Evaluation of Parents AnonymousSUPSM/SUP

SUMMARY: The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP) is requesting applications for the evaluation of the Parents

AnonymousSM program. The purpose of the evaluation is to

assess the implementation and effectiveness of the Parents

AnonymousSM program in diminishing the impact of risk

factors, increasing the resiliency of parents and children, preventing

and treating child abuse and neglect, and preventing juvenile

delinquency.

DATES: Applications must be submitted by May 7, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The application kit is available from the Juvenile Justice

Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736. The application kit can also be obtained

online at OJJDP's Web site at http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dean Hoffman, Program Manager,

Research and Program Development Division, Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention, 800 K Street, NW., 3d Floor, Washington,

D.C. 20531; 202-353-9256. [This is not a toll-free number.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Parents AnonymousSM is the oldest and largest national

child abuse prevention program in America dedicated to family

strengthening in partnership with local communities. From a single

group in 1970, Parents AnonymousSM has grown into more than

2,300 weekly mutual support groups for parents and complementary

children's programs. In communities throughout the country, a strong

partnership exists between local communities, affiliate organizations,

and Parents AnonymousSM, Inc., the national accrediting

entity. With a 28-year history and more than 30,000 local volunteers,

Parents AnonymousSM worked with 100,000 parents and their

children in 1997 to help prevent child abuse and neglect.

The Parents Anonymous SM national network consists of 50

State and local affiliate organizations, which oversee weekly Parents

Anonymous SM groups and children's programs. Parents

Anonymous SM, Inc., provides training and technical

assistance to affiliates, community-based organizations that are

prospective affiliates, and State and local government agencies to

foster the development and maintenance of Parents Anonymous

SM groups. Program materials, technical assistance services,

and regional and national trainings are designed and conducted by

Parents Anonymous SM, Inc.

Mutual support and shared leadership are the cornerstones of the

Parents Anonymous SM program. Parents Anonymous

SM organizations partner in local communities with

volunteers, agencies, and parents to establish groups to strengthen

families. The program is both a community development model and a

prevention and treatment model. Parent leaders have meaningful and

identifiable roles at both the group and organizational levels to

ensure shared leadership and the development of more responsive

programs to meet the needs identified by families. This unique model

actualizes the principles of mutual support and shared leadership not

just in the program model but at the organizational level through the

leadership roles of parents in effective outreach to other parents,

program planning and implementation, strategic planning, fundraising,

policy decisions, organizational governance, and evaluation activities.

Parents Anonymous SM, Inc., has set the stage for expanding

parent leader roles throughout its organizational functions by creating

the National Parent Leadership Team. This team co-trains, provides

technical assistance, and develops program materials. Parents Anonymous

SM partners with parent leaders of diverse ethnic,

geographic, gender, and cultural backgrounds at all levels of the

national organization.

Goals

Phase I

Determine the theoretical premises and principles that

constitute the Parents Anonymous SM program model, assess

how this model is being operationalized nationally, and identify the

roles of parent participants, group facilitators, and program

coordinators.

Identify strategies, methods, and functions of parent

leaders at the group, local, State, and national organizational levels

of Parents Anonymous SM.

Identify the factors that motivate parents to seek help

and stay in the Parents Anonymous SM group and that help

parents change. Parents Anonymous SM staff members and

participants and the Project Advisory Board (described below) will help

identify other important factors to study.

Phase II

Assess the effectiveness of the Parents Anonymous

SM program in diminishing the impact of risk factors,

increasing the resiliency of parents and children, preventing and

treating child abuse and neglect, and preventing juvenile delinquency.

Objectives

Phase I

Conduct a process evaluation to accomplish the above goals

using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods.

Design an outcome evaluation to assess the effectiveness

of the Parents Anonymous SM program in diminishing the

impact of risk factors, increasing the resiliency of parents and

children, preventing and treating child abuse and neglect, and

preventing juvenile delinquency. The design must meet scientifically

rigorous standards for evaluation and be able to be accomplished in

Phase II. The evaluator must design and pilot test the instruments to

be used.

Produce an interim report describing the results of the

process evaluation of the development and maintenance of groups and the

implementation of the theoretical premises, principles, and model of

Parents Anonymous SM 30 days prior to the end of Phase I. In

addition, a summary version of this report suitable for publication as

an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

Bulletin must be prepared.

Phase II

Continue the process evaluation.

Conduct the outcome evaluation.

Produce a report describing the findings of the process

and outcome evaluations. In addition, a summary version of this report

suitable for publication as an OJJDP Bulletin must be prepared.

