The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is seeking applications for funding under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 for the delivery of gender-informed, research-based training programs to prepare correctional staff to implement practical operational strategies to improve women’s physical and sexual safety in a facility.
Goals
The goal of this solicitation is the effective delivery of the established NIC training Safety Matters: Managing Relationships in Women’s Facilities to approved participant teams representing local, state, federal, and tribal corrections agencies that have been actively working toward improving management of justice-involved women.
Deadline
Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. NIC encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline. In addition, NIC urges applicants to submit applications 72 hours prior to the application due date. All applications are due to be submitted and in receipt of a successful validation message in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on June 5, 2023.
Objectives
This project aims to satisfy the following objectives:
- Review and become familiar with the established curriculum, lesson plans, presentation slides, participant and trainer manuals, as well as any other adjunct training materials in preparation for program delivery.
- Delivery of the program will assist agencies/jurisdictions to:
- Build upon foundational training in gender-responsive practice and motivational interviewing skills and examine the intent and practical implementation of PREA standards specific to promoting safety in incarcerated women’s relationships.
- Explore key dynamics of incarcerated women’s behavior and relationships.
- Embrace the importance of institutional culture in promoting sexual, physical, and emotional safety in women’s facilities.
- Intervene effectively and mitigate inappropriate inmate sexual, physical, emotional relationships, and conflicts.
- Revise, edit, and modify any content and format of the curriculum, lesson plans, presentation slides, participant and trainer manuals, other adjunct training materials, applicant solicitation related materials, and websites and/or microsites as directed by the NIC Safety Matters program manager.
Deliverables
In addition to the strategy and content of the overall program design and delivery, the successful applicant must complete the following deliverables during the project period. The program narrative should reflect how the applicant(s) will accomplish activities to meet the required deliverables.
The target audience is federal, state, county, local, and indigenous correctional staff with duties and/or leadership responsibilities as assigned in working with incarcerated women.
- Review and become familiar with the established curriculum, lesson plans, presentation slides, participant and instructor manuals, activities, and skill building exercises as well as any other adjunct training materials in preparation for program delivery. Any additional materials suggested by the contractor shall be shared with and approved by NIC staff to ensure relevance and appropriateness to the established curriculum.
- Deliver the Safety Matters Training cycle (VILT, Safety Matters ILT, and Training for Trainings ILT) to each of 2 host agencies.
- Recommend suitable host agencies to the NIC program manager. If an NIC solicitation for hosts is used, awardee will collect, compile, and screen all agency and individual participant applications and related material. Agency and participant recommendations will be provided to the NIC program manager for final decision.
- Provide for an experienced and proficient producer (not NIC staff) of VILT trainings on the Webex Training or Meetings platform.
- Use NIC Webex for all VILT events, including rehearsals and technical/equipment checks for all attendees.
- Schedule, create, and send invites to all attendees for all Webex events.
- Work collaboratively with the NIC program manager to establish a work plan for delivery of each component and module of Safety Matters: Managing Relationships in Women’s Facilities.
- Select up to three instructors who have documented experience in delivering training in prison and jail settings to all levels of correctional staff, including executive-, managerial-, and supervisory-level corrections professionals.
- Instructors should be individuals who possess strong facilitative skills, consistently demonstrate respect for participants, and have established credibility in positively influencing correctional culture. Instructors must have demonstrated experience (minimum of 5 years) in facilitating gender-informed training in the following content areas: gender informed research, theory and operational practice; motivational interviewing; trauma and trauma-informed practice; sexual abuse, relationships between and among incarcerated individuals and facility safety; healthy personal and professional relationships; communication and reflective listening skills; effective use of authority and discipline; and sanctions with incarcerated women.
- Instructors must have demonstrated experience in delivering virtual instructor-led training and classroom instructor-led training. At least 2 of 3 instructors must have demonstrated experience in delivering training of staff trainers. If qualified, the project director and designated project staff may be included as instructors.
- Instructors should be familiar with the literature review that accompanies this curriculum.
- Suggested instructors must submit resumes. The awardee will actively work with the NIC program manager to determine the suitability of program instructors. Final determination rests with NIC program manager.
- The awardee must negotiate instructor responsibilities for curriculum delivery and provide support in carrying out their responsibilities.
- The awardee will prepare letters that explain the responsibilities of instructors, including their arrangements for travel, lodging, and costs for reimbursable items by the awardee.
- Ensure program materials, in print or electronic format, are prepared, delivered, and available to all participants and faculty for all components of the program, including the TOT.
- Monitor delivery of each program component, create a record of items that need revising, and document suggestions for improvement.
- Work with NIC to establish a 6-month follow-up process with each participant team to capture and document measurable change in their agency, organization, and facility since the delivery of the program.
Applications must include in Program Narrative and Budget Narrative the incorporation of products delivered meet Plain Language and Section 508 standards.