Title: Evaluation of a Multi-site Demonstration of Collaborations to Address Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment. Series: Solicitation Author: National Institute of Justice Published: NIJ, March 2000 Subject: Funding resources 20 pages 36,000 bytes ------------------------------- Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from NCJRS at 800-851-3420 (877-712-9279 for TTY users). ------------------------------- U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice National Institute of Justice Solicitation Jeremy Travis, Director March 2000 Evaluation of a Multi-site Demonstration of Collaborations to Address Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 30, 2000 ------------------------------- U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General Daniel Marcus Acting Associate Attorney General Mary Lou Leary Acting Assistant Attorney General Noel Brennan Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Alexa Verveer Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Travis Director, National Institute of Justice For grant and funding information, contact: Department of Justice Response Center 800-421-6770 Office of Justice Programs World Wide Web Site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov National Institute of Justice World Wide Web Site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij ------------------------------- Evaluation of a Multi-site Demonstration of Collaborations to Address Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment I. Introduction The Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice (OJP), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) are collaborating on a demonstration program aimed at improving how three systems (dependency courts, child protective services, and domestic violence [IPV] service providers) work with their broader community to address families with co-occurring domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment. OJP and DHHS are funding up to five demonstration sites that are interested in implementing guidelines published recently by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) in a book titled: Effective Interventions in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment: Guidelines for Policy and Practice[1]. This announcement is for a single evaluation to measure the added value resulting from the changes and enhancements made at each of the demonstration sites. Proposals are solicited by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to evaluate (1) the multi-site demonstrations of enhanced collaboration among systems; and (2) the implementation of cross-system policy, staff development, and procedures within each system to (a) better achieve safety for and prevent abuse of battered women and their children (b) hold batterers accountable, and (c) expand the community resources serving these families. Like all research-demonstration programs sponsored by NIJ, one award will be made to conduct an independent evaluation of the demonstrations. The Evaluator, chosen by NIJ in collaboration with its DHHS partners, will be expected to work closely with the demonstration sites, the Local Research Partners (described below) at these sites, and OJP and DHHS staff. This solicitation makes up to $600,000 available for the first stage of the multi-site evaluation; up to $1.8 million is anticipated for the entire multi-year evaluation expected to extend three years. II. Background In about half of all child maltreatment cases a mother is also being battered[2] yet the intersection of domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment is generally overlooked. Non-offending battered mothers are often blamed for the abuse of their children, and perpetrators are too rarely held accountable. Children suffer because they are often injured in the course of violence against their mothers or they suffer harmful effects of witnessing domestic violence [IPV] and of being present in the violent home. The primary systems for helping mothers and children become safe (dependency courts, child protective services, domestic violence [IPV] service providers) typically need to strengthen their understanding, capacity, and tools to address the co-occurrence of child and woman abuse. Despite their co-occurrence, most communities have treated the abuse of women and children in the same family as separate problems to be addressed by separate systems. Only recently have communities tried to bring them together. In some jurisdictions, child welfare agencies have been training staff about domestic violence [IPV] and developing contacts with domestic violence [IPV] service providers. Elsewhere, domestic violence [IPV] service providers are building closer working relationships with child welfare agencies, finding ways to assist battered mothers and their abused children when the child protection system needs to become involved on behalf of the child. The reluctance of communities to address these dual forms of violence together arises not just from a lack of awareness of the data, but more importantly because doing so raises complicated and sensitive questions[3], including: o What can be done to stop a batterer from assaulting a woman and harming children? o How can victims in a family be protected? o What should be done when a battered mother wants to protect her child from being abused or from witnessing domestic violence [IPV], but is unable to do so? o What should child protection workers do when a batterer is back in the house and children are not safe? o Can children be protected without re-victimizing and blaming their non-abusive mothers? o How do we balance protecting children who are being abused by their mothers, who themselves are victims of domestic violence [IPV], and also helping the mothers? To address these issues, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Courts Judges, with the assistance of an expert panel, issued a set of guidelines for the three systems mentioned above. It is titled: "Effective Interventions in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment: Guidelines for Policy and Practice" (hereafter referred to as the Guidelines). The NCJFCJ Guidelines contain sixteen framing principles and sixty-seven recommendations organized into five sections (chapters). Communities funded for this Federal demonstration initiative will have to be prepared to implement key recommendations in each section: Chapter 1 articulates the overall principles of safety, well-being, and stability for all victims of family violence and the need to hold batterers accountable for their violence. In Chapter 2, a series of principles are developed to guide communities in structuring their responses to families experiencing dual forms of violence. