardization and duplication of effort.
The first ten years of the Missing and Exploited Children's Program
have seen significant progress in our understanding of the issues of
these child victims. They also have identified areas of need and
provided recommendations for future direction and activities. Building
upon the work of the last decade, the goal of the Missing and Exploited
Children's Program is to ensure that critical information gleaned from
research and demonstration programs is successfully incorporated into
existing and new projects funded by OJJDP.
Objectives
1. Develop an efficient and effective mechanism for the systematic
management and delivery of state-of-the-art Title IV training and
technical assistance on the national-level that will:
a. utilize the existing information and work products from Title IV
grantees and programs, and
b. ensure the incorporation of new information and work products
developed through future efforts.
2. Through this mechanism, coordinate and standardize the
information, training, technical assistance on missing and exploited
children disseminated on the local, state, and federal level.
3. Ensure that the following areas are the principle focus of the
training and technical assistance delivered.
a. Effective community and child education, prevention, and
awareness programs.
b. Effective community-based approaches for coordination and
collaboration among the primary service provider agencies.
c. Effective multi-agency team approaches.
d. Effective multi-jurisdictional coordination approaches.
e. Available resource education, awareness, and access.
f. State-of-the-art investigative skills and techniques for
location and recovery of missing children.
g. Selected approaches for the reunification of missing and
abducted children with their legal guardians.
4. Establish a database for tracking and documentation of
communities, agencies, and personnel that receive the Title IV training
and technical assistance.
5. Develop a mechanism for providing support to OJJDP for
incorporation of input from all Title IV Grantees in the development of
concept papers, reports, and related materials in furtherance of
OJJDP's Title IV Long Range Plan and meeting the mandates of the Title
IV Legislation.
6. Enhance and improve missing and abducted child serving agencies
and organizations capability and ability to respond to the issues
related to cases of missing and exploited children.
7. Create a stronger link between the front-line personnel working
these cases and the policy-makers at the local, state, and federal
levels.
8. Incorporate the Title IV information and work products into
training and technical assistance products for both front-line
personnel and policy-makers.
9. Maintain state-of-the-art curricula and materials through
systematic review, assessment, and revision of curricula, in concert
with OJJDP.
Program Strategy
This solicitation and resulting cooperative agreement is to
establish a mechanism for the maintenance, management, and
standardization of activities; program design, development, and
implementation; and fiscal support necessary to sustain those services
required for the development of a coordinated and comprehensive
Training and Technical Assistance Program under Title IV, the Missing
Children's Assistance Act.
The applicant must demonstrate a proven national experience and
capability to provide timely, relevant professional program continuity
for the design, development, delivery, and maintenance of an efficient
and effective Title IV Training and Technical Assistance Program.
The applicant must list and provide letters of agreement to
participate from the primary consultants and trainers that will be
utilized in the design, development, and delivery of the Title
[[Page 1976]] IV training and technical assistance programs.
The applicant must demonstrate, in detail, the ability to enlist,
train and manage the technical and professional personnel that will
provide knowledgeable, credible program continuation and professional
program technology transfer to all agencies and personnel involved in
the prevention, identification, location, recovery, and reunification
of missing, exploited, and abducted children with their legal
guardians.
The applicant will include in its application a detailed task plan
to:
1. Justify their resource allocation (staff and funds) based on the
actual number of existing Title IV training programs and proposed new
training and technical assistance program development,
2. Develop an efficient and effective mechanism for the systematic
management and delivery of state-of-the-art Title IV training and
technical assistance on the national-level that will:
a. utilize the existing information and work products from Title IV
grantees and programs, and
b. ensure the incorporation of new information and work products
developed through future efforts.
3. Establish a database for tracking and documentation of
communities, agencies, and personnel that receive the Title IV training
and technical assistance,
4. Enhance and improve missing and abducted child serving agencies
and organizations capability and ability to respond to the issues
related to cases of missing and exploited children,
5. Create a stronger link between the front-line personnel working
these cases and the policy-makers at the local, state, and federal
levels,
6. Incorporate the Title IV information and work products into
training and technical assistance products for both front-line
personnel and policy-makers,
7. Maintain state-of-the-art curricula and materials through
systematic review, assessment, and revision of curricula, in concert
with OJJDP.
