New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department: Children’s Trust Fund

The mission of the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) is to provide funding and support for the development of innovative community-based programs that focus on primary and secondary child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment throughout the state. Funding from CTF is to be used to initiate and develop new, distinctive, and sustainable programs through best practices. The target population is infants, toddlers and children through adolescence and their families who are at risk for abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Supported programs will have the ability to provide innovative community-based primary and secondary child abuse and neglect prevention programs and services as described below:

1. Primary Prevention/Promotion: initiating actions and efforts to prevent child abuse from happening before it occurs. Key aspects are:

• It is offered to all members of a population
• It is offered as a voluntary service
• It attempts to influence societal forces that affect children and parents, caregivers, and all who interact with children
• It contains a component that focuses on education and training
• It seeks to promote positive family functioning rather than just preventing problems

Examples of Primary Prevention/Promotion services are educational services in schools; prenatal and parenting classes; public service announcements; support services and education for new parents, especially teen parents; and life-skills training for children and young adults.

2. Secondary Prevention: initiating actions and efforts to prevent child abuse when certain risk factors or warning signals appear. Key aspects are:

• It is offered to a predefined group of “at risk” individuals
• It is offered as a voluntary service
• It is more problem-focused than Primary Prevention/Promotion
• It contains a component that focuses on education and training
• It seeks to prevent future parenting problems by focusing on identified parents, guardians or caregivers

Examples of Secondary Prevention efforts include support services for teen parents; services for parents of infants with specific problems; services for families with identifiable stress; self-help services and other neighborhood support services; latchkey or child care/after school services; and community organized activities to prevent child abuse or neglect.

3. Innovative Services: for CTF “innovation” means the creation, development and implementation of a new process or service with the aim of improving efficiency, effectiveness, or competitive advantage. Innovation may apply to programs, processes, and services. The CTF Board further values innovative programs or projects as those services that are unique in design or delivery to the state, city, or geographic area, and services that is not currently available within the targeted service area. Examples of innovation can include, but are not limited to:

• Advanced teaching methods, and/or views on a subject and forward-looking processes.
• Doing or producing something like nothing experienced or created before such as a forward-thinking program with measurable and identifiable outcomes.
• Examples of specific objectives of innovative programming regarding child abuse and neglect include, but are not limited to: 1) increased awareness of the extent, causes, and possible solutions for all forms of child abuse and neglect; 2) development of a broad-based, statewide public education campaign aimed at promoting positive parenting behaviors and community support of parents; 3) Disseminated academic and clinical research to those in positions to enhance practice and improve policy; 4) promising practices, evidence-informed, or replicated evidence-based child maltreatment prevention programs across the state. Also, improved quality of current efforts to detect, treat and prevent child abuse; 5) facilitated exchange of best practice standards throughout the state; 6) designed and delivered comprehensive training programs to professionals and concerned volunteers engaged in efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect; 7) assessment of the prevalence of maternal depression within the state and the ability of women to receive effective screening and treatment services for postpartum depression; and 8) support of efforts in New Mexico to promote and protect the Rights of the Child.

Amount: Multiple contractual agreements will be awarded for a period of one year with the option to renew for an additional three years.

Eligibility: Public/private nonprofit corporations 501(c) (3); Government agencies including public schools, tribal units, and institutions of higher education; not-for-profit community-based organizations; or New Mexico for-profit corporation. Collaborative entities and coalitions may also be considered for funding.

Link: http://www.generalservices.state.nm.us/statepurchasing/ITBs__RFPs_and_Bid_Tabulation.aspx

Note: A recommended pre-proposal conference will be held on December 18, 2015.

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