[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17746-17749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8201]



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Part IV





Department of Justice





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Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention



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Program Announcement for the Evaluation of Parents Anonymous; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 4, 2000 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

[OJP (OJJDP)-1268]


Program Announcement for the Evaluation of Parents 
Anonymous

AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention, Justice.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
(OJJDP) is requesting applications for the evaluation of the Parents 
Anonymous program. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess 
the implementation and effectiveness of Parents Anonymous 
programs in preventing and treating child abuse and neglect.

DATES: Applications must be received by June 19, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Interested applicants must obtain an application kit from 
the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736. The application kit 
is also available at OJJDP's Web site at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html#kit. (See ``'Format'' and ``Delivery Instructions'' later in 
this announcement for instructions on required standards and the 
address to which applications must be sent.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dean Hoffman, Program Manager, Office 
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 202-353-9256. [This is 
not a toll-free number.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose

    To assess the implementation and effectiveness of Parents 
Anonymous programs in preventing and treating child abuse and 
neglect. This 3-year process and outcome evaluation will be funded as a 
cooperative agreement.

Background

    Parents Anonymous is a national child abuse prevention 
program dedicated to family strengthening in partnership with local 
communities. From a single group in 1970, Parents Anonymous 
has grown into more than 1,000 weekly mutual support groups for parents 
and complementary children's programs. In communities throughout the 
country, partnerships are formed between local communities, Parents 
Anonymous organizations, and Parents Anonymous, Inc., the 
national accrediting entity. With a 30-year history and more than 
30,000 local volunteers, Parents Anonymous worked with 
100,000 parents and their children in 1997 to help prevent child abuse 
and neglect.
    The Parents Anonymous national network consists of 32 
State and local Parents Anonymous organizations, which 
oversee the weekly Parents Anonymous groups and children's 
programs. Parents Anonymous, Inc., provides training and technical 
assistance to Parents Anonymous organizations and State and 
local government agencies to foster the development and maintenance of 
Parents Anonymous programs. Program materials, technical 
assistance services, and regional and national trainings are designed 
and conducted by Parents Anonymous, Inc.
    Mutual support and shared leadership are the cornerstones of the 
Parents Anonymous model. Parents Anonymous programs 
partner in local communities with volunteers, agencies, and parents to 
establish groups to strengthen families. The program is both a 
community development model and a prevention and treatment model. 
Parent leaders are assigned meaningful and identifiable roles at both 
the group and organizational levels to ensure shared leadership and the 
development of more responsive programs to meet the needs identified by 
families. This unique model actualizes the principles of mutual support 
and shared leadership not just in the group model but at the 
organizational level. This is accomplished through the leadership roles 
of parents who participate in effective outreach to other parents, 
program planning and implementation, strategic planning, fundraising, 
policy decisions, organizational governance, and evaluation activities.
    Applicants can obtain a Parents Anonymous information 
package through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention's (OJJDP's) Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse by calling 800-
638-8736. Information about Parents Anonymous will also be 
available during the bidders' conference discussed later in this 
Notice.