The applicant will include in their application a detailed plan for
the establishment of a grant advisory board independent of any existing
organizational advisory board. The advisory board will be made up of at
least ten (10) individuals representing the following agencies: law
enforcement, nonfamily abduction victim parent, family abduction victim
parent, nonprofit organization, social services, mental health, courts,
prosecution, and medical. All appointees to this advisory board will be
subject to approval by OJJDP.
Eligibility Requirements
Applications are invited from public agencies and not-for-profit
private organizations. Applicant organizations may choose to submit
joint proposals with other eligible organizations as long as one
organization is designated in the application as the applicant and co-
applicants are designated as such. The applicant and co-applicants must
demonstrate fully the required experience to deliver continuation
support services as required in section VI. Applicants must
demonstrate, in addition to program knowledge and support experience,
programmatic and fiscal management capabilities to implement a project
of this size and scope effectively. Applicants who fail to demonstrate
that they have the experienced capability to manage a program of this
size and complexity will be ineligible for funding consideration.
Specific Application Requirements
All applicants must submit a completed Standard Form 424,
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424); a Standard Form 424A,
Budget Information; OJP Form 4000/3, Assurances; and OJP Form 4061/6,
Certifications. In addition to these forms, all applications must
include a project summary, a budget narrative, and a program narrative.
All not-for-profit organizations who have not recently received
Office of Justice Programs funding must submit a completed Accounting
System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (OJP 712011).
All forms must be typed. The SF 424 must appear as a cover sheet
for the entire application. The project summary should follow the SF
424. All other forms must then follow. Applicants should be sure to
sign OJP Forms 4000/3 and 4061/6.
The project summary must not exceed 250 words. It must be clearly
marked and typed single spaced on a single page. Applicants should take
care to write a description that accurately and concisely reflects the
proposal.
The program narrative must be typed double spaced on one side of a
page only. The program narrative may not exceed 60 pages. The program
narrative must include all items indicated in the Selection Criteria
section of this solicitation. This page limit does not apply to
supporting materials normally found in appendices (such as preliminary
surveys, resumes, and supporting charts or graphs).
In submitting applications that contain more than one organization,
the relationships among the parties must be set forth in the
application. As a general rule, organizations that describe their
working relationship in the development of products and the delivery of
services as primarily cooperative or collaborative in nature will be
considered co-applicants. In the event of a co-applicant submission,
one co-applicant must be designated as the payee to receive and
disburse project funds and be responsible for the supervision and
coordination of the activities of the other co-applicant. Under this
arrangement, each organization must agree to be jointly and severally
responsible for all project funds and services. Each co-applicant must
sign the SF 424 and indicate their acceptance of the conditions of
joint and several responsibility with the other co-applicant.
Applications that include non-competitive contracts for the
provision of specific services must include a sole source justification
for any procurement in excess of $25,000. The contractor may not be
involved in the development of the statement of work. The applicant
must provide sufficient justification for not competing the portion of
work proposed to be contracted.
The following information must be included in the application
Program Narrative (part IV of SF 424):
1. Organizational Capability: The applicant must demonstrate that
it is eligible to compete for this cooperative agreement and have
substantial organizational experience and resources that can be
directly applied to provide programmatic support that will assure OJJDP
the effective establishment of a Title IV Training and Technical
Assistance program to law enforcement agencies, State and local
governments, other elements of the criminal justice system, public and
private nonprofit agencies, and individual disciplines in the
prevention, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of the missing
and exploited children cases and in assisting in the locating and
reuniting of the missing children with families or legal custodians.
The criteria used in evaluating applicants is based upon the
responsiveness of the applicant to the program information and
descriptions found in this solicitation. Applicants must demonstrate
that they are eligible to compete for this cooperative agreement on the
basis of eligibility criteria established in this notice.
2. Organizational Experience: a. The applicant must demonstrate the
requisite knowledge of and experience [[Page 1977]] with the missing
and exploited children issue necessary to provide capable, responsible
management of a Title IV Training and Technical Assistance Program.
b. The applicant must demonstrate experience and expertise in
providing technical assistance and training to a diverse audience
requiring such services with regard to the missing and exploited
children issues described in this solicitation.
c. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to assist in the
development of missing and exploited children specialized issue-related
training and service-oriented training materials to the recipient
jurisdiction, professional, citizen, community needs, and other OJJDP
training and technical assistance programs.
d. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to provide continuity
of comprehensive missing and exploited children issue services in
response to the program objectives and strategies described in this
solicitation.
