Title: National Evaluation of the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program.
Series: NIJ Solicitation
Subject: domestic violence, rural crime victims
Author: NIJ
15 pages
33,000 bytes

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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs

National Institute of Justice
Solicitation
Jeremy Travis, Director
March 1998

National Evaluation of the Rural Domestic Violence
and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
June 8, 1998

U. S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20531

Janet Reno
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice

Raymond C. Fisher
Associate Attorney General

Laurie Robinson
Assistant Attorney General

Noel Brennan
Deputy Assistant Attorney General

Jeremy Travis
Director, National Institute of Justice

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

National Evaluation of the Rural Domestic Violence
and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program

I. -- Introduction

Proposals are solicited for a national evaluation
of the Rural Domestic Violence and Child
Victimization Enforcement Grant Program, a
discretionary program administered by the Office
of Justice Programs, Violence Against Women Grants
Office. One national evaluation grant of up to
$375,000 will be awarded in FY98, with
supplemental funding of up to $325,000 for
subsequent years, for a total project funding
level of up to $700,000. The duration of the
national evaluation is up to 36 months with
reports of evaluation results to be submitted
annually. 

II. -- Background 

The Rural Domestic Violence and Child
Victimization Enforcement Grant Program (42 U.S.C.
 13971) implements certain provisions of the
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was
enacted in September 1994 as Title IV of the
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of
1994.

NIJ is streamlining its process to accommodate the
volume of proposals anticipated under the various
Crime Act solicitations. Researchers can help in a
significant way by sending NIJ a nonbinding letter
of intent by May 15, 1998. The Institute will use
these letters to forecast the size of the peer
panel needed 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. You can call Bernard
Auchter at the National Institute of Justice at
202 307-0154.

The primary purpose of the Rural Domestic Violence
and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program
(hereinafter referred to as the Rural Program) is
to increase the safety of abused women and
children living in rural areas by creating or
enhancing collaborative partnerships between
criminal justice agencies, victim services
providers and community organizations in order to
respond to violent crimes committed against women
and children and to provide services to the
victims of such violence. 

The Rural Program provides financial assistance to
States, Indian tribal governments, local
governments of rural States, and other public or
private entities of rural States. The Program
reflects a firm commitment toward working to
change the criminal justice system's response to
violence that occurs when any woman is threatened
or assaulted by someone with whom she has or has
had an intimate relationship or with whom she was
previously acquainted. In addition, it reflects a
growing understanding of the impact of domestic
violence upon children and recognizes the need to
enhance the response of rural communities to
sexually and physically abused children.

The Violence Against Women Grants Office is now in
the third year of administering the Rural Program.
Twenty-six grants were awarded in FY96 and twenty
were awarded in FY97 under the program.
Programmatic funding for the first two years
totaled $15 million, and FY98 funding was
announced at $25 million with a March 27, 1998 due
date.

The Rural Program provides a unique opportunity
for law enforcement and prosecution agencies, the
courts, non-governmental victim services agencies,
community organizations, and businesses in rural
communities to collaborate in creating protocols
and strategies tailored specifically to meet the
needs and enhance the safety of abused women and
children living in rural jurisdictions. The goals
of the Rural Domestic Violence and Child
Victimization Enforcement Grant Program are to:

o Develop and implement policies, protocols, and
services designed to promote the early
identification, intervention, and prevention of
battering of women and child victimization;

o Increase victims' safety and access to services,
such as shelter, counseling and advocacy;

o Enhance the investigation and prosecution of
crimes of domestic violence committed against
women and child abuse cases; and

o Develop and implement innovative, comprehensive
strategies that draw on a rural jurisdiction's
unique characteristics and resources to enhance
community members' understanding of the phenomenon
of crimes of domestic violence committed against
women and child victimization and to work together
to prevent such violence.

To accomplish these goals, the Program encourages
rural and tribal criminal justice practitioners to
work in partnership with social services agencies,
local service providers and community leaders to
send a strong message that crimes of domestic
violence against women and child victimization are
serious criminal offenses that will not be
tolerated, and that ending such violence is the
responsibility of the entire community. The
creation of partnerships that include nonprofit
and governmental agencies, as well as local
volunteer and membership organizations, are
encouraged under the program to augment available
resources and enhance the capacity of rural
jurisdictions to respond to crimes of domestic
violence committed against women and child
victimization incidents.

