[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14699-14705]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7208]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

[OJP(OJJDP)-1367]


Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts in America: Management 
Information Systems Project

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

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
(OJJDP) is requesting applications for the Strengthening Abuse and 
Neglect Courts in America: Management Information Systems (SANCA MIS) 
project. The project will help abuse and neglect courts develop, 
implement, and maintain automated information systems that enhance 
court compliance with the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, by 
automating national functional data standards and tracking national 
performance measures.

DATES: Applicants must begin their online applications by April 25, 
2003. Applications must be completed online, and all required letters, 
signed by the appropriate authorities, must be received in one fax 
transmission by May 27, 2003. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below for 
information on electronic access and specific information on who must 
submit letters.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Kracke, Program Manager, Child 
Protection Division, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention, at 202-616-3649. (This is not a toll-free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    How to Apply: The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) requires that 
you submit your application for funding electronically through the OJP 
Grants Management System (GMS). Access through the Internet to this 
online application system will expedite and streamline the submission, 
receipt, review, and processing of your request for funding.
    To learn how to begin your online application process, go to 
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm.
    All applicants must fax the following letters:
    [sbull] A letter of designation as the State Court Improvement 
Project (CIP) applicant, signed by the State CIP coordinator, or a 
letter of support from the State CIP coordinator, whichever letter 
applies, as described under the eligibility criteria.
    [sbull] A letter identifying the applicant's ``Eligibility 
Designation.''
    [sbull] A signed Statement of Collaborative Application.
    All three letters must be faxed to 202-354-4147 by May 27, 2003. 
All three required letters must be signed by the appropriate parties 
and must have the GMS-assigned application number located on the 
subject line.

Purpose

    The purpose of the Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts in 
America: Management Information Systems

[[Page 14700]]

(SANCA MIS) project is to develop, implement, and maintain automated 
information systems that enable the Nation's abuse and neglect courts 
to effectively and efficiently meet the intended goals of the Adoption 
and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 (Pub. L. 105-89), which seeks to 
protect children's safety, permanency, and well-being.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 670 (Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts 
Act).