3. Program Goals and Objectives: A succinct statement demonstrating
the applicant's understanding of the objectives and tasks associated
with the program must be included. The application must also include a
problem statement and a discussion of the past and potential future
contributions of the applicant's program to the missing and exploited
children issues required to be performed by an organization assuming
the responsibility for the Title IV Training and Technical Assistance.
The applicant must describe the proposed approach for achieving the
objectives of the program and the requirements of the program strategy
as detailed in this announcement.
4. Program Implementation Plan: The applicant must describe its
proposed approach to achieving the goals and objectives of the project.
A program implementation plan outlining the major activities involved
in implementing the program, resource allocation, the program
management must be included. A clear time-task workplan identifying
major milestones, tasks, and products should be a part of the
application.
The applicant should include an organizational chart depicting the
roles and responsibilities of key personnel and organizational
functional components that will be responsible for supporting and
implementation of the program. The applicant should provide detailed
position descriptions, qualifications, and criteria for selection for
the positions. Part-time and practitioner professionals should also be
included, with a statement of their qualifications and experience that
would directly relate to the service needs of this program. The
applicant should denote which staff members are considered key project
personnel and emphasize their position experience.
5. Program Budget: The applicant must provide a three year budget
to be prepared by year. Any co-applicant associated costs must be
detailed separately and accounted for in as much detail as the
principal applicant. The applicant must provide a detailed
justification for all costs by object class category as specified in
the SF 424. Costs must be reasonable and the basis for these costs must
be well documented in a separate budget narrative.
6. Products: A concise description of the products to be produced
should be included. The applicant must describe existing and future
program activities and products that have and will be developed or
utilized to continue to service the program; and should describe how
and who will be served by these products.
Selection Criteria
In general, all applications will be reviewed in terms of their
demonstrated past, present and potential ability to continue the
development and provide the requisite services for a Title IV Training
and Technical Assistance Program for servicing missing and exploited
children issues, as they are defined under Title IV, The Missing
Children's Assistance Act. The experience and knowledge involved for
delivery of these services in a capable, efficient and professional
manner is, of course, a vital criteria for selection.
All applicants will be evaluated and rated based on the extent to
which they meet the following criteria:
1. Organizational and programmatic capability must be demonstrated.
The project management structure must be adequate for the successful
conduct of the project. The applicant must have demonstrated Title IV
experience and program management and information technology
capabilities and experience and capabilities in the areas described and
defined throughout this solicitation; experience working with the
various missing children issue groups and agencies at the national,
state, municipal, community, and individual levels; providing technical
assistance, training and information products related to missing and
exploited children; and promoting the development of professional
approaches to missing children issues; providing assistance in
organizational development processes for improved multi-agency delivery
of services relating to missing children issues; and the relevant
experience of applicant's staff in the missing children issues and
their capabilities to address the perceived program needs. Fiscal
integrity and organizational stability must be demonstrated over time.
(25 points)
2. The applicant must have demonstrated understanding of an
approach to implementing the program objectives of organizing,
providing and maintaining the high level service delivery demands of a
Title IV Training and Technical Assistance Program. (25 points)
3. The qualifications of staff members identified to manage and
implement the program, including consultants, must be adequate for the
successful implementation of the objectives. (40 points)
4. The applicant must provide a sound and fully-justified budget
that is cost effective to the services provided. The proposed costs
must be complete, appropriate, and reasonable to the activities of the
project. All costs should be fully justified in a budget narrative or
with other supporting documentation. (10 points)
Award Period
The project period for the cooperative agreement supporting the
Title IV Training and Technical Assistance Training Grant is three (3)
years. One cooperative agreement will be awarded with an initial budget
period of 12 months.
Award Amount
Up to $750,000 has been allocated for the initial budget period.
Commensurate financial support for the remaining two project budget
periods will be determined by the performance of the grantee program
development needs as determined by OJJDP, and the availability of
funds.
Submission of Application
Applicants must submit the original, signed application (Standard
Form 424) and two unbound copies to OJJDP. Application forms and
supplementary information will be provided upon request for the
Application Kit. Potential applicants should review the OJJDP Peer
Review Guideline and the OJJDP Competition and Peer Review Procedures.
