Notice of the Fiscal Year 1995 Competitive Discretionary Grant Programs for Title IV Missing and Exploited Children's Program and Application Kit

Federal RegisterJan 5, 1995

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SUMMARY: The Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), pursuant to the Missing Children's

Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5771-5780, Title IV of the Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5601 et

seq., is required through grants or contracts, to: establish and

operate a 24-hour toll-free telephone line; establish and operate a

national resource center and clearinghouse; periodically conduct

national incidence studies on missing children; and provide information

on the use of record information to identify and locate missing

children. In addition, the Administrator is authorized to support

research, demonstration, or service programs to educate parents,

provide information, aid communities, increase knowledge, collect data,

address the needs of missing children and their families, and establish

or operate statewide clearinghouses to assist in locating and

recovering missing children.

There were no comments received in response to OJJDP's proposed

Title IV competitive programs for Fiscal Year 1995. Therefore, the

proposed programs, as set forth in the Federal Register of October 12,

1994 and announced in this Notice, will be included in OJJDP's final

Title IV program plan. The OJJDP Application Kit for the three programs

that follow, containing a copy of application form 424, standard and

special conditions, the OJJDP Peer Review Guidelines, OJJDP's

Competition and Peer Review Procedures, and General Application and

Administrative Requirements, can be obtained by calling the Juvenile

Justice Clearinghouse, toll-free, 24 hours a day, at (800) 638-8736.

The program announcements contain specific instructions on

competitive program requirements, including eligibility requirements

and selection criteria. All applications will be evaluated and rated by

a peer review panel according to the announced selection criteria. Peer

review will be conducted in accordance with the OJJDP Competition and

Peer Review Policy, 28 CFR part 34, subpart B.

DATES: Applications under each of the three programs must be received

by 5 p.m. e.s.t., February 21, 1995. Applications received after the

deadline date will not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be received by mail or hand-delivered to:

Ron Laney, Director, Missing and Exploited Children's Program, Office

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 633 Indiana Avenue,

NW., 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20531. Hand-delivered applications will

be received between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. except

Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS: See Application Kit and Requests for

Proposals that follow.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must be public agencies or

nonprofit private organizations or combinations thereof to be eligible

for funding under the Missing Children's Assistance Act. No proposals,

concept papers, or other application materials not relevant to this

announcement should be submitted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Laney, Director, Missing and

Exploited Children's Program, at the above address. Telephone (202)

514-7774. This is not a toll-free telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Grant Program: National Resource Center and Clearinghouse

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to continue the maintenance and

management of activities, program development and fiscal support

necessary to sustain those services required of a national resource

center and clearinghouse under Title IV, the Missing Children's

Assistance Act.

The award will be made for a project period of three years. One

cooperative agreement will be awarded with an initial budget period of

12 months. Up to $3,050,000 will be allocated for the initial 12 month

award. Subsequent funding support will be determined by the performance

of the grantee and program development needs as determined by OJJDP.

Background

OJJDP awarded a discretionary grant to the National Center for

Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in April of 1984. Title IV of

the JJDP Act was subsequently enacted by Congress on October 12, 1984.

The original award was to establish a national resource center and

clearinghouse designed: to provide technical assistance to State and

local governments, individuals, parents, and other agencies in locating

and recovering missing children; to coordinate programs that focus on

reuniting missing children with their lawful custodians; to develop,

publish, and disseminate instructive materials about programs,

techniques and services responsive to missing children issues; and to

provide technical assistance and training to law enforcement agencies,

State and local government agencies, individuals, and other agencies

addressing missing children issues relative to prevention,

investigation, reunification, and treatment in missing and exploited

children cases.

Since the establishment of the Missing and Exploited Children's

Program in 1984, OJJDP has funded a comprehensive program of research.

Major studies have been completed that define and document the complex

issues of cases of missing children. The National Incidence Studies for

Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children in America

(NISMART), published in 1990, was the first national study to provide

reliable data about the numbers and types of missing child cases and to

clarify the types of cases and situations that make up the ``missing

children'' population. Since then, other research projects have been

completed that provide critical information about the dynamics of

missing child cases, the psychological impact of abduction on children

and families, and what happens after a missing child returns home.