Background

    When ASFA was signed into law in November 1997, it was widely 
hailed as a milestone in the campaign to improve child welfare 
practice. Since then, this legislation has substantially influenced 
courts, child welfare agencies, and others who work to improve the 
lives of abused and neglected children. ASFA mandates that children's 
health and safety be considered paramount when courts make decisions 
about children's welfare. The Act also places important new limitations 
on the concept of reasonable efforts to return victims of child abuse 
and neglect to their families. Under the Act, a permanent plan must be 
established for foster children within 12 months of the date they enter 
care. In addition, States must seek the termination of parental rights 
(TPR) of any parent whose child has been in foster care for 15 of the 
preceding 22 months, except in specified circumstances.
    Although they are considered by most as an important step toward 
improving outcomes for abused and neglected children, these reforms 
have significantly increased the demands on child welfare agencies and, 
in particular, the dependency courts that oversee them. ASFA requires 
new, accelerated timelines for processing abuse and neglect cases. As a 
result, courts must provide a greater degree of judicial oversight at a 
time when many are already overburdened and facing significant case 
backlogs. As noted in a recent study on judicial workload, ASFA has 
both ``increased judicial responsibilities * * * in child abuse and 
neglect cases and decreased the acceptable period of time within which 
a case can be resolved'' (Dobbin and Gatowski, 2001). New regulations 
governing mandatory TPR filings have also contributed to demands on 
court time. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
estimates that in March 1998 as many as one-third of foster children 
had been in foster care long enough to mandate the filing of TPR 
proceedings, which typically take several days to conduct (U.S. General 
Accounting Office, 1999).
    ASFA's unprecedented focus on results and accountability has also 
increased demands made on courts and child welfare agencies. Another of 
the Act's key provisions requires that Federal outcome measures be 
developed to assess how well States meet ASFA goals and, subsequently, 
to inform a performance-based incentive system. These outcome measures, 
which are used in the new Child and Family Services Reviews, were 
published by HHS in the Federal Register (Vol. 64, No. 161) on August 
20, 1999. Careful case tracking and information management is, 
therefore, critical for State child welfare systems. Early findings 
from the first 17 Child and Family Services Reviews provide preliminary 
evidence of the crucial role that courts play in ensuring positive 
outcomes for children and providing case tracking to meet ASFA 
guidelines. Specifically, these findings suggest that court oversight 
during the case review process is needed to ensure that the needs of 
children and families are accurately assessed and that services are 
mobilized to address those needs. Review findings also highlight the 
importance of collaborative relationships between the courts and child 
welfare agencies. Such relationships foster compliance not only with 
specific ASFA provisions but also with ASFA's intent to provide a 
permanent place for children who must be removed from their homes.
    Unfortunately, research suggests that the systems used by 
dependency courts to manage information--particularly, computerized 
MISs--are largely undeveloped. In a recent study conducted by the 
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) (Dobbin 
and Gatowski, 1998), the vast majority of court personnel described 
their court's MIS as ``very problematic.'' One court improvement 
specialist noted that ``The primary reason for untimely outcomes is bad 
data. * * * We can't spot check to identify problems, and we don't know 
how many cases are out of timeframes.'' In light of this identified 
need, OJJDP has supported several efforts that improve juvenile court 
functions. In 2001, OJJDP provided funds to help the National Center 
for State Courts (NCSC) develop and publish functional standards for 
juvenile court MISs. The product of this effort--Integrated Juvenile 
Justice Case Management Standards--provides juvenile courts with 
detailed guidance regarding the functions that should be included in 
their MISs. The core functional standards can be viewed online at 
www.ncsc.dni.us/NCSC/CTP/HTDocs/Standards.htm. This effort also 
identifies design considerations that will improve information sharing 
with noncourt partners (e.g., child welfare agencies, schools, social 
services organizations). When completed, these design considerations 
will help courts communicate with key partner agencies, thereby 
enhancing the management of juvenile court cases.
    In addition, important efforts to identify performance measures 
specific to the dependency court system are now underway. CIP, 
supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, has provided 
funding to the American Bar Association (ABA), NCSC, and NCJFCJ to 
identify standardized outcome measures for court performance. Such 
efforts will help track the achievements of courts and child welfare 
agencies (Flango, 2001).
    Although this significant work continues to advance and inform 
State and local efforts, without funding to increase capacity or 
improve MIS infrastructure, many courts have found it difficult to meet 
the new ASFA requirements. In recognition of this need, legislators 
passed the Strengthening Abuse and Neglect Courts Act (the Act) (Pub. 
L. 106-314) in October 2000. This law authorizes an appropriation of 
$25 million, to be administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), to help courts meet ASFA requirements. 
However, no funds were appropriated. In fiscal year 2002, Congress 
earmarked $2 million of OJJDP's appropriation to initiate the 
implementation of the Act. This funding provides for the development of 
the SANCA MIS project outlined in this solicitation.

Goal

    The goal of the SANCA MIS project is to improve the efficiency and 
effectiveness of abuse and neglect courts nationwide and to increase 
their ability to meet ASFA requirements.

Objectives

    The SANCA MIS project seeks to develop, implement, and maintain MIS 
improvements by doing the following:
    [sbull] Implementing national standards to measure the performance 
of courts responsible for processing child abuse and neglect cases.
    [sbull] Implementing national functional standards for court 
automation.
    [sbull] Establishing key data elements that address the above 
performance measures and functional standards as they relate to the 
pilot courts.

[[Page 14701]]

    [sbull] Developing MIS or MIS enhancements that incorporate the 
above objectives.
    [sbull] Coordinating the automated data collection and case 
tracking systems of child welfare and other relevant agencies, courts, 
or court components (e.g., domestic violence courts).
    [sbull] Providing courts with timely reports regarding the progress 
that is being made to improve compliance with ASFA requirements and the 
processing of child abuse and neglect cases.

Performance Measures

    To ensure compliance with the Government Performance and Results 
Act, Pub. L. 103-62, this solicitation notifies applicants that OJP's 
performance under this solicitation will be measured by the following 
performance measure: The number of MIS systems enhanced or developed to 
achieve safety, permanency, and well-being, for abused and neglected 
children. Award recipients will be required to collect and report data 
in support of this measure. Specifically, award recipients will provide 
the following data on court improvement: (1) The number of new national 
performance measures tracked, (2) the number of new national functional 
data standards automated, (3) the number of new data elements 
collected, (4) the number of new reports generated, and (5) the number 
of court improvement strategies implemented.
    Assistance in obtaining this information will facilitate future 
program planning and will allow OJP to provide Congress with measurable 
results of federally funded programs.