These documents will be provided in the Application Kit. [[Page 1978]]
Grant Program: Effective Community-Based Approaches for Dealing With
Missing and Exploited Children
Purpose
The purpose of this solicitation is to identify, research,
evaluate, and document effective community-based, organizations from
around the country that use multi-disciplinary team approaches to
address the complex issues related to missing and exploited children
and their families. The solicitation will identify a minimum of five
(5) community-based organizations that provide a cross-sectional
representation of the demographics of the country. The effective
approaches being used in these communities will be developed into a
training curriculum that will be used to assist communities in the
establishment of an effective, cooperative, and collaborative
community-based, multi-disciplinary team approach to missing and
exploited children's issues.
The award will be made for a project period of three years. One
cooperative agreement will be awarded with an initial budget period of
18 months. Up to $250,000 will be allocated for the initial 18 month
award. Subsequent funding support will be determined by the performance
of the grantee and program development needs as determined by OJJDP.
Background
The term ``missing children'' has been used to describe many
children who become missing or are displaced for various and differing
reasons. Children may be missing because they have been abducted by a
stranger or acquaintance. A surprisingly large number of children
(354,000 per year) are abducted by a parent or family member as part of
an ongoing divorce or custody battle. About half a million children run
away from home each year. There are many children designated as
``thrownaway'' children because they have been abandoned or told to
leave home. Other children wander away from home or become lost or
injured for other reasons. While most children eventually are recovered
or return home, they may be missing for a few hours, days, weeks, or
years. Some children are found dead or are never recovered at all.
Society's understanding of the issues relating to these ``missing
and displaced'' children and its response has been slow to develop.
Since the passage of most federal and state legislation regarding
missing children and the inception of the Missing and Exploited
Children's Program in the Department of Justice, an array of ground
breaking research has been completed or is still underway. Much more is
known about the issues surrounding missing and exploited children, and
this information provides important direction for future action to
improve the response to these victims.
No single health, social service, law enforcement, or judicial
system exists to track and comprehensively assess the number and
circumstances of child victimization on a national level, including
child deaths. The same is true in most states and local jurisdictions
as well. Data on child victimization resides in several different
forms, including police crime reports, child protective service
reports, and vital statistics. None of these sources contain
information on all types of maltreatment of children.
Definitions are inconsistent across agencies and disciplines. The
names and definitions given to child victimization, as well as how we
address it, differs according to the relationship of the perpetrator to
the child victim. If the offender is a family member or caretaker, it
is called abuse; if the offender is a stranger or acquaintance, it is
called an assault or some other type of ``crime.'' Generally, the
criminal justice system handles victimization of children by nonfamily
members while social service agencies handle victimization by family
members or caretakers.
National crime justice statistics, with the exception of abduction
and homicide, do not include crimes against children under the age of
twelve. It is usually worse on the local and state levels. Child abuse
data is not included in criminal statistics. Some particularly violent
abuse cases of children may be contained in police reports but not most
of them. Child protective service agencies do not keep data on
nonfamily, noncaretaker abuse of children. They usually refer such
cases to the police and do not provide services to those children and
their families. Most assaults against children are simply never
reported to any agency.
Most communities approach the different forms of child maltreatment
in a fragmented fashion with social services handling intra-familial
cases of abuse and neglect, law enforcement handling nonfamily assault
and abduction cases, and many child victims simply going unrecognized
and untreated. At best, communities may have a vague picture of who the
missing and exploited children are in their jurisdiction. If they look
closely, they realize that these invisible children are frequently
already known to their criminal justice and social service agencies as
victims or perpetrators.
The experiences of many of these children and their families are
not unlike that of abused and neglected children. There are many
commonalities and linkages. Children often suffer multiple types of
victimization and one form of victimization may directly or indirectly
lead to others. Often runaway and thrownaway children have left abusive
homes and are at increased risk for suicide, assault, exploitation, and
murder while on the streets. Children who are neglected or inadequately
supervised may be especially vulnerable to a variety of risks. Some
children are reported missing by a parent who actually killed the child
and is trying to conceal his or her act. The majority of family
abduction cases involve families with histories of domestic violence.
Most parentally-abducted children have suffered from being the focus of
bitter conflict prior to being taken. Recovery of abducted children
seldom means the end of the conflict or the traumatic effects of an
abduction, yet these children seldom receive the mental health services
that could help them cope. Recent studies indicate that children who
come from households characterized by violence, abuse or neglect may be
more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by persons outside their home
as well. Other studies indicate that the lines between incest and
sexual abuse by nonfamily persons may not be as distinct as previously
believed, i.e., many incest perpetrators also molest children other
than their own.