Evaluation Strategy

    This evaluation will be conducted in two phases. During Phase I (12 
months), the process evaluation will investigate how the theoretical 
premises, principles, best practices, and model of Parents 
Anonymous are implemented in a sample of programs selected by 
the evaluator. The process evaluation should result in an in-depth 
understanding of why parents seek help, how the program tries to help 
parents change, what factors influence initial and continued 
involvement in the program, and other relevant issues. A wide range of 
individuals should be included in the evaluation, including 
participants and facilitators, parent leaders, and program 
coordinators. Applicants should present a detailed approach to 
conducting the process evaluation.
    Applicants should present a preliminary approach to conducting the 
outcome evaluation (Phase II, 24 months) in the selected programs. This 
should include a detailed discussion of the overall design of the 
outcome evaluation and include methods for selecting programs and 
comparison groups, designing and testing data collection instruments, 
and collecting and analyzing data. Multiple methods should be used to 
collect baseline and followup data. The outcome evaluation should be 
able to assess the effectiveness of Parents Anonymous in 
preventing and treating child abuse and neglect. The outcome evaluation 
design should be described as specifically as possible but recognize 
that the design will be refined during Phase I. The design of the 
outcome evaluation is to be completed by the end of Phase I.
    The number and type of programs included in the evaluation should 
be selected in a manner that will provide information on a wide variety 
of programs. Applicants should include a methodology for selecting 
programs in their proposal, but it is possible that this methodology 
will be modified after the first meeting of the Project Advisory Board 
(see below). The evaluator can anticipate being able to use a national 
listing of programs to be provided by Parents Anonymous, Inc., for the 
purpose of sampling. This national database, which is currently under 
development, will be able to provide the evaluator with information on 
the scope and nature of Parents Anonymous organizations and 
types of programs across the Nation.
    Upon award of the cooperative agreement, Parents Anonymous, Inc., 
will introduce the evaluator to the Parents Anonymous 
national network, emphasize the usefulness of the evaluation, and 
encourage programs, participants, and staff to share information, 
opinions, and ideas. The applicant's strategies for conducting the 
process and outcome evaluation should reflect an understanding of the 
collaboration between Parents Anonymous, Inc., and its regional and 
local organizations, shared leadership with program participants, and 
methodological issues related to evaluating mutual support programs and 
community-based prevention programming.

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Goal

    To assess the implementation and effectiveness of Parents 
Anonymous programs in preventing and treating child abuse and 
neglect.

Phase I Objectives

     Identify, investigate, and document how the theoretical 
premises, principles, best practices, and model of Parents 
Anonymous are implemented in a sample of programs to be 
selected by the evaluator.
     Document how programs are established, staffed, and 
operated.
     Produce, in the selected groups, an in-depth understanding 
of who participates in Parents Anonymous, the circumstances 
behind their participation, the methods for producing changes in 
behavior and attitudes, the factors that influence initial and 
continued involvement with the program, and other relevant issues.
     Describe how the Parents Anonymous model is 
implemented in different settings (e.g., agencies, prisons, schools).
     Describe any variability in the implementation of the 
Parents Anonymous model across settings and communities.
     Finalize the design of the outcome evaluation.

Phase II Objectives

     Assess the effectiveness of the Parents 
Anonymous programs and their different structures in 
preventing and treating child abuse and neglect.
     Assess the differences between families that continue in 
Parents Anonymous and those that do not.
     Investigate which factors and circumstances either 
contribute to or detract from the effectiveness of the Parents 
Anonymous program.
     Identify effective techniques for monitoring program 
outcomes that might be adapted for ongoing self-assessment of local 
Parents Anonymous programs.

Project Advisory Board

    A Project Advisory Board (PAB) will provide guidance on the overall 
design of the evaluation, data collection instruments and procedures, 
and other similar issues. Also, the PAB will advise the evaluator on 
ways to help ensure the cooperation and collaboration of Parents 
Anonymous programs.
    The PAB will consist of five members. The evaluator will be 
responsible for identifying and recommending four PAB members. In their 
proposal, applicants should identify two potential members of the PAB 
and include signed letters of commitment from them. These two 
individuals must have demonstrated expertise in the child maltreatment 
and domestic violence fields and evaluation of mutual support and self-
help groups. These experts should be able to offer guidance on the 
evaluation design and data collection instruments. The other two PAB 
members will be identified and recommended after the cooperative 
agreement is awarded. These members will be parents, staff, or 
volunteers involved in the Parents Anonymous program. OJJDP 
will approve all PAB recommendations. The fifth member will be 
identified by OJJDP and Parents Anonymous, Inc.
    The PAB will be convened twice during Phase I. The first meeting 
should be held within 2 months of the award. The PAB will be charged 
with reviewing the detailed process evaluation design, the preliminary 
outcome evaluation design, and the program sampling strategy. The 
second meeting will be held 10 months into Phase I. At this meeting, 
the PAB will be charged with reviewing the process evaluation findings, 
reviewing refined outcome evaluation design, and guiding evaluation 
activities for the remainder of the project. Additional meetings will 
be held during Phase II, but the number and timing of these will be 
determined at a later date.
    The evaluator will be responsible for coordinating both PAB 
meetings. One meeting is to be held in Washington, DC, and the other is 
to be held in Claremont, CA. The evaluator must include in its budget 
expenses for the meeting location, materials, and travel and related 
expenses and preparation day(s) for the PAB members.