It has become clear that there is not a single ``missing child''

problem. Children are abducted by strangers and acquaintances as well

as by parents or other family members. The research has shown that

family abduction is a far greater problem than previously realized, and

that the effects on children can be disastrous and long-lasting.

Recovering children abducted by family members can be extremely

difficult and costly. Many children who run away return home quickly,

but a significant number run many times and live on the streets,

constantly exposed to danger [[Page 1971]] and exploitation. Some of

the children previously thought of as runaways have in actuality been

thrownaway or abandoned. Every year many children are harmed after they

become lost or wander away. Thousands of children are abducted for

short periods of time and molested. It is estimated that there are more

than 114,000 attempted abductions of children each year.

Missing and exploited children are often already known to community

agencies as victims. Runaway and abducted children may experience

physical and sexual assault while away from home. Runaways often leave

home to escape abuse, and children may become involved in sexual

exploitation as a direct or indirect result of earlier victimization.

Many family abduction cases involve families with histories of domestic

violence. Most parental-abducted children have suffered from being the

focus of bitter conflict prior to being taken. Recovery of abducted

children seldom means the end of the conflict or the traumatic effects

of an abduction, yet these children only occasionally receive the

mental health services that could help them cope. Recent studies

indicate that children who come from households characterized by

violence, abuse or neglect may also be more vulnerable to abuse and

exploitation by persons outside their home.

The issues surrounding missing and exploited children are varied,

complex, and tragic. The missing and exploited children problem is not

a minor dilemma that can be resolved with a single approach or by any

single agency. Law enforcement officers and other professionals who

become involved in these cases face difficult challenges. Agencies must

work in collaboration with others who share that responsibility.

The first ten years of the Missing and Exploited Children's Program

have seen a great deal of progress in our understanding of the issues

of these child victims. They also have identified areas of need and

provided recommendations for future direction and activities. Building

upon the work of the last decade, the goal of the Missing and Exploited

Children's Program is to ensure that critical information gleaned from

research and demonstration programs is successfully incorporated into

existing and new projects funded by OJJDP. As the national

clearinghouse and resource center, the successful applicant must play a

pivotal role in advancing the national response to missing and

exploited children.

Objectives

1. To continue the operation of a 24-hour national toll-free

telephone line by which individuals may report information regarding

the location of any missing child, or other children 13 years of age or

younger, whose whereabouts are unknown to such child's legal custodian,

and request information pertaining to procedures necessary to reunite

the child with the child's legal custodian.

2. To continue the operation of a national resource center and

clearinghouse designed:

a. To provide information to State and local governments, public

and private nonprofit agencies, and individuals regarding:

(1) Free or low cost legal, restaurant, lodging, and transportation

services that are available for the benefit of missing children and

their families;

(2) The existence and nature of programs being carried out by

Federal Agencies to assist missing children and their families; and

(3) The lawful use of school records and birth certificates to

identify and locate missing children.

b. To provide, and coordinate with OJJDP's Title IV Training

Program, technical assistance and training to State and local

governments, including law enforcement and other appropriate agencies

in:

(1) Investigating, reporting, locating, recovering, and

facilitating the reuniting of missing children with their families and/

or lawful custodians;

(2) Family abduction cases;

(3) National and/or regional missing children poster distribution;

(4) Developing and distributing information and training

publications relevant to missing, abducted, and exploited children's

issues; and

(5) Providing case management assistance, sighting and lead

information analysis assistance for missing children cases.

c. To disseminate nationally information about innovative and model

missing children programs, services, and legislation at the State and

local level.

d. To provide technical assistance to appropriate agencies and

custodial parents in cases of national and international noncustodial

family abduction and coordinate efforts with the U.S. Department of

State, U.S. Department of Criminal Justice, and INTERPOL.

e. To provide case analysis (based on leads and sightings) for

ongoing missing child case investigative assistance that has been

undertaken in over 6,500 missing child cases. Some of the tasks

involved in this case assistance are as follows: technical assistance

contacts with parents, law enforcement, state missing children

clearinghouses, private attorneys, prosecutors, F.B.I., INTERPOL, State

Department and support groups; and case follow-up activities by

monitoring NLETS, verifying full NCIC entries, review of recent

sightings and providing relevant sighting pattern analysis and leads to

appropriate cognizant agencies in a timely manner.