Objectives
1. Identify five demographics representative community programs
that have in place an active and working community-based process for
addressing the needs of and issues related to missing, exploited, and
abducted children and their families.
2. Research and evaluate the programs in the selected communities
to determine their strengths and weaknesses in addressing such issues
as: confidentiality; sharing of information; inter-agency agreements;
cross-training; statistical information gathering and analysis;
identification and resolution of system gaps; case and services
management; establishing public-private partnerships; interacting with
agencies on the state and federal levels; multi-level prevention
education and awareness programs; conducting cooperative investigative
practices; resource allocation and sharing; cultural diversity;
education and awareness of policy-makers; recovery and reunification of
the child victims with their family and community; and other
[[Page 1979]] issues having a direct impact on the ability and
capability of a community to respond to the needs of missing,
exploited, and abducted children and their families.
3. Prepare and document a comprehensive report of the research and
evaluation conducted on the five selected communities. The report will
be in journalistic style format. It will illustrate the strengths and
weaknesses of the communities studied. This report also will provide
information on why these types of community-based approaches succeed as
well as fail.
4. Design and develop a multi-level training curriculum that
incorporates all of the strengths documented in the five selected
communities. The training curriculum will also incorporate information
and techniques developed by other OJJDP programs and initiative in this
area. The curriculum will enable jurisdictions to strategically plan,
implement, and evaluate a community-based multi-disciplinary team
process for effectively addressing the issues and needs of their
missing, exploited, and abducted children and their families while
utilizing existing community resources.
Program Strategies
This solicitation and resulting cooperative agreement will
identify, research, evaluate, and document effective community-based
organizations from around the country that use multi-disciplinary team
approaches to address the complex issues related to missing and
exploited children and their families.
The applicant must demonstrate, in detail, the ability to enlist
and manage the technical and professional personnel that will provide
knowledgeable, credible program development and professional program
technology transfer to all community agencies.
The applicant must demonstrate a comprehensive and equitable
process to identify a minimum of five (5) community organizations that
are representative of the country.
The applicant will include in their applications a detailed plan
for the establishment of a grant advisory board. The advisory board
will be made up of at least ten (10) individuals representing the
following agencies: law enforcement, nonfamily abduction victim parent,
family abduction victim parent, nonprofit organization, social
services, mental health, courts, prosecution and representative from
Association of Missing and Exploited Childrens Organizations (AMECO).
This board membership will be submitted to OJJDP for approval.
The applicant will include in their application a detailed plan for
coordination with other Title IV grant programs to incorporate state-
of-the-art techniques and information into the training curricula.
1. The research and evaluation component of application must
demonstrate how the information on the programs in the selected
communities will be analyzed to determine their strengths and
weaknesses in addressing such issues as:
a. confidentiality
b. sharing of information
c. inter-agency agreements
d. cross-training
[e. statistical information gathering and analysis]
f. identification and resolution of system gaps
g. case and services management
h. establishing public-private partnerships
i. interaction with agencies on the state and federal levels
j. multi-level prevention education and awareness programs
k. conducting cooperative investigative practices
l. resource allocation and sharing
m. cultural diversity
[n. education and awareness of policy-makers]
o. recovery and reunification of the child victims with their family
and community
p. other issues having a direct impact on the ability and capability of
a community to respond to the needs of missing, exploited, and abducted
children and families
Prepare and document a comprehensive written report of the research
and evaluation conducted on the five selected communities. The report
will be in journalistic style format. It will illustrate the strengths
and weaknesses of the communities studied. This report also will
provide information on why these types of community-based approaches
succeed as well as fail.
The applicant must present in detail the process that will be used
for the design and development of a multi-level training curriculum
that incorporates all of the strengths documented in the five selected
communities. The training curriculum must include:
2. Instructor's Guide:
a. Course agenda
b. Lesson plan cover sheets for each instructional block that include:
(1) terminal objective
(2) instructor tasks
(3) learning objectives
(4) participant handout materials
3. Participants's Guide:
a. Course agenda
b. Participant note taking guide
c. Reference and resource materials
The training curriculum will be designed to provide the
participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to strategically
plan, implement, establish, and evaluate a community-based
multidisciplinary team process for effectively addressing issues and
needs of their missing, exploited, and abducted children and their
families while utilizing existing community resources.