Program Strategy

    OJJDP will select up to six courts to receive funding through 
cooperative agreements for a 24-month demonstration period.

Project Phases

    Establishing the SANCA MIS project requires a multiphase, 
collaborative process with national partners and technical advisors. 
The project will be conducted in three phases.
    [sbull] Phase I: Planning and Design, approximately 12 months.
    [sbull] Phase II: Pilot Implementation, approximately 6 months.
    [sbull] Phase III: Full Implementation and Sustainability, 
approximately 6 months.
    Phase I will involve hiring and/or contracting program and 
technical staff as needed; engaging a local collaborative to develop 
the project; surveying and analyzing user needs in the court and 
existing system capabilities and capacity; collaborating with national 
partners, technical advisors, and other selected pilot sites to 
identify and develop the core performance measures and functional 
standards; tailoring and customizing the national measures and 
standards to match the needs of the pilot jurisdiction; developing the 
implementation plan and design specifications; and developing software.
    Phase II will involve implementing, entering data for, and testing 
the design in a pilot stage, followed by retooling and generating 
initial reports.
    Phase III will involve implementing the system for all users, 
establishing regular maintenance procedures, generating reports at full 
scale, and identifying and establishing the ongoing court improvements 
implemented in response to the reports.
    All phases will be established in the cooperative agreement as 
benchmarks, and funding will be directly related to those benchmarks. 
Applicants are asked to estimate their budget needs for each phase. 
Funding for subsequent phases will be contingent on the completion of 
the benchmarks for the previous phase.

Project Design

    The SANCA MIS project will establish a set of pilot sites with both 
a high capacity for collaboration and court improvement and a need for 
support in building information systems. These sites will develop and 
enhance MIS and case-tracking systems for proceedings conducted by, or 
under the supervision of, abuse and neglect courts. The development and 
enhancement of these systems should substantially increase courts' 
ability to track cases, identify and eliminate existing backlogs, 
process abuse and neglect cases in a timely manner, and move children 
into safe and stable families. Measures for tracking court performance, 
particularly in regard to the provisions and requirements of ASFA, are 
a required component of MIS development and enhancement.
    The development and enhancement of MISs will be coordinated with 
work currently in progress at the national level. Selected pilot sites 
will be required to partner with the national team to (1) incorporate 
the national performance measures established through CIP by NCSC, 
NCJFCJ, and ABA, and (2) incorporate the national functional standards 
developed by NCSC. Data elements for both the measures and the 
functional standards will be identified by national technical advisors 
and partners with input from and in consultation with the SANCA MIS 
pilot site. The project design requires that the national team and the 
pilot sites work together to develop, test, and implement the national 
performance measures and functional standards tailored to each pilot 
court. The SANCA MIS project will pilot the implementation of these 
tailored measures and standards to demonstrate their effectiveness. 
These pilot efforts will inform future court developments and help to 
transfer the capabilities of MIS tracking and measurement to other 
courts on a broad scale. Applicants must be aware that these national 
measures and functional standards are preliminary and will be finalized 
after the grant is awarded; therefore, the challenge to successful 
applicants will be to develop a plan for planning that is flexible 
enough to incorporate this developmental national work in Phase I. 
Successful applicants will contribute to this national development, 
receive technical support and guidance during the pilot, and test the 
work.
    Copies of the draft performance measures established by CIP and 
information on the functional standards can be obtained from the 
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (JJC) and NCSC (both are listed in the 
Contacts section of this solicitation). Examples of the draft 
performance measures include the following:
    [sbull] The percentage of children who are the subject of 
additional allegations of maltreatment while under court jurisdiction.
    [sbull] The percentage of children who are the subject of 
additional allegations of maltreatment within 12 months after court 
jurisdiction has ended.
    [sbull] The percentage of children who are placed in permanent 
homes and court jurisdiction is ended within 6, 16, 18, and 24 months 
from removal.
    [sbull] The percentage of cases in which both parents receive 
written service of process within the required time standards or where 
notice of hearing has been waived by parties.
    [sbull] The percentage of cases that are adjudicated within 30, 60, 
and 90 days after the filing of the dependency petition.
    The functional standards for managing juvenile cases are intended 
to help court managers, analysts, designers, and software developers 
identify the functions of new or enhanced systems during the system 
definition stage of MIS development. Although the standards identify 
which tasks the system should perform, the system designer determines 
how those functions should be accomplished. Courts nationwide can use 
these standards to develop in-house systems and solicitations for 
vendor-supplied systems. Each court should customize the standards with 
appropriate