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 focus on specific recommendations for the child protection system, the network of domestic violence [IPV] service providers, and the juvenile or other trial courts with jurisdictions over child maltreatment cases[4]. Applicants should be aware that tribes and tribal court systems are also eligible for this demonstration project. As funders of the development of the Guidelines, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice are interested in encouraging their implementation. Consequently, eight Federal offices/agencies have joined together to test whether selected communities can change in ways that effectively assist battered women and their children achieve greater safety and well-being. In addition, several private foundations are funding related activities that will enhance and complement the Federal initiative. This initiative will support demonstration projects in up to five communities. Demonstration sites will receive technical assistance and financial support for three years, based on satisfactory performance of the grantee. Throughout this time, each site will be required to participate in a rigorous evaluation of project activities. In Fiscal Year 2000, each demonstration site will receive up to $350,000 for 12 months for program activities. Contingent upon Congressional appropriations and satisfactory progress by grantees, demonstration sites will receive comparable financial support for the duration of the three-year demonstration period. Required Elements of the Demonstration The core of the demonstration model to be tested is a body of policies and practices, based on cross-system collaboration, that addresses issues related to the identification of families with co-occurring domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment, safety planning, case management, advocacy for women and children, protection and proper use of personal data and information, perpetrator accountability, and service provision to battered mothers and their children. Each site must agree to implement these policies and practices. To do so, in each site, the partners in the local collaboration need to establish a coordinated, common, and consistent set of responses that protect, empower, and support adult and child victims of abuse. Some of these responses may apply to one system and others may be joint efforts that involve collaboration among systems. The Federal sponsors do not wish to dictate the specific content of how these responses are to be carried out but they need to be consistent with the purposes of the Guideline recommendations. At a minimum, the three primary systems (dependency courts, child protective services, and domestic violence [IPV] service providers) at each site need to implement interventions and system changes in compliance with the Guidelines' recommendations regarding: o screening and assessment procedures; o confidentiality and information sharing policies; o safety, including safety planning and batterer accountability; o service provision; o advocacy for women and children; o cross-training; and o case collaboration. In carrying out these recommendations, each jurisdiction needs to have in place a structure (e.g., coordinated community response, task force) for governing and planning the decision-making and implementation process. This collaboration structure must include decision makers from each of three primary systems. In addition, the structure should include representatives of domestic violence [IPV] survivors, community groups, advocates, and other agencies, as appropriate. This structure should have the leadership and authority to make decisions about the policies and procedures that are essential to this demonstration. Recommendations regarding governance are numbered 5, 6, 13, 15, 17, 28, 29, 54, 106 in the Guidelines. While it is not necessary for a judge to chair the decision- making process, it is necessary that a judge play a leading and substantive role. Location of Sites Five sites should be anticipated for budgeting purposes in the evaluation application. Since the location of up to five sites for the demonstration will not be known before August, 2000, a more specific budget will be required early in the evaluation after the sites have been selected. The initial budget should be planned for 12 months and should not exceed $600,000. Hypothesis To Be Tested Dependency courts, child protective services, and domestic violence [IPV] service providers, in coordination with the broader community, will better achieve safety, prevent repeat abuse for battered women and their children, and hold batterers accountable if there is (1) agreement to a shared set of principles as outlined in the Guidelines; (2) commitment to shared leadership and coordination processes; (3) commitment to build internal capacity to respond more effectively to overlapping domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment; and (4) commitment to system-specific policy and practice changes. It is