Eligibility Requirements
Applications are invited from public agencies and not-for-profit
private organizations. Applicant organizations may choose to submit
joint proposals with other eligible organizations as long as one
organization is designated in the application as the applicant and co-
applicants are designated as such. The applicant and co-applicants must
demonstrate fully the required experience to deliver continuation
support services as required in section VI. Applicants must
demonstrate, in addition to program knowledge and support experience,
programmatic and fiscal management capabilities to implement a project
of this size and scope effectively. Applicants who fail to demonstrate
that they have the experienced capability to manage a program of this
size and complexity will be ineligible for funding consideration.
Specific Application Requirements
All applicants must submit a completed Standard Form 424,
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424); a Standard Form 424A,
Budget Information; OJP Form 4000/3, Assurances; and OJP Form 4061/6,
Certifications. In addition to these forms, all applicants must include
a project summary, a budget narrative, and a program narrative.
All not-for-profit organizations who have not recently received
Office of Justice Programs funding must submit a completed Accounting
System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (OJP 712011).
All forms must be typed. The SF 424 must appear as a cover sheet
for the entire application. The project summary should follow the SF
424. All other forms must then follow. Applicants should be sure to
sign OJP Forms 4000/3 and 4061/6.
The project summary must not exceed 250 words. It must be clearly
marked and typed single spaced on a single page. Applicants should take
care to [[Page 1980]] write a description that accurately and concisely
reflects the proposal.
The program narrative must be typed double spaced on one side of
page only. The program narrative may not exceed 60 pages. The program
narrative must include all items indicated in the Selection Criteria
section of this solicitation. This page limit does not apply to
supporting materials normally found in appendices (such as preliminary
surveys, resumes, and supporting charts or graphs).
In submitting applications that contain more than one organization,
the relationships among the parties must be set forth in the
application. As a general rule, organizations that describe their
working relationship in the development of products and the delivery of
services as primarily cooperative or collaborative in nature will be
considered co-applicants. In the event of a co-applicant submission,
one co-applicant must be designated as the payee to receive and
disburse project funds and be responsible for the supervision and
coordination of the activities of the other co-applicant. Under this
arrangement, each organization must agree to be jointly and severally
responsible for all project funds and services. Each co-applicant must
sign the SF 424 and indicate their acceptance of the conditions of
joint and several responsibility with the other co-applicant.
Applications that include noncompetitive contracts for the
provision of specific services must include a sole source justification
for any procurement in excess of $25,000. The contractor may not be
involved in the development of the statement of work. The applicant
must provide sufficient justification for not competing the portion of
work proposed to be contracted.
The following information must be included in the application
Program Narrative (part IV of SF 424):
1. Organizational Capability: The applicant must demonstrate that
it is eligible to compete for this cooperative agreement and have
substantial organizational experience and resources that can be
directly applied to provide programmatic support that will assure OJJDP
the effective establishment of a program that will identify, research,
evaluate, and document effective community-based organizations around
the country that use multi-disciplinary team approaches to address the
complex issues related to missing and exploited children and their
families. The solicitation will identify a minimum of five (5)
community-based organizations that provide a cross-sectional
representation of the demographics of the country. The effective
approaches being used in these communities will be developed into a
training curriculum that will be used to assist communities in the
establishment of an effective, cooperative, and collaborative
community-based, multi-disciplinary team approach to missing and
exploited children's issues. The criteria used in evaluating applicants
is based upon the responsiveness of the applicant to the program
information and descriptions found in this solicitation. Applicants
must demonstrate that they are eligible to compete for this cooperative
agreement on the basis of eligibility criteria established in this
notice.
2. Organizational Experience: a. The applicant must demonstrate the
requisite knowledge of and experience with the missing and exploited
children issue necessary to provide capable, responsible management of
as outlined in solicitation.
b. The applicant must demonstrate experience and expertise in
providing research, evaluation of community-based missing and exploited
children organizations as described in this solicitation.
c. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to design and develop
a multi-level training curriculum for community based organizations.
3. Program Goals and Objectives: A succinct statement demonstrating
the applicant's understanding of the objectives and tasks associated
with the program must be included. The application must also include a
problem statement and a discussion of the past and potential future
contributions of the applicant's program to the missing and exploited
children issues required to be performed by an organization assuming
the responsibility for the program as described in this solicitation.
The applicant must describe the proposed approach for achieving the
objectives of the program and the requirements of the program strategy
as detailed in this announcement.
4. Program Implementation Plan: The applicant must describe its
proposed approach to achieving the goals and objectives of the project.