In FY98 OJP is especially interested in supporting
new projects or the continuation or expansion of
currently funded Rural projects that fall within
the special interest program categories listed
below.

1. Decreasing the Impact of Geographic Isolation
on the Victim and on the Criminal Justice System
in Order to Enhance Victim Services.

2. Developing a Coordinated Community Response to
Crimes of Domestic Violence committed against
women and Child Victimization.

3. Implementation of Policies and Protocols to
Enhance the Criminal Justice Response to Victims
of Domestic Violence and Child Victimization.

4. Developing Partnerships Among Child Protection
Workers, Victim Advocates and the Criminal Justice
System.

5. Serving Diverse and Traditionally Underserved
Populations in Rural Communities. 

6. Increasing Enforcement of Intra- and Interstate
Protective Orders.

A listing of the Rural Program Grants awarded in
FY 96 and FY97 is provided at the end of this
solicitation. Additional background information on
the purpose and goals of the Rural Program and the
project summaries of the grants that have been
awarded are available at the VAWGO Homepage on the
World Wide Web at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawgo/rural.htm. 

III. -- NIJ's Solicitation for a -- -- National
Rural Evaluation

This announcement solicits proposals for a
National Evaluation of the Rural Domestic Violence
and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program
from FY96 to FY98. A multi-method evaluation
including both quantitative and qualitative
approaches is required. Evaluating effectiveness
and capturing the voices of the victims will both
be essential components. One grant of up to
$375,000 will be awarded in FY98, with
supplemental funding of up to $325,000 for
subsequent years, for a total project funding
level of up to $700,000. The duration of the
project will be up to 36 months.

With the inclusion of the Rural Program under the
VAWA, Congress acknowledged the special needs of
rural jurisdictions concerning crimes of domestic
violence committed against women and child abuse
by authorizing a program to encourage a full range
of activities including: cooperative projects
between law enforcement, prosecution, advocates
for battered women and children, and others;
treatment and counseling for victims; and
community education and prevention efforts. A
diverse group of projects has been funded under
the FY96 and FY97 Rural Programs. These projects
vary by size and number of components or purposes
of the project, and include projects for Native
Americans and other rural areas.

National Rural Evaluation (NRE) Objectives 

o To provide a national program-level process and
impact evaluation of the FY96 to FY98 Rural
Program,

o To advance our understanding of rural domestic
violence and child abuse and accompanying theory,
and

o To inform policy and practice in rural areas
with an improved understanding of interventions
for these crimes. 

Key Phases of the National Rural Evaluation 

o Planning Phase - The first two to three months
of the project will be used to refine the
evaluation plan. Evaluators will work closely with
NIJ and VAWGO to further develop their evaluative
approach, obtain information critical to the
evaluation, and coordinate with related activities
such as the planned Rural Program Technical
Assistance Project and related rural programs.

o Descriptive Phase - This phase will involve a
thorough descriptive analysis of the problems
being addressed and the projects being supported
by the Rural Program, including the processes
undertaken in formulating the projects. This phase
may involve developing a typology or a
categorization scheme to compare and contrast
projects and devising a sampling plan for more
intensive measurement of outcomes. 

 -- Questions applicants should address in their
proposals for this phase include, but are not
limited to: Were the projects implemented as
planned? Did the projects create or enhance
collaborative partnerships between criminal
justice agencies and service providers? What
problems did jurisdictions encounter and how were
they addressed? How have project designs addressed
key concerns of safety and protection for rural
women and children? How do projects in the Rural
Program compare to those rural projects supported
by related Federal programs? [See related Federal
Programs under Context of the Rural Program in
this solicitation.] Who is being served by these
projects? What policies or protocols have been
implemented, and services or training provided by
the projects?

Impact Assessment Phase - This phase will focus on
outcomes of projects in a sample of jurisdictions.
Integrated with the descriptive component, this
phase will provide the overall evaluation of the
Rural Program and will also provide feedback to
the projects for improvements. 