hypothesized that such coordinated, comprehensive, and consistent responses to families faced with domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment will have more positive outcomes regarding safety and well-being than was the case prior to implementation. Relationships Among Demonstration Sites, OJP, DHHS, and the National Evaluator The major Federal partners in the demonstration initiative are the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice. In the Department of Justice, the offices include: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ); the Violence Against Women Office (VAWO); the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC); and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). In the Department of Health and Human Services, the agencies include: the Children's Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families (CB/ACYF); the Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families (OCS/ACF); the Family and Intimate Violence Prevention Team, Division of Violence Prevention, at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). Together, these agencies are contributing about $3 million per year to support three major functions: direct funding to demonstration sites, a national evaluation, and the provision of technical assistance to sites. In addition, several of these offices may contribute to other related efforts, such as ongoing training and a major national conference planned for the fall of 2000. The Foundation partners are the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. These foundation partners will sponsor activities that are complementary to, but distinct from, the required elements of this Federal initiative. The Federal partners envision the Collaborations to Address Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Demonstration as a cooperative effort. Both the demonstration projects (with the VAWO), the technical assistance (with the OVC), and the national evaluation (with the NIJ) will be supported as Cooperative Agreements. The Cooperative Agreement funding mechanism calls for continuing consultation and agreement among Federal staff and site officials. This approach reflects the Federal interest in ensuring that each site funded will represent a good faith effort to implement and test the Guidelines, and that the National Evaluator funded will represent a good faith effort to work collaboratively with the sites and maintain scientific integrity in all evaluation activities. OJP and DHHS offices and bureaus listed above will be jointly involved in all major resource and policy decisions, and in the planning and implementation of the demonstration projects. The key personnel at the demonstration sites (e.g., Project Director) will require approval of the VAWO. Key personnel for the national evaluation (e.g., Principal Investigator) and the Local Research Partner for each site will require approval by NIJ. All approvals made by lead agencies will be done in consultation with the Federal partners. Each demonstration site will employ a Local Research Partner who will be the critical site-level point of contact with the National Evaluator. While the Local Research Partner will report to the local-level Project Director, they provide for data and information needs of both the national evaluation and any local-level research interests. As currently envisioned, the Local Research Partner will have a lead role in the development and drafting of the initial site-level narrative descriptions and data collection responsibilities for all phases of the evaluation. Guidelines, standard reporting formats, and the final framework for the national evaluation will be developed by the National Evaluator in collaboration with the Local Research Partners and with oversight and guidance from NIJ, in collaboration with ASPE and CDC. Applicants should include a strategy for regular communication (e.g., regular conference calls, site visits) with the Local Research Partners. IV. Required Components of the National Evaluation Local Research Partner The Federal government will require that each site have a Local Research Partner, hired by the site and with the approval of the National Institute of Justice, in collaboration with the National Evaluator, OJP, and DHHS. The arrangement will be negotiated shortly after the award of the cooperative agreement. The Local Research Partner will be expected to: o assist sites in strategic planning and continuing assessment of progress by utilizing the tools of empirical research and statistical analysis to answer questions important to the sites; o assist in the development of evaluation protocols, and initiate and/or augment data collection; o work with the National Evaluator in obtaining any necessary and appropriate human subjects clearances; o participate in local planning meetings and national meetings attended by site leadership pertaining to this initiative, so that he or she may be a full participant in finding ways to successfully move these projects forward; and, o coordinate site-level data collection and analysis for the National Evaluator by collecting information, arranging visits by national evaluation staff, preparing site reports, and monitoring progress regarding data collection and evaluation. Components of the National Evaluation Program NIJ anticipates multiple components of the national evaluation including (1) methodological refinement and baseline data collection, (2) process evaluation, and (3) outcome/impact evaluation. In all evaluation activities, it is expected that the national evaluator will work closely and collaboratively with the demonstration sites, the technical assistance providers, and the Federal partners. The methodological refinement and baseline data collection component of the evaluation is an important foundation for determining the changes that have occurred as a result of a systematic