National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative Community Treatment and Services (CTS) Centers RFA No. SM Frequently Asked Questions:

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1 National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative Community Treatment and Services (CTS) Centers RFA No. SM Frequently Asked Questions: Please Note: In addition to the FAQs listed below, for further general grant-related questions, you may consult Grants.Gov at: or The Resource Materials for the 2007 CTS RFA are available at: SAMHSA will hold technical assistance conference calls on April 12 at 2:00 p.m. EDT, (and, if necessary, a second call in late April or early May) to answer questions related to the RFA. Applicants are NOT required to participate. Applicants are encouraged to check these FAQs periodically. SAMHSA may update the FAQs as additional questions are raised. Question List Program Expectations 1. My organization has been awarded grants in the past but not cooperative agreements. How do cooperative agreements differ from grants? 2. Must a CTS center applicant have pre-identified a target population or can the applicant propose a process for identifying the target population? 3. What types of data collection and evaluation activities do grantees perform? 4. Could you provide more details on what the Cross-site Evaluation will entail? 5. In what types of evaluation/data collection activities can a grantee expect to participate on a monthly, quarterly, annual basis? 6. Does my organization need IRB approval if we propose to use non-clinical treatments/interventions? Applicant Eligibility 7. Do applicants need to have prior participation in the NCTSI? 8. Can a Tribe or Tribal organization submit both an independent application and be included in a unit of a State s application? 9. Can my organization receive awards for both a CTS and a TSA project? 10. Can my organization participate in multiple NCTSI cooperative agreements? Submission Information 11. We intend to submit our application electronically. Do we need to send in the required signature pages in addition to our mailed backup copy, or can our backup copy just include original signature pages? 12. What is the page limit for the Program Narrative (Sections A-E)? 13. Does my organization need to submit to SAMHSA any evidence of contact with its State Single Point of Contact (SPOC)?

2 14. Does SAMHSA have any preference/guidance regarding priority areas or populations for CTS applicants? Applicant Narrative 15. Does SAMHSA offer guidance about ideas for the content of my application responses and about aspects of my project proposal prior to submission of the application? 16. We are not an inpatient facility and therefore do not practice seclusion and restraint. Will we lose points on our application if we do not have these practices in place? 17. Points are allocated for review of the sections of the project narrative. How is the content of Appendices rated? 18. Can we identify staff after the award is made? 19. Who conducts the reviews of the applications Budget 20. Can grant funds be used to provide direct clinical services? 21. The grant requires that a maximum of 50 percent of grant funds be used for Treatment and Service Implementation/Direct Services. What activities are included in this budget category? 22. What percentage of the budget can be allocated to evaluation activities? 23. How many grantee meetings will be scheduled during the course of the funding period? 24. How many FTE(s) can a CTS center expect to devote to evaluation and data collection activities? 25. No less than 25% of the proposed CTS budget can be devoted to Network Collaboration. What specific collaborative activities are expected of CTS centers with TSA centers and with the NCCTS? What is the relationship between these centers? How do they work together? 26. What guidance is available with regard to setting an indirect cost rate? 27. Are grantees allowed to hire another organization to serve as a subcontractor?

3 Program Expectations: Program Design, Requirements, and Evaluation 1. Question: My organization has been awarded grants in the past but not cooperative agreements. How do cooperative agreements differ from grants? Answer: Cooperative agreements are grants that require substantial post-award programmatic participation of Federal staff. The respective roles of Federal Staff and Grantees are described in Section II. of the RFA. Program Design 2. Question: Must a CTS center applicant have pre-identified a target population or can the applicant propose a process for identifying the target population? Answer: Applicants must clearly define their target population(s) in their proposals. Refer to Section I and Section V. 1. A. in the RFA. Evaluation 3. Question: What types of data collection and evaluation activities do grantees perform? Answer: Grantees participate in data collection and evaluation activities which include but are not limited to: Regular and annual performance monitoring and reporting to comply with GPRA requirements; Ongoing descriptive and clinical data (Consumer Outcomes) collection and entry into the Core Data Set (CDS); Regular data collection and periodic reporting for CMHS Infrastructure Development and Technical Assistance measures; Center-specific local evaluation activities intended to assess the quality and impact of interventions implemented in community and service system settings; and Cross-site Evaluation activities. Grantees may also participate in additional efforts to collaborate with other centers in evaluation of Network intervention development, products, and training activities. Refer to Section I and 2.5 in the RFA and to the Resource Materials for 2007 Grant Applicant ( for a more comprehensive description of data collection and evaluation activities. 4. Question: Could you provide more details on what the Cross-site Evaluation will entail?