[[Page 14702]]

terminology and specifications that are based on local and State 
procedures, policies, and customs. The standards include 16 function 
categories, each of which identifies a full range of functions. 
Examples of these functions are provided below.
    [sbull] Case initiation and indexing functions (e.g., assign 
referral numbers and person identifiers; establish links between each 
juvenile and his or her family).
    [sbull] Docketing and related recordkeeping functions (e.g., create 
docket entry and update case information; maintain history of attorney 
assignments).
    [sbull] Scheduling functions (e.g., identify, display, and suggest 
resolutions to scheduling conflicts; output schedules upon user 
request).
    [sbull] Document generation and processing functions (e.g., 
generate notices to notify parties that petitions and other documents 
have been received/accepted; produce electronic forms and other 
documents).
    [sbull] Calendaring functions (e.g., produce calendars 
individually--by judge, for example--or in batches; distribute 
calendars electronically).
    [sbull] Hearings functions (e.g., provide for minute entry; create 
and print orders and supporting documents resulting from hearings on 
line in courtroom).
    In addition to using automation to improve court efficiency and 
track performance, efforts to automate court models and improve 
strategies for caseflow procedures, case management, representation of 
children, interagency interfaces, intercourt interface (e.g., 
dependency and criminal courts), and ``best practice'' standards can be 
incorporated, as appropriate, into selected pilot courts.
    Grantees will be required to coordinate with child welfare agencies 
and, when possible and appropriate, with child welfare collection 
systems, including the statewide automated child welfare information 
system (SACWIS) and the adoption and foster care analysis and reporting 
system (AFCARS). Coordinating with other key courts involved in child 
abuse and neglect cases (such as domestic violence cases) is also 
encouraged. However, coordination, consultation, and systems 
integration with the related State court is required, particularly with 
regard to the State court improvement plan funded under section 13712 
of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 670 note).
    Selected pilot courts will be required to establish a collaborative 
committee to plan and implement the project. The collaborative must 
include the presiding judge or judges, key court staff (e.g., court 
administrators, clerks), court MIS staff (including contractors and 
software developers), representatives from the child welfare agency, 
prosecuting attorney(s), guardians ad litem and attorneys/advocates for 
children (including CASAs, if appropriate), and other court and 
community organizations and individuals involved in efforts to improve 
the manner in which courts handle child welfare cases.
    Selected sites will be required to identify key staff, including 
both lead program staff for coordinating the overall project within the 
court and its partners and technology staff. Applicants may contract 
out technology services; however, awardees will be required to 
establish and maintain control of all project activities (including 
software development, system implementation, training activities, staff 
supervision, and report generation). In addition, selected pilot sites 
must retain the ability and capacity to generate reports on their own, 
without relying on independent contractors.
    Selected pilot courts will be required to develop a plan for MIS 
development and enhancement efforts. Following the grant award, OJJDP 
and the national technical advisors for the SANCA MIS project will 
issue guidance regarding the requirements of the plan. These plans must 
be reviewed and approved by OJJDP; approval will be based in part on 
advice and recommendations submitted by the national technical 
advisors. Once approved, selected pilot sites will be authorized to 
move to the design phase and then to the pilot implementation phase, 
with access to corresponding funds. Plans must be developed with both 
the core partners and stakeholders described above (and identified in 
the application) and with program and technology staff. Selected pilot 
courts will be expected to adopt the national performance measures and 
functional standards and to customize them according to the 
jurisdiction in which they will be used. The customized measures and 
standards should then be transferred directly into plans for systems 
development. Plans also should be based upon and include an assessment 
of current infrastructure; data and data needs specific to the 
jurisdiction; issues related to confidentiality, case management, and 
communications and data sharing across court dockets; and compatibility 
with, and data needs similar to those of, other courts and the child 
welfare agency.

