The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for funding under the 2023 to review and revise the existing 40- hour Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) classroom-based training, develop a CIT train-the-trainer (TTT) curriculum, provide refresher training for agencies that have previously implemented the NIC CIT partnership training, and deliver the newly developed and revised training curricula to 15 selected agencies.
Donor Name: National Institute of Corrections (NIC)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/17/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,000,000.00
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
This cooperative agreement is for the delivery of 15 cycles of training to local jails, prisons, and other confinement settings. For the first component, the awardee will be expected to review and update the existing 40-hour CIT classroom-based training program designed to be delivered to 30 participants. This program offers participants an opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills regarding the behavioral characteristics of mental health disorders and gives them the tools needed to create time and space to deescalate situations involving an incarcerated individual experiencing a mental health crisis. The award recipient will update the current training and ensure it supports the adult learning process and comports with sound instructional design and quality.
The curriculum is to apply the Instructional Theory Into Practice (ITIP) model of instruction. All deliverables are to be reviewed and approved both by NIC and BJA.
The contents of the 40-hour CIT program include: a brief history of the CIT Memphis model; the viewing of the PBS video entitled “The New Asylum”; management strategies related to the incarceration of the seriously mentally ill; basic psycho-education training on mental health conditions; being trauma informed in the carceral system; consumer and family conversations; field/site visit to a mental health treatment or diversion center; core skills training – active listening and verbal de-escalation; eight-hour roleplaying scenarios; hearing voices exercises; self-care and compassion fatigue discussions; psychopharmacology education; legal considerations; review of agency policy and procedures regarding the CIT program; and a review of agency policy and procedures regarding the use of force.
Goals
The goals of this project are to revise and update the curriculum for the CIT training program, develop and pilot a TTT CIT curriculum, and establish and pilot a CIT refresher training curriculum, with all curricula using the ITIP format. An additional goal of this project is to facilitate the preparation and delivery of the curricula developed for fifteen agencies in collaboration with NIC and BJA Program Managers. Effective coordination and facilitation includes providing skilled instructors, actors, host agency logistics, and communications to support the delivery of the fifteen trainings.
Objectives
The tasks to be performed under this cooperative agreement will include the following:
- Review and revise the existing CIT training curriculum, including participant manuals, facilitator manuals, and presentation slides.
- Update the statistics in the current training curriculum.
- Develop a TTT curriculum designed to train agencies on the training delivery of CIT for corrections as well as equip them with the skills and resources necessary to deliver effective trainings.
- Develop a CIT refresher training curriculum, including formal lesson plans, participant and facilitator manuals, complimentary presentation slides, and supporting training resources for the program. All training must conform to the ITIP model of instruction.
- Conduct a review of all current and proposed training materials for conversion of selected modules into a virtual format for the CIT refresher training.
- Develop new scenarios specific to COVID-19 as well as rural and tribal agencies and other confinement settings.
- Update the pre- and post-test assessment that evaluates participant learning.
- Develop publications and supplemental materials to undergird the revised CIT curricula and training.
Funding Information
NIC expects to make one award for as much as $1,000,000.00 for a 12-month project period, beginning on September 5, 2023. Requests for amounts more than a total of $1,000,000.00, including direct and indirect costs will not be considered.
Eligibility Criteria
- NIC invites applications from nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). Recipients, including for-profit organizations, must agree to waive any profit or fee for services. Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions are not eligible to apply. Proof of 501(c) (3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution is required.
- NIC 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 program. Only one (1) application will be accepted from a submitting organization.
- NIC 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 more information, visit Grants.gov.