4 Answer: A more detailed overview of the NCTSI Cross-Site Evaluation and its eight study components is included in the Resource Materials for 2007 Applicants ( 5. Question: In what types of evaluation/data collection activities can a grantee expect to participate on a monthly, quarterly, annual basis? Answer: Grantees are expected to participate at the frequency indicated for the following evaluation and data collection activities. Ongoing Grantees providing direct clinical services to children and adolescents are expected to enter demographic and clinical data for their clients into the Core Data Set and to conduct required follow-up assessments at three-month intervals or at the conclusion of treatment should the treatment be less than three months. In addition, grantees perform activities specified in their local evaluation plans and participate in the ongoing recruitment and tracking of potential staff and consumer participants in Crosssite Evaluation surveys. Grantees that provide training will also regularly administer follow-up surveys on behalf of the Cross-Site Evaluation. Monthly Grantees provide monthly updates on their recruitment and tracking of potential staff and consumer participants in Cross-site Evaluation surveys. Quarterly Grantees submit the Quarterly Progress Report to SAMHSA and complete a NCTSI data collection instrument called the electronic Service Utilization Form which reports quarterly program outcomes. Annually Grantees complete an Annual Evaluation Report that documents their local program outcomes as well as the progress toward meeting project goals and objectives. Grantee administrators and staff also participate periodically in National Cross-site Evaluation activities including annual administrations of Network-wide surveys. Additional data collection and reporting activities related to infrastructure and technical assistance are being developed by the Center for Mental Health Services. The frequency of this data collection will be finalized at a later date but, at a minimum, will be required annually. Generally, evaluation, performance measurement, and data collection activities are estimated to account for 15-20% for most grantee s budgets. Refer to Section I 2.4 and 2.5 and to the Resource Materials for 2007 Grant Applicants ( which provides additional information about evaluation/data collection for the NCTSI Cross-Site Evaluation. 6. Question: Does my organization need IRB approval if we propose to use non-clinical treatments/interventions? Answer: All NCTSI grantees (and/or their partners that provide direct services) must obtain IRB approval in order to participate in both mandatory NCTSN data collection

5 activities and the National Cross-site Evaluation. Please refer to Section V. Protection of Human Subjects Regulations and to the Resource Materials for 2007 Grant Applicants ( for further guidance. Applicant Eligibility 7. Question: Do applicants need to have prior participation in the NCTSI? Answer: No. Application is open to organizations with no prior participation in the NCTSI. Existing NCTSI grantees whose awards are ending in FY 2007 are also eligible to apply. Applicants may find it helpful to become familiar with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network by visiting 8. Question: Can a Tribe or Tribal organization submit both an independent application and be included in a unit of a State s application? Answer: Yes, as long as the Tribe or Tribal organization proposes to conduct different activities in each application. This would prevent an overlap if both applications are funded. The Tribe or Tribal organization may not allocate more than 100% full time equivalency for staff committed to work on both projects when their hours are combined. 9. Question: Can my organization receive awards for both a CTS and a TSA project? Answer: No. Applicants may submit multiple proposals. For example, an applicant may submit an application for a TSA cooperative agreement as well as a proposal for a CTS cooperative agreement, but no single applicant will be awarded more than one NCTSI grant. If an applicant has a fundable application in response to both CTS and TSA Center RFAs, SAMHSA will determine which grant to award based on program considerations. 10. Question: Can my organization participate in multiple NCTSI cooperative agreements? Answer: Yes. An organization can participate in more than one cooperative agreement if its projects are distinct, activities are not duplicated, personnel do not exceed 100% FTE for SAMHSA-funded work, and the organization is the SAMHSA grantee for only one NCTSI award. Organizations may collaborate to submit a single NCTSI proposal. If a collaborative proposal is selected for award, the lead organization in the partnership is the SAMHSA grantee. (Its partners receive sub-awards from the lead organization.) Submission Information