Eligibility Requirements

    Applications are invited only from State and local courts 
responsible for processing child abuse and neglect cases in 
jurisdictions where the following projects are being implemented: HHS's 
Court Improvement Program (CIP), OJJDP's Model Dependency Courts, 
OJJDP's Safe Start Initiative, and OJJDP's Safe Kids/Safe Streets 
Initiative. In all cases, the child abuse and neglect court must be the 
lead agency for the SANCA MIS project and must apply on behalf of and 
with full support from the collaborative partners from the projects 
listed above.
    If a court applies through one of the OJJDP eligible projects, the 
application must be coordinated and consistent with the State CIP 
strategic plan. These OJJDP eligible projects are required to provide a 
letter of support from the State CIP coordinator ensuring that the 
application is consistent with the State CIP strategic plan and the 
State CIP efforts. This letter must be provided via fax by the 
application deadline.
    For the HHS CIP, courts that receive a grant from the State CIP are 
eligible to apply; however, only one court per State may apply in this 
HHS CIP category. Any eligible CIP court interested in applying for the 
SANCA MIS project must, therefore, first contact their State CIP 
coordinator to indicate their interest. If more than one CIP-eligible 
court expresses interest, the State CIP coordinator will then need to 
make a determination regarding which court should apply as the 
designated CIP applicant for that State. The State CIP coordinator must 
fax a letter clearly identifying the application by the assigned GMS 
number and stating that it is being submitted as the one State-
designated CIP applicant. This letter is to be faxed as part of the 
application deadline.

    Note: In cases where the above projects overlap in a single 
jurisdiction, the court must apply collaboratively with all the 
projects identified above. OJJDP will accept only one application 
from each of the four projects in a specific jurisdiction. 
Applicants and jurisdictions that fail to comply with the 
eligibility requirements by submitting more than one application may 
disqualify all applicants from that State or locality. Exception: 
This requirement will not preclude, however, the State CIP 
coordinator from offering one State-designated CIP application in 
addition to the collaborative application. If, for example, a local 
jurisdiction has a CIP grant, a Safe Kids/Safe Streets project, and 
a Model Dependency Court project, the local court is required to 
apply collaboratively with each of the projects or grantees. The 
State CIP coordinator would be required to provide a letter of 
support for this collaborative

[[Page 14703]]

application and would still be able to submit one other State-
designated application.

    Applicants must fax a letter clearly marked with a subject line 
entitled ``Eligibility Designation for application number ------'' and 
identify the application as eligible under one of the following areas, 
as determined by the primary lead program or project: (1) HHS's Court 
Improvement Program, (2) Model Dependency Court, (3) Safe Start 
Initiative, or (4) Safe Kids/Safe Streets Project. If the application 
is being submitted in collaboration with other projects, the applicant 
must indicate the Eligibility Designation for application number ---- 
as follows: ``Eligibility Designation: -------- in collaboration with 
-------- and --------'' filling in one or more of the invited projects 
identified above as eligible. This letter is to be faxed as part of the 
application deadline.
    All applicants must submit a Statement of Collaborative Application 
via fax, following the same instructions as referenced above. It is 
imperative that the application be mutually submitted by all of the 
stakeholders needed to develop this project. Applicants must submit a 
statement signed by each participating member stating that they are 
substantially involved in the development of the plan and are committed 
to participating in the collaborative pilot project. The statement must 
contain each collaborative member's original signature, typed/printed 
name, address, telephone number, and affiliation (title and agency or 
role [in the case of a parent or community representative]). The 
statement should demonstrate a clear commitment to participate in the 
national development and pilot implementation of the performance 
measures and functional standards.
    Applicants must identify all the eligible, invited projects in 
their jurisdiction and apply in collaboration with these projects; 
therefore, a special section in the Statement of Collaborative 
Application must be set aside to identify these projects and to affirm 
that the application has been developed in coordination and 
collaboration with them. The lead agency for each eligible, invited 
project must sign the statement. For instance, if a jurisdiction 
contains both a Model Dependency Court project and a Safe Start 
Initiative, the projects must submit an application collaboratively, 
and the lead agencies of each must sign a statement of joint 
application.
    Finally, applicants must also demonstrate a high capacity for 
collaboration and court improvement while also demonstrating a strong 
need for support to develop MIS capabilities.
    Applicants must comply with all the requirements set forth in this 
solicitation to be eligible for competition under this award. Absence 
of the required faxed letters, for instance, may result in 
disqualification.