implementation of the program elements over time. At a minimum, a set of same data elements are expected to be collected at the start and end of the demonstration project. In the first 12 months, the demonstration sites will be addressing various capacity-building activities including recruitment of personnel, enhancement and expansion of services, modifications in domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment case handling/processing, and improvements in data collection. For this component, given knowledge of the specific sites selected, the National Evaluator will: o refine with Federal officials and with site leaders the goals and objectives for evaluation with regard to (a) the processes employed by sites to implement the demonstration goals and (b) outcomes for battered women and abused children; o work with sites to develop logic models that define short and long term goals as outlined in the Guidelines, and related objectives and tasks; o help sites to fully appreciate the value of the data they collect and how it is used to measure changes within their community; o develop a common set of cross-site data to be collected and analyzed throughout the course of the project; o refine with Federal officials any anticipated measurement strategies and instruments; o recommend criteria for recruitment of and assist sites in hiring the Local Research Partners (if not already selected); o work with sites and the Local Research Partners to establish procedures for collecting and reporting necessary data, both as a baseline and to measure implementation; o work with sites to inventory existing database systems, establish new systems and/or improve existing ones[5]; o work with sites in defining and answering local research questions of interest to them, which are related to domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment; o help sites analyze preliminary site-specific data and engage in strategic planning for institutional change; o assess and monitor the community, client, and multi-system appreciation of, commitment to, and satisfaction with the institutional changes that are a direct result of the demonstration effort; o work with the Local Research Partner in obtaining any necessary and appropriate human subjects clearances; o refine and begin to implement the outcome and impact evaluation; o determine availability and appropriateness of measures to be used for the national evaluation in collaboration with the Local Research Partners, OJP, and DHHS; and o conduct analyses of information collected and prepare reports (e.g., annual reports, status reports as needed, research-in-progress publications) about the implementation of these demonstrations by site and across sites, with specific recommendations for future phases of the evaluation.[6] It is recognized that this initial 12-month budget period may focus largely on initial methodological and data collection activities and planning for subsequent components of the evaluation. Given the Demonstration as presented in this solicitation, applicants are encouraged to consider and propose other immediate evaluation activities that may be critical to this national evaluation. Applicants are also encouraged to propose additional strategies (e.g., case studies, smaller structured studies within the larger evaluation project) for future consideration of the Federal partners as the demonstration is implemented and the evaluation is initiated. Evaluation Models Models have been developed within the social science disciplines for evaluating community or institutional change. Applicants are encouraged to reference theory and suggest models that they feel are most appropriate from which to design the national evaluation. Process and Outcome Measures The evaluation of the demonstration program will seek to collect, at each site, the types of information presented below. We expect a balance between common process and outcome measures across sites, and unique or site-specific process and outcome measures that will vary for each site. Ultimately, we seek to understand how this initiative is implemented, and whether there are changes in the lives of families as a result of it. Given the complexity of the Guidelines, we anticipate multiple units of analysis including families for whom co-occurring domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment has been identified; family members, including batterers, children, and adult victims; and the criminal justice, juvenile justice, and varied social service systems. In addition to collecting process and outcome data, the National Evaluator will need to determine what factors lead to or hindered meeting the project goals, including such factors as leadership, agency roles, resources, and information sharing. The following measures lists are not intended to limit the applicant; rather, applicants are encouraged and expected to propose additional measures. The NIJ, in collaboration with its Federal partners, will work with the National Evaluator to develop, refine, and finalize the process and outcome measures used in this evaluation. In developing their evaluation proposal, applicants are encouraged to request and use as a resource "Assessing Implementation and Outcome: Coordinating Child Protection, Domestic Violence Services, and Dependency Courts" developed by Jeff Edelson and colleagues, and "Evaluating Community Collaborations: A Research Synthesis: developed by the Lewin Group. Copies can be requested by contacting Shelly Jackson at the National Institute of Justice at (202) 305-8655 or E-mail: jacksons@ojp.usdoj.gov. Across-System Change Measures o Coordination processes and networks among agencies and systems. o Information and data sharing among agencies and systems. o Number and type of community organizations and agencies that coordinate in the response to the co-occurrence of domestic violence [IPV] and child