Last updated: May 9, 2005
This page provides answers to frequently asked questions about the
Evaluation of Safe Start: Promising Approaches for Children Exposed
to Violence program announcement. Be sure to visit this page frequently
because it will be updated weekly. The questions are organized by
the following topics:
The technical problem with our voicemail has been resolved. If you have a question about the requirements of the solicitation, you may leave a message at 202-305-9234 and program staff will return your call. If your question is about using the GMS system, please call the GMS Help Desk at 1-888-549-9901. Thank you.
Applicants should include a plan for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review and clearance of data collection instruments in the project timelines/workplans they submit with their application. OJJDP staff are experienced with this procedure and aware of the implications for timely implementation of data collection plans. OJJDP will work with the successful national evaluation applicant to implement the data collection process as expediently as possible. The evaluator will not be penalized for delays caused by the OMB review process as long as (1) plans for preparation and submission of the OMB package are included in the proposal, as directed in the solicitation, and (2) these plans are followed diligently by the national evaluator once the award is made.
New FAQs
Important Note Regarding IRB Clearance: On page 9 of the
Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches for Children Exposed
to Violence program
announcement, applicants are instructed to provide evidence that
their evaluation design has been reviewed and given provisional clearance
by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to submission to OJJDP.
However, the peer reviewers will be instructed not to deduct
points if applicants do not submit evidence of provisional IRB clearance.
Instead, applicants are urged to describe plans and scheduling for
IRB review in their proposals. The successful applicant will be required
to arrange for a full IRB review after receiving the grant award.
Are any results available from the process evaluation conducted
by Caliber Associates, Inc., of the original Safe Start program?
No products from this process evaluation are available. Another
firm which was involved in the evaluation of phase one of the Safe
Start program, the Association for the Study and Development of Community,
does have some products available, which are posted at http://www.capablecommunity.com/asdc/pubs.html
Are individuals eligible to apply for these funds?
No. Individuals are not eligible to apply. The program
announcement specifies that public agencies and private organizations
are eligible to apply for funds.
If an agency or organization proposes to partner with a co-applicant
to submit a joint application, must both entities register separately
on GMS? Must both submit a proposal?
Only the lead applicant needs to register on GMS. The lead applicant
will be the recipient of the funds awarded, if the application is
successful. The lead applicant may then subcontract funds to collaborating
partners, as appropriate. Only one application is submitted from
a group of collaborating agencies.
What is the total amount of funding available for the evaluation?
The total amount of money budgeted for this evaluation is $4.5 million,
to be awarded over 5 years as follows:
- 2005: $1 Million
- 2006: $1 Million
- 2007: $1 Million
- 2008: $1 Million
- 2009: $500,000 to wrap up data analysis and report writing
For the purposes of the application due on June 7, 2005, the applicant
need only propose a budget for the $1 million to be spent during
the first year of the project (9/1/2005–8/31/2006). Of course,
annual awards are contingent on the timely appropriation of funds
by Congress.
When will the specific interventions that will be implemented
in the Safe Start Promising Approaches sites be known?
The sites that will be part of the Safe Start Promising Approaches
Program will be selected during summer 2005. We hope to select the
national evaluator at approximately the same time. As soon as the
sites and the evaluator are selected, the evaluator will have access
to application materials submitted by the sites, including descriptions
of the interventions to be implemented.
However, the national evaluation applicants can familiarize themselves
with the models that were suggested in the FY
2004 Safe Start Promising Approaches for Children Exposed to Violence
program announcement and the literature on promising interventions
for children exposed to violence. The sites that applied for funds
were required to document the evidence base for the intervention
they proposed to implement, and this evidence based is not unlimited.
One who is familiar with "promising practices" intervention
strategies in this area can expect that the proposed interventions
will align with these promising practices.
How does one propose a design for an evaluation if it is not
known at this time what interventions are to be evaluated?
OJJDP is looking for a design proposal that poses hypotheses that
will address the evaluation questions in the program
announcement and proposes a sound method for using data from
the program sites and from comparison and or control groups established
by the national evaluator to test those hypotheses. The successful
applicant will demonstrate both the capacity to develop the structure
of such an evaluation and also the flexibility to deal with the uncertainties
inherent in this process.
These uncertainties are a byproduct of attempting to select sites
and fund the evaluator simultaneously. The peer reviewers will be
instructed to assess the framework for the evaluation proposed by
the applicants and also to assess evidence supplied by the applicants
that they will be able to implement and adjust their plans as necessary
as the sites unroll their interventions.
OJJDP is looking for expertise in program evaluation and the ability
to conceptualize an evaluation strategy that is both rigorous and
flexible. This is a challenging task, but will be well-funded, and
the program staff is committed to working with the evaluator and
the sites to maximize the utility of this evaluation.
