[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 136 (Monday, July 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41804-41806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17215]


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 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Corrections


Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: Development of 
Materials Specific to Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma in 
Corrections

AGENCY: National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice.

ACTION: Solicitation for a cooperative agreement.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is seeking 
applications from organizations, groups, or individuals to enter into a 
cooperative agreement with NIC for an 18-month period to develop a 
series of products to define, identify, and address compassion fatigue 
and vicarious trauma within the corrections profession. Corrections 
professionals are those individuals with responsibility for the care, 
custody, case management, treatment, supervision, and discharge of 
those awaiting adjudication or who are sentenced, incarcerated, or on 
some form of community supervision.

DATES: Applications must be received by 4 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, August 
17, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Mailed applications must be sent to: Director, National 
Institute of Corrections, 320 First Street NW., Room 5002, Washington, 
DC 20534. Applicants are encouraged to use Federal Express, UPS, or 
similar service to ensure delivery by the due date.
    Hand delivered applications should be brought to 500 First Street 
NW., Washington, DC 20534. At the front security desk, dial 7-3106, 
ext. 0 for pickup.
    Faxed or emailed applications will not be accepted. Electronic 
applications can only be submitted via http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this announcement and links 
to the required application forms can be downloaded from the NIC Web 
site at http://www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements.
    All technical or programmatic questions concerning this 
announcement should be directed to Maureen Buell, Correctional Program 
Specialist, National Institute of Corrections, Community Services 
Division. Ms. Buell can be reached directly at 1-800-995-6423 ext. 
40121 or by email at [email protected]. In addition to the direct reply, 
all questions and responses will be posted on NIC's Web site at 
www.nicic.gov for public review (the names of those submitting 
questions will not be posted). The Web site will be updated regularly 
and postings will remain on the Web site until the closing date of this 
cooperative agreement solicitation. Only questions received by 12 p.m. 
(EDT) on July 25, 2012 will be posted on the NIC Web site.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Overview: The materials developed through this cooperative 
agreement are intended for a broad audience of corrections 
professionals and related stakeholders working in pretrial, jail, 
prison, and community corrections (probation and parole) organizations. 
Awardees should develop the materials based on current research, 
knowledge, best practice, and specific information related to the 
experiences of corrections professionals. NIC will use the materials to 
define, identify, acknowledge, and address vicarious trauma and 
compassion fatigue within the corrections profession. The deliverables 
will help advance and foster healthier correctional environments while 
positively influencing systems, staff, and justice-involved men and 
women.
    Background: The National Institute of Corrections has been 
providing support to federal, state, and local criminal justice 
organizations nationally. In 1974, Congress established NIC both as a 
center for the dissemination of timely correctional knowledge and 
professional training and as a place to exchange and discuss advances 
in criminal justice practice. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue 
are topics that affect a broad swath of corrections professionals, just 
as they affect the general public, yet they are rarely discussed openly 
or made part of corrections training events and curricula.
    Daily interactions with justice-involved men and women can 
adversely affect corrections professionals, regardless of their role. 
Often the impact is cumulative, and certain emotions can become 
normalized over time, significantly influencing professional and 
personal lives. Staff may bring personal experiences and challenges 
with them to work during the course of their employment, which can 
contribute to negative attitudes, behaviors, and actions. Corrections 
work is challenging and encompasses an inordinate amount of 
responsibility: To maintain safe and secure institutions, manage and 
provide oversight to those under community supervision, positively 
contribute to safer communities, and meet the expectations of the 
courts and other criminal justice authorities. These are enormous 
challenges for a profession that the public does not understand well 
and generally undervalues.
    Corrections professionals face challenges in the workplace that 
test even the most well-trained individuals, working with populations 
who have caused harm to others after being exposed to some of the most 
extreme dysfunctions of life. For years, staff have used the term 
``burnout'' to describe the toll the work often takes on individuals, 
but the formidable challenges that corrections professionals are 
subject to often result in much more than ``burnout.'' The constant 
exposure to the realities of the corrections profession, whether in an 
institutional or community-based setting, often become ``normalized,'' 
with the potential to evolve into excessive absenteeism; health issues; 
unprofessional behavior in the work place; stressful interactions with 
family, friends, and colleagues; withdrawal; and other actions that are

