Partners in Prevention
Now Accepting Applications for New Community Teams!
Application Deadline: February 15, 2013
(We are expanding to unserved counties, so only the following counties are eligible to apply: Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Lewis, Logan, Mason, Ritchie, Tyler, Wayne, and Wirt)
Partners in Prevention is a statewide initiative that focuses on innovative and effective strategies that build strong families and communities in order to prevent child abuse and neglect. Forty community teams are currently participating, and we hope to add up to four (4) new teams this spring.
The teams receive annual grants of $7,500 to conduct local projects that focus on the well being of West Virginia’s children, their parents and caregivers, and the engagement of the community in improving the lives of children and families. Since this proposal is being solicited in mid-year, the annual grant for new teams for FY 2013 (fiscal year end – June 30, 2013) will be up to $3,000.
Partners in Prevention team leaders meet two times a year to learn about effective prevention strategies from state and national experts and from each other. To help facilitate peer learning throughout the Partners in Prevention network, team leaders are also invited to participate in conference calls on topics of shared interest.
The application form and additional resources are available at the following links:
Additional Information
Partners in Prevention teams design and implement local projects using research findings and evidence on successful programs in West Virginia and across the country. Local projects must focus on building the protective factors identified by the Center for the Study of Social Policy that are linked to the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
These Protective Factors are:
- Parental Resilience – The ability to cope and bounce back from challenges.
- Social Connections – Friends, family, neighbors, and others who provide emotional support and assistance.
- Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development – Accurate information about raising children & appropriate expectations for their behavior.
- Concrete Support in Times of Need – Being able to cover day-to-day expenses and unexpected costs that come up from time to time, access to supports such as health services, counseling, and other social services.
- Children’s Social and Emotional Development – A child’s ability to interact positively with others and communicate his or her emotions effectively.
- Nurturing and Attachment – The development of the bond between parent or caregiver and a child that provides children with the trust that their parents will provide what they need to thrive, including love, acceptance, positive guidance, and protection.
Recent examples of local Partners in Prevention activities include: facilitating parenting classes on a variety of topics, supporting in-home family education program activities, offering family fun nights that provide educational opportunities and promote healthy relationships, providing community baby showers that offer useful items and information to new and expecting parents, and coordinating presentations for professionals and the public on promoting child well being and preventing maltreatment before it occurs.
Requirements
To be considered through this Request for Proposals for participation in the Partners in Prevention initiative, a community team:
- Must serve one of the following counties: Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Lewis, Logan, Mason, Ritchie, Tyler, Wayne, or Wirt.
- Must include representatives from three or more local organizations.
- Must include family members as a part of the team or describe a strategy to recruit and involve families as team members in planning & implementing local child abuse & neglect prevention activities.
- May be an existing or newly formed group.
- Have a designated member to serve as team leader.
- Have a designated member to serve as fiscal agent for the mini-grant.
- Focus on a “community” that may be as small as a neighborhood or as large as a county, as long as the team’s work actively involves people at the grassroots level.
Selection Process
Members of the WV Prevention Leadership Council will select new community teams on a competitive basis with priority given to communities with high need, that demonstrate strong local capacity and collaboration, and that do not presently have a Partners in Prevention team (see map for listing).
When identifying appropriate members of your team, it is important to be as inclusive as possible in order to reflect the strength and diversity of your community. The selection is based on need and the quality of your team – not proposed projects. Teams will develop and plan their activities AFTER becoming part of the network.
Sponsors
Partners in Prevention is sponsored by Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia, with funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the West Virginia Children’s Trust Fund, and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. TEAM for West Virginia Children, Inc. is the fiscal agent.
Timetable
- February 15, 2013 Completed applications to become a Partners in Prevention team must be received by February 15, 2013, 5:00 p.m. Applications must include all information requested on pages 4-8 of this document.
- March 5, 2013 Applicants will be notified as to whether or not their team has been accepted into the 2013 session. Due to limited funding, it is unlikely that we will be able to accept all applicants.
- March 18, 2013 An organizational meeting for new Partners in Prevention team leaders will be held after new teams are selected. New team leaders and representatives from a few current teams will get to know each other, learn about each other’s communities, discuss strategies for team-building and community engagement, and review guidelines and ideas for mini-grant projects. Following this meeting, the team leaders will work locally with their team members to develop a plan for their mini-grant project.
- March 29, 2013 Teams selected to participate in the initiative will submit their Partners in Prevention implementation plans in electronic format to genny@teamwv.org. Upon approval, a contract will be sent to the designated fiscal agent. Grant funds will be processed upon receipt of the signed contract and invoice.
- Week of May 6th Team leaders will participate in a two-day workshop and networking session, date and location to be determined.
- Ongoing Conference calls for Partners in Prevention Team Leaders will be scheduled to help facilitate peer learning throughout the Partners in Prevention network. Team leaders and other team representatives are encouraged to attend training opportunities sponsored by WV DHHR and PCA-WV.
- June 30, 2013 All grant activities and expenditures must be completed.
- July 31, 2013 Final grant reports are due to Prevent Child Abuse WV.
- July 2013 - June 2014 New teams will participate as members of the Partners in Prevention network receiving annual grants of $7500 (subject to available funding to continue the Partners in Prevention initiative).
Submitting Your Application:
Applications should be submitted via Email to:
genny@teamwv.org
Or mailed to:
TEAM for WV Children, Inc.
P.O. Box 1653
Huntington, WV 25717-1653
Application Deadline:
Received by February 15, 2013, 5:00 p.m.
Questions should be directed to Genny Ferri at:
(304) 438-5655 or 1-866-4-Kids-WV (1-866-454-3798) or email: genny@teamwv.org.
About Partners in Prevention
Partners in Prevention is a unique model of communities working together to strengthen families and help West Virginia’s children grow up free from abuse and neglect.
This model is based on the belief that child well-being hinges on the capacity of local communities to support families and protect children. This approach is built on a framework of collaboration between and among community groups, state and local organizations and local teams.
Community teams across the state participate in this program of educated workshops, networking and mini-grants. The goals of the teams are:
- raising awareness about the prevention of child abuse and neglect
- developing and expanding effective services that prevent or reduce child maltreatment
- informing policymakers about best practices in the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
The Partners in Prevention Community Grants are supported by The West Virginia Children’s Trust Fund, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the WV Department of Health and Human Resources.