Selection Criteria

    All applications will be evaluated and rated by a peer review panel 
according to the selection criteria outlined below. Applicants must use 
these selection criteria headings for their program narrative and must 
present information in this order. Selection criteria will be used to 
assess each applicant's responsiveness to application requirements, 
compliance with eligibility requirements, organizational capability, 
and thoroughness and innovation in response to strategic issues related 
to project implementation. Staff and peer reviewer recommendations are 
advisory only; the final award decision will be made by the OJJDP 
Administrator, who will consider geographic diversity and other 
factors.

Problem(s) To Be Addressed (10 Points)

    Applicants must provide a preliminary but detailed analysis of the 
court and organize and provide the information in the following manner:
    Section One: Jurisdictional Context and Organizational Structure. 
Applicants must provide a detailed description of the jurisdiction of 
the court, the organizational structure of the court, and the court's 
case-level role in working--both formally and informally--with the 
child welfare agency. Applicants also must describe how the court is 
administered with respect to judicial assignments, rotation policies, 
docket setting, and case assignments.
    Section Two: Data Automation and Information Management. Applicants 
should describe the current level of data automation, information 
management, infrastructure, and capacity in terms of the jurisdiction's 
ability to test the national performance measures and functional 
standards. Applicants should provide a detailed description of the 
current infrastructure (both human and technological) for data 
collection, case tracking, and performance measurement, if applicable. 
Applicants also should describe State-level automation systems and 
their requirements and system compatibility and current levels of 
coordination. In addition, applicants should discuss the status of 
coordination and system compatibility with SACWIS and the child welfare 
agency.
    In addition, applicants should describe what is currently known 
about cases under their jurisdiction regarding case levels, flow, 
tracking, and outcomes; case planning and management; and the court and 
child welfare agency's compliance with ASFA requirements.
    This section should demonstrate an understanding of current MISs 
and a need for improved MIS capability.
    Applicants may provide supplemental evidence, documentation, or 
sample illustrations of information conveyed in this section in the 
appendix.

Goals and Objectives (10 Points)

    Applicants must outline how the SANCA MIS project will improve 
their court. Applicants should describe how the involved agencies and 
systems will operate, in terms of improving outcomes for children 
consistent with ASFA and in terms of improving court function, after 
implementing the SANCA MIS pilot. Applicants must provide a clear 
discussion of the proposed project goals and objectives as they 
logically relate to the SANCA MIS pilot and the project phases. These 
goals and objectives must be quantifiable, measurable, and attainable 
within the timeframe of the project (24 months).

Project Design (20 Points): The Plan for Planning

    Applicants must describe their strategy for the SANCA MIS project 
through each of the three phases outlined above. Given the phased 
approach and the fact that Phase I requires developing a detailed MIS 
design and implementation plan, applicants should carefully and 
specifically outline only the process that the pilot court will use to 
manage the collaborative and to plan the program's overall design. 
Because the actual planning will occur after the award in coordination 
with national support and guidance, applicants are instructed to submit 
a plan for planning.
    The strategy should outline who will be involved at the 
collaborative, staffing, and MIS-user levels. The strategy should 
discuss how often the planners will meet and what tasks will be 
completed by when and by whom. This detailed workplan for the planning 
phase should include the steps for hiring or contracting a designer, 
steps for customizing the national measures and standards, and a clear 
commitment to partnering with the national team. (Specific guidance 
about the national cross-site partnership will be provided after 
selection and grant award.)

[[Page 14704]]

Applicants must also outline specific tasks and a timeline chart for 
completing Phases II and III, as described above, with responsible 
staff/collaborative members identified.