Program Strategy

This theory-driven evaluation will be conducted in two phases, each

lasting 18 months. During Phase I, the process evaluation will measure

the operationalization of the theoretical premises, principles, best

practices, and model of the Parents Anonymous SM

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program. Phase II of the study will explore the various factors that

contribute to the program's effectiveness and develop survey

instruments to measure outcomes related to both parents and their

children. During Phase II, program outcomes and impacts will be

measured using the design and data collection instruments developed

during Phase I.

Phase I should result in an indepth understanding of why parents

seek help, what helps them stay in Parents Anonymous SM, how

the program helps them change, what constitutes the key elements of a

Parents Anonymous SM group, and other relevant issues.

Parents Anonymous SM staff members and participants will be

consulted regarding these other issues. The applicant must address

cultural diversity issues in the design and implementation of both the

process and outcome evaluation. The key concepts of mutual support and

shared leadership and the premises of the Parents Anonymous

SM model should be explored with a cross section of group

participants, parent leaders, group facilitators, and program

coordinators of Parents Anonymous SM organizations. The

study will also explore the processes and strategies of parent

leadership development at the group and organizational levels of

Parents Anonymous SM. Furthermore, it is expected that a

logic model will be developed to clarify the implementation of the

theoretical bases of the Parents Anonymous SM program. Phase

I should result in a survey of the number of families served, family

composition, race and ages of children, and other descriptive

information. Phase I also should document how families are referred to

the program.

In preparation for Phase II, a major product of Phase I will be the

design of the outcome study and survey instruments to evaluate the

effectiveness of Parents Anonymous SM groups and parent

leadership roles and functions in preventing and treating child abuse

and neglect.

Applicants should become familiar with the theoretical framework

that comprises the Parents Anonymous SM philosophy,

principles, best practices, and program model. A Parents Anonymous

SM program package can be obtained through the Juvenile

Justice Clearinghouse by calling 800-638-8736. In addition, the

applicant should demonstrate an understanding of the causes of child

maltreatment, state-of-the-art community-based prevention programs,

research on the effectiveness of family strengthening programs, and

mutual support and self-help literature. The applicant's strategies for

conducting the process and outcome evaluation should reflect an

understanding of the collaboration between Parents Anonymous

SM, Inc., and its regional and local organizations, shared

leadership with program participants, and methodological issues related

to evaluating mutual support programs and community-based prevention

programming. Applicants must identify other theory-driven, multisite

evaluations they have conducted and demonstrate their knowledge and

skills in conducting them. Applicants should propose both qualitative

and quantitative methods to achieve the goals set forth in this

solicitation.

Applicants must demonstrate cultural sensitivity for parent

participants and assure the confidentiality of information obtained

from them.

This evaluation is to be, in part, a test of the theoretical

premises, principles, and model of the Parents Anonymous SM

program. To facilitate this theory-driven evaluation, the evaluator

should develop a logic model to assess program goals, implementation

and maintenance strategies, essential elements of the theory-driven

model, and measurable outcome objectives.

Once the award is made, Parents Anonymous SM, Inc., will

introduce the evaluator and the evaluation to the Parents Anonymous

SM national network, emphasize the usefulness of the

evaluation, and encourage openness in sharing information, opinions,

and ideas.

The grantee will work with staff of Parents Anonymous

SM, Inc., to determine the scope and nature of Parents

Anonymous SM organizations and types of groups; to promote

the usefulness of the evaluation to Parents Anonymous SM

organizations, parents, and volunteers in order to assure their

continued cooperation; to engage parent leaders, volunteers, and

Parents Anonymous SM program staff in helping identify

relevant program issues; and to establish an overall collaborative

relationship that will help ensure cooperation between the Parents

Anonymous SM national network and the evaluator without

affecting the integrity of the evaluation. It should be noted that a

national database is currently under development. (The universe of

Parents Anonymous SM programs will be represented, but

specifics about the programs may not be.)

Project Advisory Board

A Project Advisory Board (PAB) will advise the evaluator regarding

implementation issues, methodologies, feedback, instrumentation, and

ways to ensure cooperation and collaboration of Parents

AnonymousSM groups based on the principle of shared

leadership. The PAB will consist of five members. The evaluation

grantee will be responsible for recommending four of the PAB members to

OJJDP. The fifth member will be selected by OJJDP in consultation with

Parents AnonymousSM, Inc.