Products

    The following products will be delivered during Phase I:
    1. One month after the first PAB meeting, the evaluator will submit 
(1) a final process evaluation design and methodology, including a plan 
for selecting programs, and (2) a revised outcome evaluation design, 
the feasibility of which is to be determined during the process 
evaluation.
    2. At 10 months, the evaluator will submit (1) An interim report 
describing the results of the process evaluation and (2) A refined 
outcome evaluation design that builds upon the PAB's first round of 
comments and the evaluator's experience in the field. The PAB will meet 
and review these products.
    3. At 12 months, the evaluator will submit a final outcome 
evaluation plan.
    During Phase II, the following products will be delivered:
    1. The evaluator will submit an interim report at month 24 (that 
is, 12 months into Phase II) that summarizes preliminary findings and 
discusses the progress of the evaluation.
    2. The evaluator will provide a draft final report at least 60 days 
prior to the end of the 3-year grant period to allow for review and 
comment by the PAB and OJJDP.
    3. The evaluator will provide a final report, including an 
executive summary that can be published as a separate document. These 
documents will be submitted 30 days prior to the end of the 3-year 
grant period. In addition, a summary version of the report suitable for 
publication as an OJJDP Bulletin must be prepared at the same time.

Eligibility Requirements

    OJJDP invites applications from public and private agencies, 
organizations, institutions, and individuals. Private, for-profit 
organizations must agree to waive any profit or fee. Joint applications 
from two or more eligible applicants are welcome; however, one 
applicant must be clearly indicated as the primary applicant (for 
correspondence, award, and management purposes) and the others 
indicated as coapplicants.

Selection Criteria

    Applicants will be evaluated and rated by a peer review panel 
according to the criteria outlined below.

Problem(s) To Be Addressed (5 points)

    Applicants should demonstrate their understanding of the causes of 
child maltreatment and its relationship to domestic violence, family 
strengthening research, strategies to prevent and treat child abuse and 
neglect, and the role of mutual support and self-help programs, such as 
Parents Anonymous, in terms of how they are designed to 
address the theoretical factors in child maltreatment. The application 
should discuss how some types of interventions may be 
counterproductive.

Goals and Objectives (10 points)

    Applicants must define specific goals and measurable objectives for 
conducting, managing, and producing the products of this evaluation. 
This section of the proposal should expand upon the goals outlined in 
this solicitation and be closely tied to the project design. A detailed 
time line should be included as appendix A (see ``Appendixes'' below).

Project Design (40 points)

    Applicants should demonstrate a thorough understanding of 
appropriate

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evaluation designs, identify the methodological issues and problems 
associated with the type of evaluation to be conducted here, and 
propose solutions for these problems. (5 points)
    The applicant must present a clear, detailed project design that 
describes the approach to conducting the process and outcome 
evaluations. The project design should include a detailed strategy for 
selecting Parents Anonymous programs and comparison groups. 
Applicants must present a plan for addressing cultural diversity and 
satisfy confidentiality and protection of human subjects requirements 
(see requirements regarding privacy certificates and Institutional 
Review Boards below). A clear plan must be presented for developing and 
pilot testing data collection instruments and collecting and analyzing 
data. (30 points)
    The applicant should demonstrate an ability to conduct the 
evaluation in a manner compatible with the shared leadership-mutual 
support model of Parents Anonymous''. Applicants should discuss how 
they have addressed confidentiality and cultural diversity issues in 
previous research and how these will be addressed in the current study. 
(5 points)