maltreatment, also taking into account children who witness domestic violence [IPV]. o Frequency with which the above agencies and organizations respond cooperatively. o Legislative changes as a result of this collaborative (e.g. reporting laws). o Type and amount of training provided to criminal justice, domestic violence [IPV], and child advocate professionals. o Screening and assessment procedures developed and implemented for coordinated agency response. o Rates of inter-agency referrals. o Program enhancement/development for adult and child victims, and adult batterers. Within-System Change Measures Courts o Case processing, considering varied system entry points. o Number and type of referrals for clients. o Number of hearings. o Effects on the court calender. o Changes in charging decisions. o Number of cases going to trial. o Number of dismissals at every stage. o Number and type of sanctions used. o Availability of victim advocates for women and children. Child Protective Services o Number and type of referrals for clients. o Agency coordination processes and networks. o Case processing measures (e.g., time to case closing). o Access to other agencies' services for children. o Placement stability for child clients. o Type and nature of child advocacy. o Number and type of programs for children. o Placements avoided by family support efforts. Domestic violence [IPV] Service Providers o Written policies and procedures for shelters and safe homes (e.g., screening for and reporting child maltreatment, monitoring child safety). o Type, level, timing and number of services provided to children and mothers. o Types and function of child abuse reporters. o Types and function of child review teams. o Agency coordination processes and networks. o Number and type of referrals for clients. o Agency coordination processes and networks. o Type and nature of advocacy for domestic violence [IPV] victims; o Number of cases involving child protective services collaboration, joint staffing, etc. Domestic violence [IPV] Batterer Measures o Recidivism (official reports, complaints, protection orders, re-arrest, victim interviews). o Length of time violence-free. o Child maltreatment and domestic violence [IPV] (perpetrated by the batterer). o Intermediate outcomes (number of batterer program sessions attended, substance use/abuse, victim interviews). o Number of charges against batterers for exposing children to domestic violence [IPV]. Victim Safety and Well-Being Measures (Adult) o Severity and chronicity of domestic violence [IPV]. o Type, level, and number of services provided. o Victim's perception of safety and satisfaction with the system response. o Number of "failure to protect" cases reported and substantiated against battered mothers. o Housing stability. o Court dispositions over time. o Types of safety planning services utilized. Victim Safety and Well-Being Measures (Child) o Frequency with which a child is placed in out-of-home care and type of out-of-home care. o Type, level, timing, and number of services provided. o Child's perception of safety and well-being. o Number of official reports of child maltreatment and number of substantiated cases of child maltreatment. o Severity and chronicity of child maltreatment (perpetrated by the male batterer). o Severity and chronicity of child maltreatment (perpetrated by the mother who herself is being abused). o Number of children kept in the custody of the non-offending parent. o Number of children receiving safety planning/education. IV. How to Apply Those interested in submitting proposals in response to this solicitation must complete the required application forms and submit related required documents. (See below for how to obtain application forms and guides for completing proposals.) Applicants must include the following information/forms to quality for consideration: o Standard Form (SF) 424--application for Federal assistance o Geographic Areas Affected Worksheet o Assurances o Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (one form) o Disclosure of Lobbying Activities o Budget Detail Worksheet o Budget Narrative o Negotiated indirect rate agreement (if appropriate) o Names and affiliations of all key persons from applicant and subcontractor(s), advisors, consultants, and advisory board members. Include name of principal investigator, title, organizational affiliation (if any), department (if institution of higher education), address, phone, and fax o Proposal abstract o Table of contents o Program narrative or technical proposal o Privacy certificate o Form 310 (Protection of Human Subjects Assurance Identification/ Certification/ Declaration) o Environmental Assessment (if required) o References o Letters of cooperation from organizations collaborating in the research project o Resumes o Appendixes, if any (e.g., list of previous NIJ or DHHS awards, their status, and products [in NIJ, DHHS, or other publications]) Confidentiality of information and human subjects protection. NIJ has adopted new policies and procedures regarding the confidentiality of information and human subjects protection. Please see the Guidelines for Submitting Proposals for National Institute of Justice-Sponsored Research for details on the new requirements. Proposal abstract. The proposal abstract, when read separately from the rest of the application, is meant to serve as a succinct and accurate description of the proposed work. Applicants must concisely describe the research goals and objectives, research design, and methods for achieving the goals and objectives. Summaries of past accomplishments are to be avoided, and proprietary/confidential information is not to be included. Length is not to exceed 400 words. Use the following two headers: Project Goals and Objectives: Proposed Research Design and Methodology: Page limit. The number of pages in the "Program Narrative" part of the proposal must not