The applicant should recommend members who are evaluators with

demonstrated expertise in the evaluation of multisite mutual support

and self-help groups and child maltreatment programs and should also

include two members from among parents, staff, and volunteers involved

in the Parents AnonymousSM program. The applicant must

include names of prospective members with evaluation experience with

signed letters indicating their willingness to serve. (Parent, staff,

and volunteer members will be identified after the award is made). Upon

award, and with approval of OJJDP, members of the PAB will be appointed

by the evaluator.

The PAB will be convened twice during Phase I. The first meeting

will be held soon after the evaluator submits the final evaluation

design. The PAB will be charged with reviewing the design and

suggesting modifications. The second meeting will be held at the end of

Phase I. At this meeting, the PAB will be charged with reviewing the

process evaluation findings to that point, reviewing the impact

evaluation design, and informing evaluation activities for the

remainder of the project.

The applicant must propose a plan for coordinating both PAB

meetings, one to be held in Washington, DC, and one in Claremont, CA.

Also, the evaluator must include in its budget expenses for the meeting

location, materials, travel and related expenses, and preparation

day(s) for the PAB members.

Finally, the applicant must describe a plan for disseminating

results in a user-friendly manner throughout both phases of the study.

Products

The following products will be delivered during Phase I:

1. Within 3 months of the grant award, the grantee will submit a

final process evaluation design including data collection instruments.

2. Within 9 months of the grant award, the grantee will submit a

draft outcome evaluation design including data collection instruments

to be pilot tested. By the end of Phase I, the data collection

instruments to be used in the outcome evaluation must have been

[[Page 11362]]

pilot tested and approved by the Office of Management and Budget under

Paperwork Reduction Act regulations.

3. The grantee will provide an interim report describing the

results of the process evaluation. This report should include

descriptions of the implementation of the theoretical premises,

principles, and model of Parents AnonymousSM and the

development and maintenance of groups. This report will be submitted 30

days prior to the end of Phase I. In addition, a summary version of

this report suitable for publication as an OJJDP Bulletin must be

prepared.

During Phase II, the following products will be delivered:

1. The grantee will provide a draft final report incorporating the

results of both the process and outcome evaluations. This report will

be submitted at least 60 days prior to the end of the 3-year grant

period to allow for review and comment by OJJDP.

2. The grantee will provide a final report, including an executive

summary that can be published as a separate document. This document

will be submitted 30 days prior to the end of the 3-year grant period.

In addition, a summary version of this report suitable for publication

as an OJJDP Bulletin must be prepared.

Eligibility Requirements

OJJDP invites applications from public and private agencies,

organizations, institutions, and individuals. Private, for-profit

organizations must agree to waive any profit or fee. Joint applications

from two or more eligible applicants are welcome; however, one

applicant must be clearly indicated as the primary applicant (for

correspondence, award, and management purposes) and the others

indicated as coapplicants.

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be evaluated and rated by a peer review panel

according to the criteria outlined below.

Problem(s) To Be Addressed (15 points)

Applicants must include a clear and concise statement of their

understanding of the nature and extent of child abuse and neglect and

its prevention and treatment, mutual support programs, and Parents

AnonymousSM. Applicants should also discuss methodological

issues and problems associated with this type of evaluation and

proposed solutions for these potential problems. A thorough

understanding of theory-driven evaluation, community-based child abuse

prevention programs, and multisite research of mutual support programs

on a national level is vital.

Goals and Objectives (10 points)

Applicants must define specific and measurable goals and objectives

for coordinating, managing, and producing the products of this process

and impact evaluation.

Project Design (35 points)

The applicant must present a clear project design that delineates

activities necessary to the accomplishment of the goals of this

announcement along with a timetable for their accomplishment and for

delivery of the required products. The applicant should demonstrate the

ability to conduct the evaluation in a manner compatible with the

shared leadership model and principles of mutual support that are the

essence of Parents AnonymousSM. The applicant should also

demonstrate that implementation of the design will not adversely affect

the effective functioning of the parent groups or overburden the

resources of the Parents AnonymousSM organizations, but will

instead represent a true collaborative process with Parents

AnonymousSM. The applicant must describe how cultural

diversity will be addressed in the research strategy.

Management and Organizational Capability (30 points)

The application should include a discussion of how the grantee will

coordinate and manage this evaluation to achieve the evaluation

objectives. The applicant's management structure and staffing must be

adequate and appropriate for the successful implementation of the

project. The applicant must identify responsible individuals, their

time commitment, and major tasks. Key staff should have significant

experience with multisite evaluation research. They must demonstrate

the ability to work effectively with parent leaders and program

coordinators in data collection and analysis issues and other

requirements of the project, and they must provide a role for Parents

AnonymousSM groups in the evaluation. Staff resumes should

be attached as part of the appendixes. Research expertise and

organizational experience with evaluation of mutual support programs

and/or community-based child abuse and neglect prevention programs are

important. There should be a demonstration of how cultural diversity

issues have been addressed in research previously conducted by the

applicant. The applicant organization should demonstrate expertise in

theory-driven and collaborative evaluations.