Management and Organizational Capability (25 points)

    The application should include a discussion of how the grantee will 
coordinate and manage this evaluation. The applicant's management 
structure and staffing must be adequate and appropriate for the 
successful implementation of the project. (10 points)
    The applicant must identify responsible individuals, their time 
commitment, and their specific task assignments. Key staff should have 
significant experience in the fields of childhood maltreatment and 
domestic violence and with designing and conducting multisite 
evaluations and conducting appropriate analysis. Applicants should 
discuss their experience with evaluations of mutual support programs, 
self-help programs, and community-based child abuse and neglect 
prevention programs. (10 points)
    Applicants must discuss how they will work with and maintain the 
involvement of parents, parent leaders, facilitators, and program 
coordinators in data collection and analysis issues and other 
requirements of the project. (5 points)

Budget (15 points)

    The applicant must provide a proposed budget that is detailed, 
reasonable, and cost effective in relation to the activities to be 
undertaken.

Appendixes (5 points)

    Appendix A: 3-Year Project Time line. The time line should clearly 
and comprehensively show when the evaluation's goals and objectives 
will be achieved.
    Appendix B: Resumes of personnel and consultants. Key staff should 
have significant experience with designing and conducting multisite 
evaluations and conducting appropriate analysis.
    Appendix C: Resumes of two proposed PAB members and their signed 
letters of agreement. These two individuals must have demonstrated 
expertise in the child maltreatment and domestic violence fields and 
evaluation of mutual support and self-help groups. These experts should 
be able to offer guidance on the evaluation design and data collection 
instruments.

Bidders' Conference

    OJJDP will host a bidders' conference on May 10, 2000, at 1:00 p.m. 
to answer questions potential applicants have about the Request for 
Proposals and general operation of Parent Anonymous programs. 
The conference will be conducted via conference call. Interested 
parties should call 703-871-3073 (for those within the Washington, DC, 
metropolitan area) and 877-282-0743 (for those outside the Washington, 
DC, metropolitan area) up to 10 minutes before the conference is to 
begin and follow the instructions. Applicants have the opportunity to 
ask questions during the conference; the instructions on how to do this 
will be provided when applicants call in for the conference. For those 
applicants who cannot participate in the conference, OJJDP will post 
the transcript of the proceedings on its Web site (www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org) 
and make it available through the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (800-
638-8736). Applicants should not contact Parents Anonymous, Inc., 
directly.

Format

    The application must be submitted on 8\1/2\- by 11-inch paper. All 
text must be double-spaced on one side of the paper in 12-point, Times 
Roman font. One-inch margins must be used on all sides. These 
requirements apply to the narrative portion of the application, which 
includes the problem to be addressed, goals and objectives, project 
design, and management and organizational capability. Graphics, tables, 
budget, and the appendixes are exempt from these requirements. This is 
necessary to maintain fair and uniform standards among all applicants. 
If the narrative does not conform to these standards, OJJDP will deem 
the application ineligible for consideration.
    The narrative portion must not exceed 30 pages.

Award Period

    This project will be funded for 3 years in three 1-year budget 
periods. Funding after the first budget period depends on grantee 
performance, availability of funds, and other criteria established at 
the time of award.

Award Amount

    Up to $300,000 is available for the initial 12-month budget period. 
Applicants need provide a detailed budget only for Phase I.

Confidentiality

    Applicants proposing research and statistical activities that will 
involve the collection of data identifiable to a private person must 
comply with the confidentiality requirements of 42 U.S.C. section 3789g 
and 28 CFR part 22. Specifically, applicants should submit a Privacy 
Certificate in accordance with 28 CFR section 22.23 as part of the 
application package.