f. To coordinate public and private programs that locate, recover

or reunite missing children with their legal custodians.

g. To monitor and provide case analysis for ongoing missing child

case investigative assistance that has been undertaken in more than

6,500 ongoing missing child cases plus more than 3,000 new case/lead

assignments each quarter. Some of the tasks involved in this case

investigative assistance are as follows: technical assistance contacts

with parents, law enforcement, state clearinghouses, private attorneys,

prosecutors, F.B.I., INTERPOL, U.S. State Department and support

groups; and case follow-up activities by monitoring NLETS and verifying

full NCIC entries, review of recent sightings and providing relevant

sighting pattern analysis and leads to appropriate cognizant agencies

in a timely manner.

h. To provide, when requested on cases of nonfamily abduction, on-

site assistance by and coordination of the trained volunteers who are

retired law enforcement personnel through Project ALERT and close

coordination and liaison with the Federal Morgan Hardiman Task Force.

i. To provide, when appropriate, state-of-the-art image enhancement

and aging procedures for follow-up on long-term missing children cases.

j. To provide and maintain a computer information network

connection with State missing children agencies to facilitate the

exchange of appropriate missing children case information, and

technical assistance and training information developed by or through

the National Clearinghouse.

k. To develop a documented process for determining the publications

development targeted at meeting the Title IV mandates based on the

needs of the field and the numbers and types of cases being identified.

l. To develop a formalized process for working with the state bar

associations for providing parents and/or legal guardians with a

referral process for obtaining pro bono or sliding scale legal

[[Page 1972]] services in civil matters concerning abducted children.

Program Strategy

This solicitation and resulting cooperative agreement will ensure

the effective continuance by OJJDP of a national resource center and

clearinghouse function for the training and technical assistance

program to law enforcement agencies; State and local governments;

entities of the criminal justice system, public and private nonprofit

agencies; and individuals in the prevention, investigation,

prosecution, and treatment of abducted, missing, and exploited children

and in assisting, locating, and reuniting the missing children with

their families or legal custodians.

The applicant must demonstrate the experience and capability to

provide timely, relevant professional program continuity for the

national resource center and clearinghouse program. The successful

applicant must demonstrate, in detail, the ability to enlist, train and

manage the technical and professional personnel who will provide

knowledgeable, credible program continuation and professional program

technology transfer to parents, criminal justice system professionals,

and nonprofit and community agencies.

The operation of a national resource center and clearinghouse

requires the applicant to provide and arrange for all necessary

operational, training publications, analytical and technical assistance

personnel, facilities, equipment, materials, and services required for

the successful continuation of the existing program activities. These

include the following activities:

1. The provision to State and local governments, public and private

nonprofit agencies, and individuals information regarding free or low-

cost legal, restaurant, lodging, and transportation services that are

available for the benefit of missing children and their families;

2. The development of a public education/awareness campaign

utilizing the media and other sources specifically focused on the area

of family abductions and the true impact this type of abduction has on

the children, families involved, and society in general;

3. To coordinate publications, media activities and all special

events with and through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention;

4. The provision to State and local governments, public and private

nonprofit agencies, and individuals information regarding the existence

and nature of programs being carried out by Federal agencies to assist

missing/exploited children and their families;

5. To provide and coordinate with OJJDP's Title IV Training Program

technical assistance and training to criminal justice agencies, State

and local governments, elements of the criminal justice and youth

service system, public and private nonprofit agencies, organized

missing/exploited children community organizations, and individuals in

locating, recovering, and reuniting missing children with their family

or legal custodian;

6. The provision of a national 24-hour toll-free telephone line by

which individuals may report information regarding the location of any

missing child and request information pertaining to the necessary

procedures to reunite such child with the child's legal custodian(s);

7. The provision of information derived from the national 24-hour

toll-free telephone line to appropriate cognizant entities in a timely

manner;