Budget (10 points)

The applicant must provide a proposed budget that is complete,

detailed, reasonable, allowable, and cost effective in relation to the

activities to be undertaken.

Format

The narrative portion of this application must not exceed 40 pages

in length (excluding forms, assurances, and appendixes) and must be

submitted on 8\1/2\ by 11-inch paper, double spaced on one side of the

paper in a standard 12-point font. This is necessary to maintain fair

and uniform standards among all applicants. If the narrative does not

conform to these standards, OJJDP will deem the application ineligible

for consideration.

Award Period

The project period will be 3 years, funded in two 18-month budget

periods. Funding after the first budget period depends on grantee

performance, availability of funds, and other criteria established at

the time of award.

Award Amount

Up to $300,000 is available for the initial 18-month budget period.

The amount of continuation funding is expected to be at a comparable

level for Phase II; however, it may be at a higher level, contingent

upon the design and scope of the evaluation.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

For this program, the CFDA number, which is required on Standard

Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance, is 16.542. This form is

included in OJJDP's Application Kit, which can be obtained by calling

the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736 or sending an e-mail

request to [email protected]. The kit is also available online at

http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.

Coordination of Federal Efforts

To encourage better coordination among Federal agencies in

addressing State and local needs, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

is requesting applicants to provide information on the following: (1)

active Federal grant award(s) supporting this or related efforts,

including awards from DOJ; (2) any pending application(s) for Federal

funds for this or related efforts; and (3) plans for coordinating any

funds described in item (1) or (2) with the funding sought by this

application. For each Federal award, applicants must include the

program or project title, the Federal grantor agency, the amount of

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the award, and a brief description of its purpose.

``Related efforts'' is defined for these purposes as one of the

following:

1. Efforts for the same purpose (i.e., the proposed award would

supplement, expand, complement, or continue activities funded with

other Federal grants).

2. Another phase or component of the same program or project (e.g.,

to implement a planning effort funded by other Federal funds or to

provide a substance abuse treatment or education component within a

criminal justice project).

3. Services of some kind (e.g., technical assistance, research, or

evaluation) to the program or project described in the application.

Delivery Instructions

All application packages should be mailed or delivered to the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, c/o Juvenile

Justice Resource Center, 2277 Research Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K,

Rockville, MD 20850; 301-519-5535. Note: In the lower left-hand corner

of the envelope, you must clearly write ``Evaluation of Parents

AnonymousSM.''

Due Date

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the original and five

copies of the application package are received by 5 p.m. EST on May 7,

1999.

Contact

For further information call Dean Hoffman, Program Manager,

Research and Program Development Division, 202-353-9256, or send an e-

mail inquiry to [email protected]. Potential applicants should not

directly contact Parents AnonymousSM, Inc., or any

organizations in the Parents AnonymousSM national network.

Suggested References

Belsky, J. 1993. Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental-

ecological analysis. Psychological Bulletin 114(3):413-434.

Cohn, A.H. 1979. Essential elements of successful child abuse and

neglect treatment. Child Abuse and Neglect 3:491-496.

Cohn, A.H., and Daro, D. 1987. Is treatment too late: What ten years

of evaluative research tells us. Child Abuse and Neglect 11:433-442.

Gray, E. 1986. Child Abuse: Prelude to Delinquency. Washington, DC:

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Hawkins, J., VonCleve, E., and Catalano, R. 1991. Reducing early

childhood aggression: Results of a primary prevention program.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

30:208-217.

Humphreys, K., and Rappaport, J. 1994. Researching self-help/mutual

aid groups and organizations: Many roads, one journey. Applied &

Preventive Psychology 3:217-231.

Levine, M. 1988. An analysis of mutual assistance. American Journal

of Community Psychology 19:167-187.

Riessman, F., and Carroll, D. 1995. Redefining Self-Help: Policy and

Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Widom, C. 1991. Childhood victimization: Risk factor for

delinquency. In Adolescent Stress: Causes and Consequences, edited

by M. Colton and S. Gore. New York: Aldine de Gruyer.

Dated: March 2, 1999.

Shay Bilchik,

Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

[FR Doc. 99-5670 Filed 3-5-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410-18-P