Title: Research on Violence Against Women: Syntheses for Practitioners. Series: NIJ Solicitation Author: NIJ Subject: domestic violence, victim services 11 pages 25,000 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. U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice Jeremy Travis, Director Solicitation March 1998 Research on Violence Against Women: Syntheses for Practitioners APPLICATION DEADLINE: June 1, 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 No‰l 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 Research on Violence Against Women: Syntheses for Practitioners I. -- Introduction Proposals are solicited for the development of critical reviews and syntheses of the violence against women research and evaluation literature to be prepared for justice system and public health audiences. Violence against women includes domestic violence or intimate partner violence, sexual assault, other assaultive behaviors against women and stalking. Applicants should assemble a team of expert authors from both the criminal justice and public health fields, and practitioner insight must be incorporated into the proposed approach. One grant of up to $350,000 will be awarded for a period of up to 15 months. II. -- Background Under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, Congress mandated the development of a research agenda to increase the understanding and control of violence against women. The agenda, published by the National Academy Press as "Understanding Violence Against Women," includes a recommendation "to provide mechanisms for collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and provide technical assistance for integrating research into service provision." This solicitation addresses this recommendation as one of the initial projects under a joint program developed by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The NIJ and CDC Joint Program In the current Fiscal Year NIJ and NCIPC are initiating a collaborative, five-year joint research program to better understand the extent of violence against women, why violence against women occurs, how to prevent it, and how to increase the effectiveness of legal and health care interventions. The long-range goal of this initiative is to achieve highly effective, interdisciplinary, widely useful, economic approaches to the prevention, intervention, and control of violence against women. This research program draws upon the NIJ-CDC sponsored 1996 National Academy of Sciences report "Understanding Violence Against Women," the 1998 National Academy of Sciences report "Violence in Families," [These two reports can be purchased from the National Academy Press at 800 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313.] and the related research of NIJ, NCIPC and others. The program will generate a series of solicitations by NIJ and NCIPC on violence against women research and evaluation. Announcements can be found under funding opportunities at the NIJ web site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij; to receive printed copy, interested researchers are encouraged to contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at 1-800 851-3420 to be placed on NIJ's mailing list for Research on Family Violence and Violence Against Women. Researchers can also contact the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at (770) 488- 4410 to be placed on CDC's mailing list. While the NIJ/NCIPC Joint Program is a major new effort and represents a substantial commitment of funding, additional programs are also a part of NIJ's overall Violence Against Women and Family Violence Program and NCIPC's Family and Intimate Violence Program. For NIJ, these programs include a host of research and evaluation projects undertaken in collaboration with the Violence Against Women Grants Office and projects supported directly by NIJ. For NCIPC, these programs include a full range of prevention projects addressing surveillance, research, evaluation, public awareness, and training. NIJ's research portfolio on violence against women and family violence can be accessed at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/ vawprog/contents.htm or a copy can be obtained from the Department of Justice Response Center at 800 421-6770. Additional information on NCIPC's portfolio is accessible at their web site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc. III. Requirements of the Project on Syntheses for Practitioner Proposals are solicited for the development of critical reviews and syntheses of the violence against women research and evaluation literature to be prepared for justice system and public health audiences. Violence against women includes domestic violence or intimate partner violence, sexual assault, other assaultive behaviors against women and stalking. Applicants will assemble a team of expert authors for both the criminal justice and public health fields, and practitioner insights will be incorporated into the proposed approach. One grant of up to $350,000 will be awarded for a period of up to 15 months. Objectives of the Solicitation The primary objectives of this solicitation are: o To provide access to current research and evaluation results on violence against women for criminal justice and public health professionals; o To inform the views of justice professionals as to the role of public health and the relevance of key findings in the public health literature for practice in the justice arena, and similarly, to inform the views of public health professionals as to the relevance of key findings in the justice literature for practice in the public health arena; and o To identify critical unanswered questions concerning violence against women for justice and public health professionals that would stimulate the dialogue and advise the ongoing research agenda. Project Strategy Critical components of the application are: a detailed description of how the project will be carried out, who will be responsible for the various parts, and how the various products to be developed will be identified. A description of the drafting and re-drafting process and a timetable of key milestones should be included. Applicants should discuss whether major study results will be repeated in more than one practitioner synthesis and if so, how such repetition will be effectively handled. Involvement of both researchers and practitioners in the development of each synthesis is necessary. Effective working relationships between the proposed researchers and practitioners will be critical, whether jointly authored papers/chapters are proposed or another approach that insures the active participation of both practitioners and researchers is proposed. Applicants must state how the sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking literature will be appropriately addressed and presented in the syntheses. Sources of Literature to be Included Applicants should discuss the various sources and provide a bibliography of the research and evaluation results that will be utilized in the development of the various practitioner syntheses. The criteria for inclusion should be discussed in the proposal with priority to literature having clear implications for policy and practice. Various professional and academic journals, relevant National Academy of Sciences reports, and final research reports to NIJ and NCIPC should be included. The research and evaluation literature on intimate partner violence, sexual and physical assault, and stalking should be included. Applicants should discuss any other related literature that they may include, such as the overlap between child abuse and domestic violence, the impact of witnessing domestic violence on children, or the role of substance abuse in violence against women. The syntheses should incorporate the most recent literature and research results; as new findings become available in the course of the project they should be included. Practitioner Audiences for the Syntheses The goal of this effort is to provide a series of products that will inform practitioners and policymakers of the latest research and evaluation findings on violence against women. A critical component of the proposal and of the project is assembling and coordinating the group of expert authors and practitioners who will develop the practitioner-oriented syntheses. The proposals should present the names of these consultants to the project and their letters of support. The project will provide critical reviews and syntheses of the current literature. These reviews and syntheses should be developed and guided by an understanding of the various professional groups that have an interest in preventing or intervening in violence against women. The roles, practices, capabilities, constraints and needs of the various professions being addressed in the syntheses should be considered. Applicants should specify the practitioner audiences for whom syntheses will be developed. At a minimum, the justice system practitioners should include police and sheriffs, prosecutors, judges, lawyers, corrections officials and treatment providers. Legislators should be considered as an audience for both justice and public health. Public health practitioners should include, at a minimum, state and local public health officials; those working in acute care settings; practitioners in community based organizations, shelters, and rape crisis centers; and professionals in school settings. Additional practitioner groups, or combinations of groups, may also be proposed. Results of the Syntheses The final products should provide practitioners with current and useful knowledge to inform their practice and enhance strategizing for effective interventions, and at the same time identify gaps concerning what is not yet known to stimulate the dialogue on questions that need to be addressed to advance knowledge and practice. Proposals must include a discussion of the specific products that will result from the project and a proposed dissemination strategy. At a minimum, syntheses should include: o A summary (limited to 30 pages) for each practitioner audience, that can then be distributed to the relevant practitioners and/or placed in appropriate practitioner journals and on websites, and; o Full Reports for justice and public health that include the individual summaries that are targeted for particular practitioners, an introductory chapter on the particular field (justice or public health) and an additional chapter that presents an overview of the full report of the other field of practice (justice system or public health). The proposed dissemination strategy should consider all appropriate mechanisms including proposals for NIJ and CDC publication. Applicant are encouraged to consider whether different delivery vehicles for the results would be appropriate for the different audiences. 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 1, 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, longer budget periods may be considered. Number of awards. NIJ anticipates supporting one grant under this solicitation. Award amount. An award totaling $350,000 will be made available for this NIJ solicitation. 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 signatures) to: VAW Syntheses for Practitioners 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.