8. The coordination of the operation of the 24-hour toll-free

telephone line with the operation of the national communications system

established to serve runaways (under section 313 of the Runaway and

Homeless Youth Act, 42 U.S.C. 5712a);

9. The coordination of public and private programs that seek to

locate, recover, or reunite missing children with their legal

custodians;

10. The dissemination of information about, and the provision of

technical assistance and training publications regarding comprehensive,

innovative, community, multi-agency missing children programs,

services, and legislation;

11. The provision of information to State and local governments,

public and private nonprofit agencies and individuals to facilitate the

lawful use of school records and birth certificates to identify and

locate missing children; and

12. The provision and maintenance of a national on-line computer

for the dissemination of information and technical assistance to and

communication between the State Clearinghouses, law enforcement

agencies, and appropriate nonprofit organizations established to assist

in locating, recovering, and reuniting of missing children with their

legal guardian(s) including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada

and New Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom.

13. The applicant will include in its application a detailed plan

for the establishment of a grant advisory board independent of any

existing organizational advisory board. The advisory board will be made

up of at least ten (10) individuals representing, at a minimum, the

following agencies: law enforcement, nonfamily abduction victim parent,

family abduction victim parent, nonprofit missing children

organization, social services, mental health, courts, prosecution. This

board membership will be submitted to OJJDP for approval.

14. The applicant will include in its application a detailed plan

to justify a proposed resource allocation (staff and funds) based on

the actual number of missing/abducted child cases by category and the

amount and type of technical assistance needed to meet the mandates of

the national resource center and clearinghouse.

15. The applicant will include in its application a detailed plan

for coordination with the American Bar Association's Center on Children

and the Law, in the development of a formalized process for working

with the state bar associations and other appropriate organizations for

providing parents and legal guardians with a referral service for

obtaining pro bono or sliding scale legal services in civil matters

concerning their abducted children.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants are invited from public agencies and not-for-profit

private organizations. Applicant organizations may choose to submit

joint proposals with other eligible organizations as long as one

organization is designated in the application as the applicant and co-

applicants are designated as such.

The applicant and co-applicants must demonstrate fully the required

experience to deliver continuation support services as required in

section VI. Applicants must demonstrate, in addition to program

knowledge and support experience, programmatic and fiscal management

capabilities to implement a project of this size and scope effectively.

Applicants who fail to demonstrate that they have the experienced

capability to manage a program of this size and complexity will be

ineligible for funding consideration.

Specific Application Requirements

All applicants must submit a completed Standard Form 424,

Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424); a Standard Form 424A,

Budget Information; OJP Form 4000/3, Assurances; and OJP Form 4061/6,

Certifications. In addition to these forms, all applicants must include

a project summary, a budget narrative, and a program narrative. All

not-for- [[Page 1973]] profit organizations who have not recently

received Office of Justice Programs funding must submit a completed

Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (OJP 712011).

All forms must be typed. The SF 424 must appear as a cover sheet

for the entire application. The project summary should follow the SF

424. All other forms must then follow. Applicants should be sure to

sign OJP Forms 4000/3 and 4061/6.

The project summary must not exceed 250 words. It must be clearly

marked and typed single spaced on a single page. Applicants should take

care to write a description that accurately and concisely reflects the

proposal.

The program narrative must be typed double spaced on one side of

page only. The program narrative may not exceed 60 pages. The program

narrative must include all items indicated in the Selection Criteria

section of this solicitation. This page limit does not apply to

supporting materials normally found in appendices (such as preliminary

surveys, resumes, and supporting charts or graphs).

In submitting applications that contain more than one organization,

the relationships among the parties must be set forth in the

application. As a general rule, organizations that describe their

working relationship in the development of products and the delivery of

services as primarily cooperative or collaborative in nature will be

considered co-applicants. In the event of a co-applicant submission,

one co-applicant must be designated as the payee to receive and

disburse project funds and be responsible for the supervision and

coordination of the activities of the other co-applicant. Under this

arrangement, each organization must agree to be jointly and severally

responsible for all project funds and services. Each co-applicant must

sign the SF 424 and indicate their acceptance of the conditions of

joint and several responsibility with the other co-applicant.