exceed 30 (double-spaced pages). Due date. Completed proposals must be received at the National Institute of Justice by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on May 30, 2000. Extensions of this deadline will not be permitted. Award period. The initial award is anticipated to extend over the first 12 months of the evaluation. It is anticipated that the Collaborations to Address Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Demonstration and the National Evaluation will extend for three years, based on Congressional appropriations and satisfactory performance by the grantee. Number of awards. NIJ anticipates supporting one cooperative agreement under this solicitation. Award amount. One award of up to $600,000 in FY2000 funds will be made available for this NIJ solicitation for the first 12 month period. Subject to funding availability, continuation funding of up to $600,000 each year is anticipated for future years, for a total funding level of us to $1.8 million over three years. Applicants should provide a detailed budget for the initial $600,000, 12 month phase as well as an estimated three year budget plan. Detailed budget plans will be required for the subsequent supplements that are anticipated. Applicants must include in their budgets the cost of planning, organizing, and attending two cluster meetings (in a one year period) that would bring the demonstration sites together. Applying. Two packets need to be obtained: (1) application forms (including a sample budget worksheet) and (2) guidelines for submitting proposals (including requirements for proposal writers and requirements for grant recipients). To receive them, applicants can: o Access the Justice Information Center on the Web: http://www.ncjrs.org/fedgrant.htm#nij or the NIJ Web site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ nij/funding.htm These Web sites offer the NIJ application forms and guidelines as electronic files that may be downloaded to a personal computer. o Request hard copies of the forms and guidelines by mail from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at 800-851-3420 or from the Department of Justice Response Center at 800-421-6770 (in the Washington, D.C., area, at 202-307-1480). o Request copies by fax. Call 800-851-3420 and select option 1, then option 1 again for NIJ. Code is 1023. Guidance and information. Applicants who wish to receive additional guidance and information about the solicitation and application may contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at 800-421-6770. Applicants with substantive questions about the evaluation can contact Shelly Jackson of the National Institute of Justice, Office of Research and Evaluation at (202) 305-8655 or via E-mail: jacksons@ojp.usdoj.gov. Send completed forms to: Multi-site Demonstration of Collaborations to Address Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Evaluation National Institute of Justice 810 Seventh Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20531 [overnight courier ZIP code 20001] Endnotes 1. To request a free copy of this publication, contact the Family Violence Department of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (Telephone 775-784-6012). 2. Straus, M. and R. Gelles (1990) Physical Violence in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. 3. National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Family Violence Department (1999) Effective Interventions in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy and Practice. Reno, Nevada. 4. Judge Leonard P. Edwards and Carol W. Williams, Co-Chairs of the Advisory Committee, NCJFCJ Guidelines, Page 5. 5. Database systems are expected, at a minimum, to collect data on those individuals and families who are served or adjudicated by the criminal justice and social service systems, the nature of and reason for their involvement in the system, and how they are served by the system. 6. A supplemental application will also be required each year to renew funding. ------------------------------- Definitions For the purposes of this solicitation and any award that results from this announcement, domestic violence, also often called intimate partner violence (IPV), is defined as a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, often including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults and adolescents use against their intimate partners. Intimate partners might include spouses or former spouses, boyfriends or former boyfriends, and dates or former dates. Child maltreatment includes a wide range of behaviors, including physical and sexual assaults, neglect, and emotional injuries inflicted on children. For the purposes of this solicitation, we are treating the terms "domestic violence" and "intimate partner violence" as interchangeable. ------------------------------- Researchers can help in a significant way by sending NIJ a non-binding letter of intent by April 1, 2000. The Institute will use these letters to forecast the numbers of peer panels it needs and to identify conflicts of interest among potential reviewers. There are two ways to send these letters. You can reach NIJ by Internet by sending E-mail to tellnij@ncjrs.org and identifying the solicitation, or you can write a letter with the same information to Multi-site Demonstration of Collaborations to Address Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Evaluation, 810 Seventh Street N.W., Washington, DC ------------------------------- SL 000405 For more information on the National Institute of Justice, please contact: National Criminal Justice Reference Service Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849-6000 800-851-3420 e-mail: askncjrs@ncjrs.org You can view or obtain an electronic version of this document from the NCJRS Justice Information Center web site (http://www.ncjrs.org) or the NIJ web site (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij).