Deadline: 25 May 2020
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is seeking applications for funding under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 to provide Community Supervision agencies with organizational readiness assessment resources to utilize for planning around adopting innovations that support behavior change in individuals under community supervision.
Community Corrections Supervision organizations are increasingly interested in adopting effective supervision interventions as a growing body of research indicates that staff, well trained in evidence-based practices, improve public safety outcomes. More specifically, the community corrections profession is investing in interventions that support behavior change and are moving away from using only control and containment supervision strategies. Research indicates, when community supervision staff employ evidence based approaches that reduce risk and need, coupled with skillful use of innovations such as Core Correctional Practices (i.e., effective reinforcement, cognitive restructuring and professional alliance), they become adept at helping persons under community supervision identify thinking errors, develop problem-solving skills and have the ability to reinforce these new skills.
The goal of this project is to develop an organizational readiness assessment and other resources to assist Community Corrections Supervision organizations operationalize the adoption and sustainment of innovations supporting offender behavior change throughout the organization.
Objectives
- Conduct initial meeting with NIC to clarify goals and objectives, discuss timeline of activities,role clarification and discuss overview of the project.
- Develop process, tools and activities to access organization readiness at all levels of the organization to determine systemic readiness to adopt innovations that support behavior change.
- Develop a work plan that includes the development of the readiness assessment instrument based on the implementation research regarding drivers to successful implementation.
- Develop a process to assess organization readiness to include conducting on-site meetings with leadership, mid-management and staff, reviewing agency documents, materials and activities that can contribute to the readiness assessment
- Develop and deliver the readiness assessment, identify data collection and data review processes and develop communication strategies to share assessment findings with the organizations and prepare organizations for possible Phase 2 activities.
Deliverables
- Meet virtually with NIC Correctional Program Specialist (CPS) Project Lead for initial kickoff meeting to clarify goals, objectives and deliverables, including the setting of initial deadlines, and role clarification.
- Complete literature review on Implementation Science and Evidence- Based Practices that support behavior change for individuals under supervision to inform the project work.
- Using the Implementation Science and Evidence- Based Practices that support Behavior Change research, develop and deliver an organizational readiness assessment instrument to help the pilot organizations determine readiness to implement and sustain innovations that support behavior change for individuals under community supervision.
- Up to three days on-site work with each of the piloting organizations will be required, however Awardee is encouraged to utilize tele or virtual-conferencing where appropriate to increase efficiency and decrease costs.
- Awardee will be responsible for all travel costs to the site to include round trip transportation costs to requesting agency site, ground transportation (to include rental car and fuel), parking, lodging, per diem.
- Present, virtually or in person, preliminary findings to each of pilot organization’s leadership for review and feedback
- Develop a final report for NIC that will be shared with the pilot organizations that summarizes the assessment process and findings to include planning for Phase II of the project.
Funding Information
NIC expects to make one award for as much as $80,000.00 for a 12-month project period, beginning on June 30, 2020.
Eligibility Criteria
- NIC invites applications from nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education).
- Recipients, including for-profit organizations, must agree to waive any profit or fee for services.
- NIC welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as sub-recipients.
- The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the entire program.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=325797