Applications that include noncompetitive contracts for the

provision of specific services must include a sole source justification

for any procurement in excess of $25,000. The contractor may not be

involved in the development of the statement of work. The applicant

must provide sufficient justification for not offering for competition

the portion of work proposed to be contracted.

The following information must be included in the application

Program Narrative (part IV of SF 424):

1. Organizational Capability: The applicant must demonstrate that

it is eligible to compete for this cooperative agreement and have

substantial organizational experience and resources that can be

directly applied to provide programmatic support that will assure OJJDP

the effective continuance of a national resource center and

clearinghouse function for: The 24 hour national toll free telephone

line; the information analysis of sighting and leads; case management

assistance experience, procedures and data base information technology

support to handle case processing procedures effectively and

responsively for more than 6,500 ongoing missing children cases plus

more than 3,000 new case/lead assignments each quarter; and the

provision of the training publications and technical assistance

programs to law enforcement agencies, State and local governments,

elements of the criminal justice system, public and private nonprofit

agencies, and individuals in the prevention, investigation,

prosecution, and treatment of the missing and exploited children cases

and in assisting in the locating and reuniting of the missing children

with families or legal custodians.

The criteria used for evaluating applicants is based upon the

responsiveness of the applicant to the program information and

descriptions found in this solicitation. Applicants must demonstrate

that they are eligible to compete for this cooperative agreement on the

basis of eligibility criteria established in this notice.

2. Organizational Experience: a. The applicant must demonstrate the

requisite knowledge of and experience with the missing and exploited

children issue necessary to provide capable, responsible management of

a national resource center and clearinghouse, including having direct

access to NCIC and NLETS.

b. The applicant must demonstrate experience and expertise in

providing technical assistance and training to a diverse audience

requiring such services with regard to the missing and exploited

children issues described in this solicitation.

c. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to develop as well as

provide missing and exploited children specialized issue-related

training and service oriented training materials to the recipient

jurisdictional, professional, citizens, community needs, and other

OJJDP training programs.

d. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to provide for

national missing children sighting analysis and case management

practices that can collate national sightings, lead and case

information in a relevant, and timely manner to assist, facilitate and

coordinate multi-jurisdictional, national and international missing

children investigations.

e. The applicant must demonstrate extensive state-of-the-art

information technology experience to manage, facilitate and service

high volume electronic assisted response for technical assistance

information needs and exchanges that require fast, accurate responses.

f. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to provide continuity

of comprehensive missing and exploited children issue services in

response to the program objectives and strategies described in this

solicitation.

3. Program Goals and Objectives: A succinct statement demonstrating

the applicant's understanding of the objectives and tasks associated

with the program must be included. The application must also include a

problem statement and a discussion of the past and potential future

contributions of the applicant's program to the missing and exploited

children issues required to be performed by a national missing and

exploited children's clearinghouse and resource center. The applicant

must describe the proposed approach for achieving the objectives of the

program and the requirements of the program strategy as detailed in

this announcement.

4. Program Implementation Plan: The applicant must describe its

proposed approach to achieving the goals and objectives of the project.

A program implementation plan outlining the major activities involved

in implementing the program, resource allocation, the program

management must be included. A clear time-task workplan identifying

major milestones, tasks, and products should be part of the

application.

The applicant should include an organizational chart depicting the

roles and responsibilities of key personnel and organizational

functional components that will be responsible for supporting and

implementation of the program. The applicant should provide detailed

position descriptions, qualification, and criteria selection for the

positions. Part-time and practitioner professionals should also be

included, with a statement of their qualifications and experience that

would directly relate to the service needs of this program. The

applicant should denote which staff members are considered key project

personnel and emphasize their position experience. [[Page 1974]]

5. Program Budget: The applicant must provide a three year budget

to be prepared by year. Any co-applicant associated costs must be

detailed separately and accounted for in as much detail as the

principal applicant. The applicant must provide a detailed

justification for all costs by object class category as specified in

the SF 424. Costs must be reasonable and the basis for these costs must

be well documented in a separate budget narrative.

6. Products: A concise description of the products to be produced

should be included. The applicant must describe existing and future

program activities and products that have and will be developed or

utilized to continue to service the program; and should describe how

and who will be served by these products.