[[Page 41805]]

normally out of character for the individual.
    The fields of law enforcement, social work, mental health, 
medicine, and the judiciary are examples of professions where 
individuals are exposed to vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue 
through the nature of their work. These fields routinely incorporate 
information about this common occurrence as part of their ongoing 
training and supervision. The military as well has recognized the 
impact of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue in their troops and 
is making inroads to address it. Even some criminal justice and 
corrections entities have recognized this as an issue and have begun to 
incorporate it into training. However, the field should not view 
vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue as an anomaly, rather they are 
common occurrences in professions that deal directly with people in 
challenging circumstances, and they have a significant impact on how 
staff carry out their professional roles and balance work with life.
    Statement of Work: The objective of this cooperative agreement is 
to develop materials that NIC will use to identify and discuss the 
implications of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue on the 
corrections workforce and within an organization's culture. Activities 
and products from this cooperative agreement will include a literature 
search with an annotated bibliography of materials, convening and 
facilitating a work session comprised of researchers and practitioners 
to organize and synthesize the available research and knowledge on this 
topic, work toward the development of a white paper, content for an NIC 
Web page, and the development of learning objectives and content for an 
NIC webinar series. Resulting products will be in the public domain and 
available through the National Institute of Corrections Web site and 
Information Center.
    Tasks to be performed through this cooperative agreement include: 
(1) Conducting a literature search, creating an annotated bibliography, 
and organizing the material addressing vicarious trauma and compassion 
fatigue across the corrections continuum (jails, prisons, community 
corrections), and other relevant disciplines. (2) convening a working 
session at an approved federal training location for up to 10 
participants, including researchers and corrections practitioners; 
designing the working agenda; providing facilitation; and using content 
from the session to inform project deliverables. (3) working with NIC, 
project staff, and designated experts to draft a white paper on 
vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue in corrections; distributing 
the paper for peer review; revising the draft; and publishing the final 
document. (4) developing and gathering existing information and 
materials for a series of webinars for a broad correctional audience. 
(5) working with the NIC Information Center to discuss Web page 
appearance and development and with the NIC writer/editor to finalize 
written content on the site. (6) creating a final report that 
summarizes the project and recommendations for followup work on this 
topic. This project will be completed in conjunction with the NIC 
Community Services Division and the awardee will work closely with NIC 
staff on all aspects of the project. The awardee will participate in an 
initial meeting with designated NIC staff for a project overview and 
preliminary planning prior to September 15, 2012. Additionally, the 
awardee will meet routinely with NIC staff to discuss the activities 
noted in the project timeline submitted during the course of the 
cooperative agreement. Meetings will be held no less than quarterly and 
may be conducted via webinar with at least one onsite as agreed upon by 
NIC and the awardee.
    Required Expertise: The successful applicant will at a minimum 
understand the distinction between burnout, vicarious trauma, and 
compassion fatigue, its impact and prevalence not only in the general 
public but in corrections; have broad experience and in-depth knowledge 
of the roles and tasks encountered by correctional professionals, 
whether working in an institutional environment or community-based 
setting (i.e., balancing of various roles, multi-tasking); have 
knowledge about the effect that critical incidents can have on staff; 
be familiar with relevant research, including the Adverse Childhood 
Experiences study and related resources; have expertise in meeting 
facilitation; have knowledge of evidence-based practices and its 
application to corrections.
    Document Requirements: The length of the document should be 
determined by content. Brevity and clarity are encouraged. Documents 
and other products developed under this award must follow these 
guidelines. Prior to the preparation of the final draft of any document 
or other products, the awardee must consult with NIC's writer/editor 
concerning the acceptable formats for document submissions. The awardee 
must follow the guidelines listed herein as well as follow (1) the 
Guidelines for Preparing and Submitting Manuscripts for Publication as 
found in the ``General Guidelines for Cooperative Agreements,'' which 
can be found on our Web site at www.nicic.gov/cooperativeagreements and 
(2) NIC recommendations for producing products using plain language, 
which can be found at www.nicic.gov/plainlanguage.
    All final documents and other materials submitted under this 
project may be posted on the NIC Web site and must meet the federal 
government's requirement for accessibility (e.g., 508 PDFs or HTML 
files). The awardee must provide descriptive text interpreting all 
graphics, photos, graphs, and/or multimedia that will be included with 
or distributed alongside the materials and must provide transcripts for 
all applicable audio/visual works.
    Application Requirements: An application package must include OMB 
Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance; a cover letter 
that identifies the audit agency responsible for the applicant's 
financial accounts as well as the audit period or fiscal year under 
which the applicant operates (e.g. July 1 through June 30); an outline 
of projected costs with the budget and strategy narratives described in 
the announcement. The following additional forms must also be included: 
OMB Standard Form 424A, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs; 
OMB Standard Form 424B, Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (both 
available at www.grants.gov); DOJ/FBOP/NIC Certification Regarding 
Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and 
the Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (available at http://www.nicic.gov/Downloads/General/certif-frm.pdf.
    Applications should be concisely written, typed double spaced, and 
reference the NIC opportunity number and title referenced in this 
announcement. If you are hand delivering or submitting via Fed-Ex, 
please include an original and three copies of your full proposal 
(program and budget narrative, application forms, assurances, and other 
descriptions). The original should have the applicant's signature in 
blue ink. Electronic submissions will be accepted only via 
www.grants.gov.
    Place the following at the top of the abstract: Project title; 
Applicant name (Legal name of applicant organization); Mailing address; 
Contact phone numbers (voice, fax); Email address; Web site address, if 
applicable.
    The narrative portion of the application should include, at a 
minimum: A statement indicating the

