OJJDP FY 2015 Child Abuse Training for Judicial and Court Personnel

Courts and child welfare agencies face significant challenges in managing complex child abuse, neglect, and related cases and heavy caseloads. In addition, they are required to comply with federal child welfare reform laws and initiatives to achieve safe, permanent placements for abused and neglected children. Through this program, OJJDP seeks to provide judicial, legal, and social service professionals with training and technical assistance to enhance their understanding that commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are acts of abuse and violence against children and adolescents and to meet the other challenges that they face. This program is authorized under the Victims of Child Abuse (VOCA) Act 42 U.S.C. § 13022.

Eligible applicants are limited to state courts or judicial administrators and national organizations that have “broad membership among juvenile and family court judges and has demonstrated experience in providing training and technical assistance for judges, attorneys, child welfare personnel, and lay child advocates.” For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee. OJJDP welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the entire project. OJJDP may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035, or via e-mail to support@grants.gov. Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays. For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the Response Center by telephone at 800-851-3420, by e-mail at responsecenter@ncjrs.gov, or by web chat at https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp. Answers to frequently asked questions that may assist applicants are posted at http://www.ojjdp.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2015/FAQ/CATrainingFAQ.pdf.