Selection Criteria

In general, all applications will be reviewed in terms of their

demonstrated past, present, and potential ability to continue the

development and provide the requisite services of a national resource

center and clearinghouse for servicing missing and exploited children

issues, as they are defined under title IV, The Missing Children's

Assistance Act. The experience and knowledge involved for delivery of

these services in a capable, efficient, and professional manner is a

vital criterion for selection.

All applicants will be evaluated and rated based on the extent to

which they meet the following criteria:

1. Organizational and programmatic capability must be demonstrated.

The project management structure must be adequate for the successful

conduct of the project. The applicant must have demonstrated

clearinghouse and resource center program management and information

technology capabilities and experience and capabilities in the areas

described and defined throughout this solicitation; experience working

with the various missing children issue groups and agencies at the

national, state, municipal, community, individual levels, and

international levels; providing technical assistance, training and

information products related to missing and exploited children;

providing missing child case assistance, analysis and coordination;

promoting the development of professional approaches to missing

children issues; providing assistance in organizational development

processes for improved multi-agency delivery of services relating to

missing children issues; and the relevant experience of applicant's

staff in the missing children issues and their capabilities to address

the perceived program needs. Fiscal integrity and organizational

stability must be demonstrated over time. (35 points)

2. The applicant must demonstrate an understanding of an approach

to implementing the program objective of organizing, providing and

maintaining the high level service delivery demands of a national

resource center and clearinghouse for missing children. (30 points)

3. The qualifications of staff members identified to manage and

implement the program, including consultants, must be adequate for the

successful implementation of the objectives. (25 points)

4. The applicant must provide a sound and fully-justified budget

that is cost effective to the service provided. The proposed costs must

be complete, appropriate, and reasonable to the activities of the

project. All costs should be fully justified in a budget narrative or

with other supporting documentation. (10 points)

Award Period

The project period for the cooperative agreement supporting the

missing and exploited children national resource center and

clearinghouse is three (3) years. One cooperative agreement will be

awarded with an initial budget period of 12 months.

Award Amount

Up to $3,050,000 has been allocated for the initial budget period.

Commensurate financial support for the remaining two project budget

periods will be determined by the performance of the grantee, program

development needs as determined by OJJDP, and the availability of

funds.

Submission of Application

Applicants must submit the original, signed application (Standard

Form 424) and two unbound copies to OJJDP. Application forms and

supplementary information will be provided upon request for the

Application Kit. Potential applicants should review the OJJDP Peer

Review Guideline and the OJJDP Competition and Peer Review Procedures.

These documents will be provided in the Application Kit.

Grant Program: Title IV Training and Technical Assistance

Purpose

The purpose of this solicitation is to establish a mechanism for

the maintenance, management, and standardization of activities; program

design, development, and implementation; and fiscal support necessary

to sustain those services required for the development of a coordinated

and comprehensive Training and Technical Assistance Program under Title

IV, the Missing Children's Assistance Act.

The award will be made for a project period of three years. One

cooperative agreement will be awarded with an initial budget period of

12 months. Up to $750,000 will be allocated for the initial 12 month

award. Subsequent funding support will be determined by the performance

of the grantee and program development needs as determined by OJJDP.

Background

Since the beginning of the Missing and Exploited Children's

Program, OJJDP has funded an aggressive program of research and program

development. The first major program was the establishment of a

National Resource Center and Clearinghouse on Missing Children that was

established under the National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children in April 1984. Since that time, OJJDP has funded numerous

other programs and projects for the design, development, and

implementation of model projects and approaches. Currently, OJJDP funds

over fifty (50) programs and projects in this area, many of which have

an emphasis on designing and developing training and technical

assistance materials for practitioners on the local, state, and federal

level.

Additionally, major studies funded by OJJDP have been completed

that define and document the complex issues of missing children cases.

The National Incidence Studies for Missing, Abducted, Runaway and

Thrownaway Children in America (NISMART) was the first national study

done that provides reliable data about the numbers and types of missing

child cases and to clarify the types of cases and situations that make

up the ``missing children'' population. Since the last Request for

Proposals (RFP), other research projects have been completed that

provide critical information about the dynamics of missing child cases,

the psychological impact of abduction on children and families, and

what happens after a missing child comes home.