Application Process
How can I get more information about this funding opportunity?
Visit the Current
Funding section of the OJJDP Web site to access a variety of
resources, including:
- The program announcement.
- Frequently asked questions.
- Instructions on how to participate
in applicant teleconferences scheduled for April 27 and May 5.
How do I apply for funds under this program?
Read the program announcement. If you are eligible to apply for
funding, you must first register online with the Office
of Justice Program’s Grants Management System (GMS). The
deadline for registering is May 7, 2005. If you do not register on
GMS before the deadline, you will not be eligible to submit an application.
When are applications due?
Applications are due by 8:00 p.m. ET on June 7, 2005. There will
be no exceptions to this deadline. You are advised not to wait
until the last minute to submit your application because you will
not be given an extension if your computer or Internet connection
or other equipment fails to work or you are unable to reach the
GMS Help Desk for assistance because the line is busy. For Further Information
Can I contact individual OJJDP program staff about the solicitation?
No. Program staff cannot respond to telephone calls or e-mails about
this program announcement.
How can I get clarification about a particular point in the program
announcement?
- Read the frequently asked questions on this page.
- Participate
in the applicant conference calls (tentatively scheduled for
April 27 and May 5) or view transcripts from those calls.
- Leave
a phone message with your question at 202–305–9234.
Note: Program staff will only return messages from applicants requesting
clarification of the requirements of the program announcement and
only if the question has not been addressed in the frequently asked
questions. Other messages will not be returned. Do not leave messages
with questions about the Grant Management System (GMS) system at
this number. GMS staff will not have access to these messages and
those calls cannot be returned.
How can I get assistance using the Grant Management System (GMS)
to submit an application?
Call the GMS Help Desk at 888–549–9901.
How can I learn more about the evaluation of the Safe Start Promising
Approaches initiative?
OJJDP is holding two applicant conference calls that will provide
additional information, including presentations from OJJDP program
staff and an opportunity for callers to ask questions about the program
announcement. The calls are tentatively scheduled for April 27 and
May 5, 2005 at 3 p.m. ET. A toll-free number applicants may use to
participate in the call will be posted here as the date for the calls
approaches, so please check back. The calls are optional, not
required. Applicants may participate in neither, either, or both
calls.
Where can I find information about the demonstration sites funded
by phase one of the Safe Start initiative?
Program descriptions, information about lessons learned, and a Safe
Start directory are available from the National
Center for Children Exposed to Violence.
Are resources available from the FY 2004 Safe Start Promising
Approaches program announcement?
The sites to be evaluated by the National Evaluation of Safe Start
Promising Approaches submitted proposals under the FY 2004 Safe Start
Promising Approaches program announcement and are being selected
through a competitive process during spring/summer 2005. The FY 2004 program
announcement, frequently
asked questions, and transcripts of the applicant sites’ 2004
teleconferences (August
17, 2004; August
19, 2004; August
25, 2004; September
7, 2004) are available on the OJJDP
Web site.
Background of
the Safe Start Model
What is the difference between OJJDP’s Safe Start program
and OJJDP’s Safe Start Promising Approaches?
OJJDP’s Safe Start initiative was begun in 1998 to fund 12
sites to engage in systems change and service delivery to improve
the identification of and provision of services to children exposed
to violence. Most of the 12 original Safe Start sites are nearing
the end of their funding period. A national evaluation of Safe Start
has been underway for several years. Some of the evaluation products
are available on the evaluator’s
Web site. Although certain Safe Start materials may be useful
in helping applicants understand the background of OJJDP’s
work in the area of children’s exposure to violence, the National
Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches is otherwise unrelated
to OJJDP’s initial Safe Start program.
Safe Start Promising Approaches is the second wave of the Safe Start
program. The sites to be evaluated by the National Evaluation of
Safe Start Promising Approaches submitted proposals under the FY
2004 Safe Start Promising Approaches program announcement and are
being selected through a competitive process during spring/summer
2005. The FY 2004 program
announcement, frequently
asked questions, and transcripts of the applicant sites’ 2004
teleconferences (August
17, 2004; August
19, 2004; August
25, 2004; September
7, 2004) are available on the OJJDP
Web site.
Structure of
the National Evaluation
Does the evaluator need to budget for data to be collected from
children and families in the treatment group?
No. Collecting these data is the responsibility of the program sites.
Does the evaluator need to budget for establishing and collecting
data from the comparison group?
Yes. Identifying an appropriate comparison or control group of children
at each of the program sites is the responsibility of the national
evaluator. The national evaluator will identify, recruit, retain,
and collect data from the comparison or control group children in
each site over the 4 years during which the sites are providing services
to treatment group children.
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