6 11. Question: We intend to submit our application electronically. Do we need to send in the required signature pages in addition to our mailed backup copy, or can our backup copy just include original signature pages? Answer: You can send the original signature pages only, with the Grants.gov tracking number. This needs to be received by SAMHSA within 5 business days after your electronic submission. SAMHSA strongly suggests that you submit a complete back-up paper copy of your application, and if the back-up copy includes original signature pages as required, then you do not need to submit additional separate copies of the signature pages. Refer to Section IV. and Appendix B in the RFA. 12. Question: What is the page limit for the Program Narrative (Sections A-E)? Answer: There is a thirty (30) page limit for the Program Narrative. Type size in the Project Narrative cannot exceed an average of 15 characters per inch, as measured on the physical page. Text in the Project Narrative cannot exceed 6 lines per vertical inch. Refer to Section IV. 2.2 and 2.3 and Appendix A in the RFA for further requirements. 13. Question: Does my organization need to submit to SAMHSA any evidence of contact with its State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) (similar to that required for the PHSIS)? Answer: You only need to submit evidence if your organization is located within a state that has elected to participate in this process and has established a SPOC. Please see Section IV - 2.3, 4 of the RFA for additional information. 14. Question: Does SAMHSA have any preference/guidance regarding priority areas or populations for CTS applicants? Answer: CTS centers are expected to provide or support treatment and services appropriate to the needs in their community or specialty child service settings for children, adolescents, and their families who have experienced trauma. CTS centers are not required to apply under certain priority areas, but are expected to work with TSA and CTS centers with which they share common target populations, service systems, or types of treatment interventions. Application Narrative 15. Question: Does SAMHSA offer guidance about ideas for the content of my application responses and about aspects of my project proposal prior to submission of the application? Answer: No. Potential applicants may, however, contact the designated SAMHSA project officer for clarification regarding the expectations, requirements, and directions described in the RFA.

7 16. Question: We are not an inpatient facility and therefore do not practice seclusion and restraint. Will we lose points on our application if we do not have these practices in place? Answer: All applicants must respond to the evaluation criterion regarding seclusion and restraint policies. This evaluation criterion does not apply exclusively to inpatient facilities. SAMHSA discourages the use of seclusion and restraint and expects grantees to reduce and work towards eliminating seclusion and restraint practices. If your organization or institution does not employ seclusion or restraint, please provide a paragraph stating that you do not engage in these practices. If your institution or organization does employ these practices, please describe your policy as succinctly as possible. SAMHSA encourages all mental health treatment facilities to have appropriate seclusion and restraint policies in place that protect the safety of clients and staff. 17. Question: Points are allocated for review of the sections of the project narrative. How is the content of Appendices rated? Answer: Appendices are not part of the evaluation criteria and will not be rated by reviewers. Content provided in the appendices will be assessed for compliance with applicable law, Federal Regulations, Cost Principles, and award requirements. 18. Question: Can we identify staff after the award is made? Answer: The RFA requires that the prospective Project Director and other key personnel, including evaluators and database management personnel, be identified as part of the application. If a grantee is unable to identify staff for a certain position, it must submit a position description as part of the proposal. 19. Question: Who conducts the reviews of the applications? Answer: The review process consists of three tiers: the peer review, the National Advisory Council review (where appropriate), and the final decision to fund by the Administrator. SAMHSA applications are peer-reviewed according to the evaluation criteria provided in Section V. of the RFA. Every effort is made to have experts in the field of child trauma review the applications. For further details on the review and selection process, please see Section V. - 2 of the RFA. Budget 20. Question: Can grant funds be used to provide direct clinical services? Answer: Yes. Funds may be used for new trauma-informed services including clinical treatments, service and practices that intervene directly with children and their families, as described in the RFA. Grantees are expected to identify trauma-informed practices