It has become clear that there is not a single ``missing child''

problem. Children are abducted by strangers and acquaintances as well

as by parents or other family members. The research has shown that

family abduction is a far greater problem than previously realized, and

the effects on children can be disastrous and long-lasting.

[[Page 1975]] Recovering children abducted by family members often is

extremely difficult and costly. Many children who run away return home

quickly, but a significant number run many times and live on the

streets constantly exposed to danger, exploitation, and becoming

involved in criminal activity. Some of the children previously thought

of as runaways have in actuality been thrownaway or abandoned. Every

year many children are harmed after they become lost or wander away.

Thousands of children are abducted for short periods of time and

molested. It is estimated that there are more than 114,000 attempted

nonfamily abductions of children each year.

Missing and exploited children are often already known to community

agencies as victims. Runaway and abducted children may experience

physical and sexual assault as part of their missing episode. Runaways

often leave home to escape abuse, and children may become involved in

sexual exploitation as a direct or indirect result of earlier

victimization. Many family abduction cases involve families with

histories of domestic violence. Most parentally-abducted children have

suffered from being the focus of bitter conflict prior to being taken.

Recovery of abducted children seldom means the end of the conflict or

the traumatic effects of an abduction, yet these children seldom

receive the mental health services that could help them cope. Recent

studies indicate that children who come from households characterized

by violence, abuse or neglect may be more vulnerable to abuse and

exploitation by persons outside their home as well. The issues

surrounding missing and exploited children are varied, complex, and

tragic. The missing and exploited children problem is not a minor

dilemma that can be resolved with a single approach or by any single

agency. Law enforcement officers and other professionals who become

involved in these cases face difficult challenges. Agencies must work

in collaboration with others who share that responsibility.

The general consensus of all of the Title IV research projects,

demonstration programs, and professionals on the local, state, and

federal levels is that there is an overwhelming need for training of

and technical assistance to agencies and personnel working with these

types of cases. These sources also indicate that this training and

technical assistance must be provided through a central source

providing coordination and standardization of the materials and

information offered.

This same idea of coordination and standardization was supported by

the professionals associated with the development of OJJDP's Title IV

Long Range Plan is the overwhelming need for coordinated and

comprehensive training and technical assistance to enhance the skills

of the professionals charged with the responsibility of handling these

very complex and complicated cases.

Under the current process for the design, development, and delivery

of training and technical assistance, each grantee is faced with the

responsibility of developing their own stand alone mechanism for the

accomplishment of this task. This system not only creates additional

expense but it also does nothing to address the issue of

standardization and duplication of effort.

The first ten years of the Missing and Exploited Children's Program

have seen significant progress in our understanding of the issues of

these child victims. They also have identified areas of need and

provided recommendations for future direction and activities. Building

upon the work of the last decade, the goal of the Missing and Exploited

Children's Program is to ensure that critical information gleaned from

research and demonstration programs is successfully incorporated into

existing and new projects funded by OJJDP.

Objectives

1. Develop an efficient and effective mechanism for the systematic

management and delivery of state-of-the-art Title IV training and

technical assistance on the national-level that will:

a. utilize the existing information and work products from Title IV

grantees and programs, and

b. ensure the incorporation of new information and work products

developed through future efforts.

2. Through this mechanism, coordinate and standardize the

information, training, technical assistance on missing and exploited

children disseminated on the local, state, and federal level.

3. Ensure that the following areas are the principle focus of the

training and technical assistance delivered.

a. Effective community and child education, prevention, and

awareness programs.

b. Effective community-based approaches for coordination and

collaboration among the primary service provider agencies.

c. Effective multi-agency team approaches.

d. Effective multi-jurisdictional coordination approaches.

e. Available resource education, awareness, and access.

f. State-of-the-art investigative skills and techniques for

location and recovery of missing children.

g. Selected approaches for the reunification of missing and

abducted children with their legal guardians.

4. Establish a database for tracking and documentation of

communities, agencies, and personnel that receive the Title IV training

and technical assistance.