 -- Questions applicants should address in this
phase include, but are not limited to: To what
extent have projects attained the goals of the
program? Has the project had an impact on the
larger community? How have victims been served and
how have their lives been affected by the
services? How have the criminal and civil justice
systems been enhanced and how have case indicators
(such as reports, arrests, prosecutions,
convictions, sentences) been affected by the
project? Did the project initiate or lead to
better coordination between the relevant community
agencies and organizations? Have there been any
unintended consequences resulting from the
projects? 

Relevant Literature

Although the existing research and evaluation
literature on rural child victimization and crimes
of domestic violence committed against women is
very limited, NRE applicants are encouraged to
discuss available relevant research and evaluation
results and to consult the several reports of the
National Research Council concerning child abuse,
violence against women, and family violence.
[National Research Council, 1993, Understanding
Child Abuse and Neglect, Panel on Research on
Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington, D.C.:
National Academy Press; National Research Council,
1996, Understanding Violence Against Women, N.A.
Crowell and A.W. Burgess, eds. Panel on Research
on Violence Against Women, Washington, D.C.:
National Academy Press; and National Research
Council and Institute of Medicine, 1998, Violence
in Families: Assessing Prevention and Treatment
Programs, R. Chalk and P. King, eds. Committee on
the Assessment of Family Violence Interventions,
Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. These
are available for sale from the National Academy
Press at 800 624-6242 or 202 334-3313.] In
addition to providing a review and assessment of
the research, these publications identify and
recommend needed research. While child
victimization and crimes of domestic violence
committed against women in rural communities may
have some unique characteristics, an understanding
of the broader literature on victimization of
women and children will provide a useful basis for
examining the Rural Program.

The unique circumstances of battered women and
children in rural areas are noted in the program
announcements of the Violence Against Women Grants
Office. Included among these circumstances are:
the geographic isolation and stronger social and
cultural pressures in rural communities and the
difficulty of transportation with scarce public
transportation and longer distances. Also, the
unique circumstances of rural communities
complicate the ability of the criminal justice
system to investigate and prosecute crimes of
domestic violence committed against women and
child victimization cases, and they create
difficulties for victim services providers to
identify and assist abused women and children.
[The Fiscal Year 1998 Application Kit for the
Rural Domestic Violence & Child Victimization
Enforcement Grant Program is available at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawgo/rural/rural2.txt or by
contacting the Response Center for a printed copy
at 800 421-6770.] 

The literature discussed by the applicant should
inform the perspective to be taken in the
evaluation. A description of the rural child
victimization and domestic violence problem and
the theoretical perspective that will influence
the evaluation should be presented by the
applicant. 

Methodological Issues

The challenge of conducting an evaluation of a
multifaceted program operating in diverse rural
communities throughout the nation is recognized.
Thus, applicants should present a thorough plan
for how the National Rural Evaluation will be
rigorously conducted. Proposals should address
contextual factors, sources of data and collection
methods, sampling procedures, evaluation design
and measurement issues, analysis plans, and report
writing and other feedback mechanisms. 

The use of multiple methods is seen as critical in
conducting the NRE. Qualitative approaches should
capture the voices of the victims as well as the
views of practitioners and service providers. NRE
applicants should consider the ways in which
victims/clients, service providers and criminal
justice practitioners will be brought into the
evaluation process.

Context of the Rural Program. While the
availability and accessibility of child
victimization and battered women services in rural
areas are considered to be comparatively lower
than that of urban areas, NRE applicants should
have an understanding of the resource context in
which the Rural projects operate. Other
governmental or private programs may exist in the
same jurisdiction as the Rural projects being
assessed. The NRE evaluators will need to take
these related programs, with similar goals, into
account. Among the governmental programs that may
be of relevance are: the STOP Violence Against
Women Program, the Family Violence Prevention and
Services Act Programs, Programs under the Victims
of Crime Act, Children's Advocacy Centers, state
and local Child Fatality Review efforts, and other
ongoing state and local programs. 