Management and Organizational Capability (40 Points)

    Applicants should use this section to describe a sound leadership 
design and an administration and operating structure that is capable of 
carrying out the proposed initiative. Applicants should demonstrate the 
following: Organizational and collaborative readiness, an effective 
team management structure involving the lead court and the 
collaborative partners, and a strong organizational capability that is 
commensurate with the scope of work outlined in this solicitation. 
These elements and their share of the 40 points available under this 
criterion are discussed below.
    Section One: Organizational and Collaborative Readiness (15 
Points). Applicants should provide a detailed description of how the 
court and its partners are ready to engage in the full scope of this 
project. Applicants should demonstrate a readiness to implement court 
improvement strategies based on data from automated reports and 
measurements, which will be generated through the project. In addition, 
applicants must (1) describe how the proposed vision and project design 
will build on and complement current collaborative planning processes 
to achieve the project's objectives; (2) discuss the court and its 
partners' history of collaboration and planning; (3) include a 
description of participants, major milestones, and the nature and 
process of the collaboration; (4) clarify what has been done, what is 
in process, and what remains to be done; and (5) demonstrate the 
existence, viability, and accomplishments to date of multidisciplinary 
arrangements whereby various courts and agencies in a jurisdiction are 
working cooperatively or collaboratively to improve the lives of 
children and families, especially those arrangements involving child 
abuse and neglect and domestic violence.
    Applicants should also demonstrate evidence of a climate favorable 
to children and families by listing current court and agency policies, 
legislation, cross-agency/cross-court protocols, and interagency 
agreements that aid collaboration in regard to child welfare issues and 
cases. Applicants should provide examples of policies or legislation in 
the appendix.
    Section Two: Management (15 Points). Applicants should outline a 
proposed staffing structure and management plan that includes at least 
one high-level, experienced lead coordinator. Key technology staff and 
data specialists should also be identified. Applicants should identify 
roles and responsibilities for all staff and describe the core 
management team. In addition, the capabilities and experience of all 
staff and consultants who will participate in the management team or 
play lead roles in the effort should be included. Applicants should (1) 
provide resumes of key personnel and include their job descriptions in 
the appendix, (2) indicate the percentage of time that each named staff 
person or consultant will devote to the project, (3) describe the 
supervision lines and lines of authority, and (4) describe the 
management structure and practices that will be used to evaluate the 
staff, take corrective action when needed, and ensure the success of 
the program.
    Section Three: Organizational Capability (10 Points). Applicants 
should identify members of the collaborative's key leadership and 
describe their respective roles and responsibilities. Key leadership 
must include, at a minimum, the presiding judge or judges. (See the 
Project Design section above for specific membership requirements.) 
Court administrators also should play a key leadership role. Applicants 
must have demonstrated expertise in the organizational capabilities 
necessary to oversee a project of this size and scope. In particular, 
applicants should provide evidence of specific and detailed experience 
in leading collaborative and court improvement efforts. Applicants also 
must clearly demonstrate a commitment to participating collaboratively 
with OJJDP, the national partners and technical advisors, and other 
relevant partners in the completion, tailoring, and testing of the yet-
to-be finalized national performance measures and functional standards. 
Furthermore, applicants should demonstrate a willingness and ability to 
build capacity beyond their own jurisdiction and to transfer knowledge 
to other courts and related partner agencies.

Budget (10 Points)

    Applicants must provide a detailed budget and supporting budget 
narrative that are complete, detailed, reasonable, allowable, and cost 
effective in relation to the activities to be performed. The budget 
narrative should indicate the extent to which resources have been 
committed for the 24 months of the budget and project period. 
Applicants may apply for up to $200,000, depending on need and current 
infrastructure. Budgets must be reasonable and consistent with the 
infrastructure and project vision described in this solicitation. 
(Please note the Matching or Cost-Sharing Requirement section, which 
appears below.)
    Additionally, applicants should provide a breakdown of their 
budgets by phase. Access to and use of funds available at each of the 
three phases will be contingent on the successful completion of the 
identified deliverables for each phase (as indicated above). This 
contingency will ensure that funding is available for all aspects of 
project implementation and completion.