5. Develop a mechanism for providing support to OJJDP for

incorporation of input from all Title IV Grantees in the development of

concept papers, reports, and related materials in furtherance of

OJJDP's Title IV Long Range Plan and meeting the mandates of the Title

IV Legislation.

6. Enhance and improve missing and abducted child serving agencies

and organizations capability and ability to respond to the issues

related to cases of missing and exploited children.

7. Create a stronger link between the front-line personnel working

these cases and the policy-makers at the local, state, and federal

levels.

8. Incorporate the Title IV information and work products into

training and technical assistance products for both front-line

personnel and policy-makers.

9. Maintain state-of-the-art curricula and materials through

systematic review, assessment, and revision of curricula, in concert

with OJJDP.

Program Strategy

This solicitation and resulting cooperative agreement is to

establish a mechanism for the maintenance, management, and

standardization of activities; program design, development, and

implementation; and fiscal support necessary to sustain those services

required for the development of a coordinated and comprehensive

Training and Technical Assistance Program under Title IV, the Missing

Children's Assistance Act.

The applicant must demonstrate a proven national experience and

capability to provide timely, relevant professional program continuity

for the design, development, delivery, and maintenance of an efficient

and effective Title IV Training and Technical Assistance Program.

The applicant must list and provide letters of agreement to

participate from the primary consultants and trainers that will be

utilized in the design, development, and delivery of the Title

[[Page 1976]] IV training and technical assistance programs.

The applicant must demonstrate, in detail, the ability to enlist,

train and manage the technical and professional personnel that will

provide knowledgeable, credible program continuation and professional

program technology transfer to all agencies and personnel involved in

the prevention, identification, location, recovery, and reunification

of missing, exploited, and abducted children with their legal

guardians.

The applicant will include in its application a detailed task plan

to:

1. Justify their resource allocation (staff and funds) based on the

actual number of existing Title IV training programs and proposed new

training and technical assistance program development,

2. Develop an efficient and effective mechanism for the systematic

management and delivery of state-of-the-art Title IV training and

technical assistance on the national-level that will:

a. utilize the existing information and work products from Title IV

grantees and programs, and

b. ensure the incorporation of new information and work products

developed through future efforts.

3. Establish a database for tracking and documentation of

communities, agencies, and personnel that receive the Title IV training

and technical assistance,

4. Enhance and improve missing and abducted child serving agencies

and organizations capability and ability to respond to the issues

related to cases of missing and exploited children,

5. Create a stronger link between the front-line personnel working

these cases and the policy-makers at the local, state, and federal

levels,

6. Incorporate the Title IV information and work products into

training and technical assistance products for both front-line

personnel and policy-makers,

7. Maintain state-of-the-art curricula and materials through

systematic review, assessment, and revision of curricula, in concert

with OJJDP.

The applicant will include in their application a detailed plan for

the establishment of a grant advisory board independent of any existing

organizational advisory board. The advisory board will be made up of at

least ten (10) individuals representing the following agencies: law

enforcement, nonfamily abduction victim parent, family abduction victim

parent, nonprofit organization, social services, mental health, courts,

prosecution, and medical. All appointees to this advisory board will be

subject to approval by OJJDP.

Eligibility Requirements

Applications are invited from public agencies and not-for-profit

private organizations. Applicant organizations may choose to submit

joint proposals with other eligible organizations as long as one

organization is designated in the application as the applicant and co-

applicants are designated as such. The applicant and co-applicants must

demonstrate fully the required experience to deliver continuation

support services as required in section VI. Applicants must

demonstrate, in addition to program knowledge and support experience,

programmatic and fiscal management capabilities to implement a project

of this size and scope effectively. Applicants who fail to demonstrate

that they have the experienced capability to manage a program of this

size and complexity will be ineligible for funding consideration.

Specific Application Requirements

All applicants must submit a completed Standard Form 424,

Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424); a Standard Form 424A,

Budget Information; OJP Form 4000/3, Assurances; and OJP Form 4061/6,

Certifications. In addition to these forms, all applications must

include a project summary, a budget narrative, and a program narrative.

All not-for-profit organizations who have not recently received

Office of Justice Programs funding must submit a completed Accounting

System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (OJP 712011).