Human Subjects

    Applicants are advised that any project that will involve the use 
of human research subjects must be reviewed by an Institutional Review 
Board (IRB), in accordance with Department of Justice regulations at 28 
CFR Part 46. IRB review is not required prior to submission of the 
application. However, if an award is made and the project involves 
research using human subjects, OJJDP will place a special condition on 
the award requiring that the project be approved by an appropriate IRB 
before Federal funds can be expended on human subjects activities. 
Applicants should include plans for IRB review, where applicable, in 
the project time line submitted with the proposal.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

    For this program, the CFDA number, which is required on Standard 
Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance, is 16.542. This form is 
included in the OJJDP Application Kit, which can be obtained by calling 
the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736 or sending an e-mail 
request to [email protected]. The Application Kit is also available 
online at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org./grants/about.html#kit.

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Coordination of Federal Efforts

    To encourage better coordination among Federal agencies in 
addressing State and local needs, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) 
is requesting applicants to provide information on the following: (1) 
Active Federal grant award(s) supporting this or related efforts, 
including awards from DOJ; (2) Any pending application(s) for Federal 
funds for this or related efforts; and (3) Plans for coordinating any 
funds described in items (1) or (2) with the funding sought by this 
application. For each Federal award, applicants must include the 
program or project title, the Federal grantor agency, the amount of the 
award, and a brief description of its purpose.
    ``Related efforts'' is defined for these purposes as one of the 
following:
    1. Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposed award would 
supplement, expand, complement, or continue activities funded with 
other Federal grants).
    2. Another phase or component of the same program or project (e.g., 
to implement a planning effort funded by other Federal funds or to 
provide a substance abuse treatment or education component within a 
criminal justice project).
    3. Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance, research, or 
evaluation) to the program or project described in the application.

Delivery Instructions

    All application packages should be mailed or delivered to the 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, c/o Juvenile 
Justice Resource Center, 2277 Research Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K, 
Rockville, MD 20850; 301-519-5535. Note: In the lower left-hand corner 
of the envelope, you must clearly write ``Evaluation of Parents 
Anonymous''

Due Date

    Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the original and five 
copies of the application package are received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 
19, 2000.

Contact

    For further information call Dean Hoffman, Program Manager, 
Research and Program Development Division, 202-353-9256, or send an e-
mail inquiry to [email protected].

Suggested References

Belsky, J. 1993. Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental-
ecological analysis. Psychological Bulletin 114(3):413-434.
Cohn, A. H. 1979. Essential elements of successful child abuse and 
neglect treatment. Child Abuse and Neglect 3:491-496.
Cohn, A. H., and Daro, D. 1987. Is treatment too late: What ten 
years of evaluative research tells us. Child Abuse and Neglect 
11:433-442.
Gray, E. 1986. Child Abuse: Prelude to Delinquency. Washington, DC: 
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of 
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Hawkins, J., VonCleve, E., and Catalano, R. 1991. Reducing early 
childhood aggression: Results of a primary prevention program. 
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 
30:208-217.
Humphreys, K., and Rappaport, J. 1994. Researching self-help/mutual 
aid groups and organizations: Many roads, one journey. Applied & 
Preventive Psychology 3:217-231.
Levine, M. 1988. An analysis of mutual assistance. American Journal 
of Community Psychology 19:167-187.
Rafael, T., and Pion-Berlin, L. 1999. Parents Anonymous: 
Strengthening Families. Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention.
Riessman, F., and Carroll, D. 1995. Redefining Self-Help: Policy and 
Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Widom, C. 1991. Childhood victimization: Risk factor for 
delinquency. In Adolescent Stress: Causes and Consequences, edited 
by M. Colton and S. Gore. New York: Aldine de Gruyer.

    Dated: March 29, 2000.
John J. Wilson,
Acting Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 00-8201 Filed 4-3-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P