8 and interventions, collaborate with other Network centers, and work with community agencies to transform service delivery approaches within local community service systems. Funds may not be used to continue existing clinical services that were already being provided prior to the grant award. 21. Question: The grant requires that a maximum of 50 percent of grant funds be used for Treatment and Service Implementation/Direct Services. What activities are included in this budget category? Answer: Direct services refer to providing trauma-informed interventions in community settings and service systems. Examples of trauma-informed interventions include clinical treatment of traumatic stress reactions and other interventions designed to reduce the impact of exposure to traumatic events by children and adolescents (e.g., interventions to increase children s sense of security and reduce distress in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event). Grantees are expected to allocate no more than 50% of their grant funds to support training and supervision of service providers and implementation of direct services. 22. Question: What percentage of the budget can be allocated to evaluation activities? Answer: No more than 20% of the total grant award may be used for data collection, performance measurement, and evaluation activities. 23. Question: How many grantee meetings will be scheduled during the course of the funding period? Answer: One annual meeting for which applicants are required to budget is currently scheduled. Applicants must plan to send a minimum of three people to the annual NCTSN All Network grantee meeting, and funding for this travel must be included in their budgets. Support for participation in additional meetings is contingent on availability of SAMHSA, NCCTS, and/or grantee funds. In the first year of award a mandatory one-time introductory meeting will be held to orient new grantees to Network participation, and SAMHSA will fund the attendance of two attendees from each new grantee site. Additional meetings may be proposed by, SAMHSA, the National Center, or grantees during the course of the grant period on substantive issues that are being addressed by the Network. Grantees will be responsible for setting aside travel dollars for these additional meetings. 24. Question: How many FTE(s) can a CTS center expect to devote to evaluation and data collection activities? Can a subcontractor be used for data collection and evaluation? Answer: The amount of staff time allocated to evaluation and data may vary based on the type of project proposed (number of prospective clients, types of interventions and measures necessary to evaluate them, etc), but generally most applicants should expect to devote at least the equivalent of one full time position to these activities. The grantee

9 may determine the amount of staff time to devote to the evaluation and data activities, but should base the FTE percentage on the fact that no more than 20% of the total budget should go towards these activities. Grantees may use a subcontractor for data and evaluation activities. 25. Question: No less than 25% of the proposed CTS budget can be devoted to Network Collaboration. What specific collaborative activities are expected of CTS centers with TSA centers and with the NCCTS? What is the relationship between these centers? How do they work together? Answer: CTS Centers are expected to collaborate with TSA and CTS centers with whom they share a specific area of trauma expertise. Centers must participate in Network and collaboration activities, including collaborative groups and committees, with interest areas specific to the work of the organization, such as schools or juvenile justice. Grantees are expected to work with TSA Centers to refine and implement proposed service approaches, develop plans and agreements with TSA Centers for ongoing consultation, training, and implementation of trauma-informed practices and interventions, consult leaders from other communities about their experiences in implementing trauma-informed practices and interventions, work with TSA Centers to train and educate key stakeholders about the array of trauma-informed practices and interventions, and consult with TSA Centers to complete the adaptation of the interventions and practices to address community needs. 26. Question: What guidance is available with regard to setting an indirect cost rate? Answer: Eligible applicants may propose to use cooperative agreement funds for indirect costs based upon the agreed upon indirect rate set with the Federal government. Your organization s business office should be knowledgeable about allowable indirect cost rates and expenses. Further information and assistance on indirect costs is available at Question: Are grantees allowed to hire another organization to serve as a subcontractor? Answer: Yes. Grantees may subcontract for the performance of substantive programmatic work. The grantee, as the direct and primary recipient of the SAMHSA grant funds, must perform a substantive role in carrying out project activities and not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another party or to provide funds to an ineligible party.