Appendix (10 Points)

    To help reviewers gauge the likelihood of awardee success, 
applicants must submit the following appendixes as evidence of their 
readiness and potential.
    Applicants are encouraged to submit relevant materials in the 
appendixes described below:
    Appendix A: State of the Court. Applicants may submit materials as 
evidence to support the State of the Court section of the application.
    Appendix B: Evidence of Organizational and Collaborative 
Capability. Applicants may submit materials demonstrating their 
capacity to meet the scope of this project--not only from an 
information systems perspective but from a collaborative, court 
improvement perspective. Capacity should be demonstrated internally 
(within the court), across other relevant courts, and with other 
agencies. Evidence of improvement strategies implemented within and 
across agencies and courts will demonstrate the strongest support for 
collaborative efforts.
    Applicants must document the existence of a climate favorable to 
children and families by listing current court and agency policies, 
legislation, cross-agency/cross-court protocols, and interagency 
agreements that aid collaboration in regard to child welfare issues and 
cases. Applicants may provide a bibliography that includes effective 
date(s) and relevant pages.
    Appendix C: Key Staff and Consultant R[eacute]sum[eacute]s. 
Applicants must include r[eacute]sum[eacute]s and job descriptions for 
the key staff and consultants named in the Management and 
Organizational Capability section of the application.

Format

    The narrative portion of the application (excluding forms, 
assurances, and the appendix) must not

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exceed 20 pages, double-spaced, and must be typed in a standard 12-
point font. The double-spacing requirement applies to all parts of the 
program narrative, including any lists, tables, bulleted items, or 
quotations. These guidelines are necessary to maintain fair and uniform 
standards among all applicants. If the narrative does not conform to 
these standards or any other standards outlined in this solicitation, 
OJJDP may deem the application ineligible for consideration.

Award Period

    The SANCA MIS project will be funded in the form of a cooperative 
agreement for a 24-month project and budget period.

Award Amount

    Applicants may apply for a one-time award of up to $200,000 for the 
24-month project and budget period.

Matching or Cost-Sharing Requirement

    The Federal law authorizing this project stipulates a cost-sharing 
requirement: Local and State courts must spend $1 for every $3 spent in 
Federal funds. Therefore, applicants must provide at least 25 percent 
of the total approved cost of the project. The total approved cost is 
the sum of the Federal share and the non-Federal share. For example, a 
project requesting $200,000 per budget period must include a match of 
at least $67,000 per budget period. The non-Federal share may be a cash 
or inkind contribution. If approved for funding, grantees will be held 
accountable for the commitment of non-Federal resources. Failure to 
provide the required amount will result in a disallowance of unmatched 
Federal funds.

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 
JJC at 800-638-8736 or by sending an e-mail request to 
[email protected]. The Application Kit is also available online at 
www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/s1000480.pdf.

Coordination of Federal Efforts

    To encourage better coordination among Federal agencies in 
addressing State and local needs, DOJ is requesting that applicants 
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:
    [sbull] Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposed award 
would supplement, expand, complement, or continue activities funded 
with other Federal grants).
    [sbull] Another phase or component of the same program or project.
    [sbull] Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance, 
research, or evaluation) for the program or project described in the 
application.

Contacts

    The following organizations may provide resources:
    American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law: 202-662-
1720; www.abanet.org/child.
    Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse: 800-638-8736; www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.
    National Center for State Courts: 800-616-6109; www.ncsconline.org.
    National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect: 800-394-3366; 
www.calib.com/nccanch.
    National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges: 775-327-
5300; www.pppncjfcj.org.
    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Administration 
for Children and Families: www.acf.dhhs.gov.

References

    Dobbin, S.A., and Gatowski, S.I. 2001. Judicial Workload Estimates: 
Redefining the Concept of Judicial Work. Technical Assistance Bulletin. 
Reno, NV: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
    Dobbin, S.A., and Gatowski, S.I. 1998. Information Management: A 
Critical Component of Good Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases. 
Technical Assistance Bulletin. Reno, NV: National Council of Juvenile 
and Family Court Judges.
    Flango, V.E. 2001. Measuring progress in improving court processing 
of child abuse and neglect cases. Family Court Review 39(2):158-169.
    U.S. General Accounting Office. 1999. Juvenile Courts: Reforms Aim 
To Better Serve Maltreated Children. Washington, DC: U.S. General 
Accounting Office.

    Dated: March 20, 2003.
William L. Woodruff,
Deputy Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-7208 Filed 3-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P