[[Page 41806]]

applicant's understanding of the project's purpose and objectives. The 
applicant should state this in language other than that used in the 
solicitation.
    Project Design and Implementation: This section should describe the 
design and implementation of the project and how the awardee aims to 
address key design and implementation issues and challenges.
    Project Management: Chart of measurable project milestones and 
timelines for the completion of each milestone.
    Capabilities and Competencies: This section should describe the 
qualifications of the applicant organization, any partner organizations 
to do the work proposed, and the expertise of key staff to be involved 
in the project. Attach resumes that document relevant knowledge, 
skills, and abilities needed for each staff member assigned to complete 
the project. If the applicant organization has completed similar 
projects in the past, please include the URL/Web site or ISBN number 
for accessing a copy of the referenced work.
    Budget: The budget should detail all costs for the project, show 
consideration for all contingencies for the project, note a commitment 
to work within the proposed budget, and demonstrate the ability to 
provide deliverables according to schedule.

    Authority:  Pub. L. 93-415.

    Funds Available: NIC is seeking the applicant's best ideas 
regarding accomplishment of the scope of work and the related costs for 
achieving the objectives of this solicitation. Funds may be used only 
for the activities linked to the desired outcome of the project. The 
funding amount should not exceed $58,000 for a period of 18 months.
    Eligibility of Applicants: An eligible applicant is any state or 
general unit of government, private agency, educational institution, 
organization, individual, or team with expertise in the described 
areas. Applicants must have demonstrated ability to implement a project 
of this size and scope.
    Review Considerations: Applications will be reviewed by a team. 
Among the criteria used to evaluate the applications are indication of 
a clear understanding of the project requirements as stated in the 
solicitation; background, experience, and expertise of the proposed 
project staff, including any sub-contractors; effectiveness of an 
innovative approach to the project; a clear, concise description of all 
elements and tasks of the project, with sufficient and realistic 
timeframes necessary to complete the tasks; technical soundness of 
project design and methodology; financial and administrative integrity 
of the proposal, including adherence to federal financial guidelines 
and processes; a sufficiently detailed budget that shows consideration 
of all contingencies for this project and commitment to work within the 
proposed budget; and indication of availability to work with NIC staff.
    Applications received under this announcement will be subject to a 
collaborative review process. The criteria for the evaluation of each 
application will be as follows:
    Programmatic: 40 Points.
    Are all of the tasks and activities adequately covered? Is there a 
clear description of how the applicant will accomplish each project 
activity, including major tasks; the strategies to be employed; 
required staffing; responsible parties, and other required resources? 
Are there any unique or exceptional approaches, techniques, or design 
aspects proposed that will enhance the project?
    Project Management and Administration: 20 Points.
    Does the applicant identify milestones and measures that 
demonstrate achievement of the specific tasks? Are the proposed 
management and staffing plans clear, realistic, and sufficient to 
complete the project? Is the applicant willing to meet with NIC as 
specified in the solicitation for this cooperative agreement?
    Organizational and Project Staff Background: 30 Points.
    Do the skills, knowledge, and expertise of the organization and the 
proposed project staff demonstrate a high level of competency to 
complete the tasks? Does the applicant/organization have the necessary 
experience and organizational capacity to meet all objectives of the 
project? If the applicant proposes consultants and/or partnerships, is 
there a reasonable justification for their inclusion in the project and 
a clear structure to ensure effective coordination?
    Budget: 10 Points.
    Is the proposed budget realistic, does it provide sufficient cost 
detail/narrative, and does it represent good value relative to the 
anticipated results? Does the application include a chart that aligns 
the budget with project activities along a timeline with, at minimum, 
quarterly benchmarks? In terms of program value, is the estimated cost 
reasonable in relation to the work to be performed and project 
products?

    Note:  NIC will NOT award a cooperative agreement to an 
applicant who does not have a Dun and Bradstreet Database Universal 
Number (DUNS) and is not registered in the Central Contractor 
Registry (CCR).

    Applicants can obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the 
dedicated toll-free request line at 800-333-0505. Applicants who are 
sole proprietors should dial 866-705-5711 and select option 1.
    Applicants may register in the CCR online at the CCR Web site: 
www.ccr.gov. Applicants can also review a CCR handbook and worksheet at 
this Web site.
    Number of Awards: One.
    NIC Opportunity Number: 12CS14. This number should appear as a 
reference line in the cover letter, where indicated on Standard Form 
425, and outside of the envelope in which the application is sent.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 16.601.

    Executive Order 12372: This project is not subject to the 
provisions of Executive Order 12372.

Morris L. Thigpen,
Director, National Institute of Corrections.
[FR Doc. 2012-17215 Filed 7-13-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-36-P