Other important contextual factors include state
legislation relevant to Rural Program issues,
relevant state and local policies and practices,
and current services available to rural victims of
child victimization and domestic violence. These
would include availability and access to services
such as emergency housing, advocacy, counseling,
legal services, and child welfare services.

Data Sources and Collection. Applicants are
encouraged to be comprehensive and innovative in
the collection and use of data for the evaluation.
Various types of data should be considered,
including officials records; interviews, surveys
or focus groups with key populations of relevance
to the Rural Program; and observation. Official
data should consider calls to the police or
sheriff, number of beds in accessible emergency
facilities, domestic violence and child
victimization arrests, misdemeanors and felonies
charged that involve a battered woman or abused
child as the victim, declination rates for these
cases, and sentences.

Sampling. Sampling should be thoroughly discussed.
The initial phase of the NRE would be descriptive
and include all FY96 to FY98 projects supported by
the Rural Program, and a sample of the projects or
types of projects would be selected for more
intensive evaluation and to assess impact. While
the conduct of the first phase will inform
selection for the second phase, applicants should
discuss issues they view as critical in regard to
sampling procedures for projects and particular
populations within projects (victims, criminal
justice practitioners, service providers). 

Evaluation Design and Measurement. Applicants
should thoroughly describe and justify the
particular design proposed for this process and
outcome evaluation. What design will be used to
best estimate the impact of the intervention? How
will change be measured and attributed to the
project? How will terms be defined and measurement
instruments selected or developed? Will measures
in the community prior to implementation and post
implementation be obtained? If so, what is
expected to be available? Will comparison groups
be used? If so, how will they be obtained? Do the
different types of projects under the Rural
Program suggest different types of designs to
assess outcomes? How will the evaluation account
for all the possible reasons for change?

Analysis. Applicants should provide detailed
information on a plan for data analysis,
explaining how the various types of data will be
analyzed, integrated and how they will be
presented. 

Report Writing. Annual reports are required of the
NRE and applicants should, given their anticipated
schedule, state what is expected to be included in
each of three annual reports. An Executive Summary
will be required at the conclusion of the project
and applicants may propose any other products seen
as useful for purposes of informing the local
projects, the field at large, and the federal
program managers.

Organizational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate organizational
capacity to conduct a large-scale national
evaluation in rural states. This capacity would be
reflected in the staffing plan, effective and
efficient use of consultants and subcontracts, and
experience with large-scale evaluation efforts.

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 funding:

o Standard Form (SF) 424 -- application for
Federal assistance 

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 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 References

o Letters of cooperation from organizations
collaborating in the research project

o Resumes

o Appendixes, if any (e.g., list of previous NIJ
awards, their status, and products [in NIJ or
other publications])

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:

Due date. Completed proposals must be received at
the National Institute of Justice by the close of
business on June 8, 1998. Extensions of this
deadline will not be permitted.

Award period. In general, NIJ limits its grants
and cooperative agreements to a maximum period of
12 or 24 months. However, a budget period of 36
months is anticipated for this project.

Number of awards. NIJ anticipates supporting one
grant under this solicitation. 

Award amount. An award totaling $375,000 in FY
1998 will be made available for this NIJ
solicitation. Applicants should submit a budget
totaling $375,000 and the extent of the proposed
evaluation should reflect this amount. Applicants
should also include a statement on the additional
work that would be completed with supplemental
funding up to $325,000 which would be made
available given continued program appropriations.
The proposal should be clear on how much of the
proposed task plan will be completed with the
initial funding of $375,000, and also provide a
clear understanding of the entire task plan to be
addressed with the total $700,000 over the three
years. 

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. At
this site, the NIJ application forms and
guidelines are available 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 may
contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response
Center at 800-421-6770. Center staff can provide
assistance or refer applicants to an appropriate
NIJ professional. Applicants may, for example,
wish to discuss their prospective research topics
with the NIJ professional staff.

Send 10 copies of completed forms (one with
original signature) to:
National Evaluation of the Rural Domestic Violence
& Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program
National Institute of Justice
810 Seventh Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20531
[overnight courier ZIP code 20001]

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 World Wide Web site. To access the site, go
to http://www.ncjrs.org
If you have any questions, call or e-mail NCJRS.