A program implementation plan outlining the major activities involved
in implementing the program, resource allocation, the program
management must be included. A clear time-task workplan identifying
major milestones, tasks, and products should be part of the
application.
The applicant should include an organizational chart depicting the
roles and responsibilities of key personnel and organizational
functional components that will be responsible for supporting and
implementation of the program. The applicant should provide detailed
position descriptions, qualification, and criteria selection for the
positions. Part-time and practitioner professionals should also be
included, with a statement of their qualifications and experience that
would directly relate to the service needs of this program. The
applicant should denote which staff members are considered key project
personnel and emphasize their position experience.
5. Program Budget: The applicant must provide a three year budget
to be prepared for two 18 month periods. Any co-applicant associated
costs must be detailed separately and accounted for in as much detail
as the principal applicant. The applicant must provide a detailed
justification for all costs by object class category as specified in
the SF 424. Costs must be reasonable and the basis for these costs must
be well documented in a separate budget narrative.
6. Products: A concise description of the products to be produced
should be included. The applicant must describe existing and future
program activities and products that have and will be developed or
utilized to continue to service the program; and should describe how
and who will be served by these products.
Selection Criteria
In general, all applications will be reviewed in terms of their
demonstrated past, present and potential ability to develop document
Effective Community-Based Approach For Dealing with Missing and
Exploited Children and develop curriculum as described in this
solicitation. The experience and knowledge involved for delivery of
product is, of course, a vital criteria for selection.
All applicants will be evaluated and rated based on the extent to
which they meet the following criteria:
1. Organizational and programmatic capability must be demonstrated.
The project management structure must be adequate for the successful
conduct of the project. The applicant must have demonstrated Title IV
experience and program management and information technology
capabilities and experience and capabilities in the areas described and
defined throughout this solicitation; experience working with the
various missing children issue groups and agencies at the national,
state, municipal, community, individual levels, and international
levels; providing technical assistance, training and information
products related to [[Page 1981]] missing and exploited children; and
promoting the development of professional approaches to missing
children issues; and the relevant experience of applicant's staff in
the missing children issues and their capabilities to address the
perceived program needs. Fiscal integrity and organizational stability
must be demonstrated over time. (25 points)
2. The applicant must have demonstrated understanding of an
approach to implementing the program objectives of organizing,
providing and maintaining the high level service delivery demands of
solicitation. (25 points)
3. The qualifications of staff members identified to manage and
implement the program, including consultants, must be adequate for the
successful implementation of the objectives. (40 points)
4. The applicant must provide a sound and fully-justified budget
that is cost effective to the service provided. The proposed costs must
be complete, appropriate, and reasonable to the activities of the
project. All costs should be fully justified in a budget narrative or
with other supporting documentation. (10 points)
Award Period
The project period for the cooperative agreement supporting the
Effective Community-Based Approaches for Dealing with Missing and
Exploited Children Grant is three (3) years. One cooperative agreement
will be awarded with an initial budget period of 18 months.
Award Amount
Up to $250,000 has been allocated for the initial budget period.
Commensurate financial support for the remaining project budget period
will be determined by the performance of the grantee, program
development needs as determined by OJJDP, and the availability of
funds.
Submission of Application
Applicants must submit the original, signed application (Standard
Form 424) and two unbound copies to OJJDP. Application forms and
supplementary information will be provided upon request for the
Application Kit. Potential applicants should review the OJJDP Peer
Review Guideline and the OJJDP Competition and Peer Review Procedures.
These documents will be provided in the Application Kit.
Bibliography for Grant Programs
National Incidence Studies on Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and
Thrownaway Children in America (NISMART), Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention. Report issued in 1990.
Obstacles to the Recovery and Return of Parentally Abducted
Children, a study by the ABA Center on Children and the Law, funded by
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1993.
Families of Missing Children: Psychological Consequences, a study
by the Center for the Study of Trauma, University of California at San
Francisco, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. Final report to be published.
The Reunification of Missing Children Project, a study by the
Center for the Study of Trauma, University of California at San
Francisco, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. Final report unpublished.
Law Enforcement Policies and Practices Regarding Missing Children
and Homeless Youth, a study by Research Triangle Institute, funded by
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1993.
Title IV Missing and Exploited Children's Program Long Range Plan
and FY 95 Program Priorities; Notice, Federal Register, October 12,
1994.
John J. Wilson,
Deputy Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 95-249 Filed 1-4-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P