Formula Grants Program Training and Technical Assistance: Data Capacity Improvement

The program goal is to strengthen states’ capacity to provide OJJDP with data to demonstrate their compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act core requirements and use data to inform and strengthen their individual juvenile justice systems. The National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ), the research division of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will offer states and territories access to skilled, tailored, on-site and virtual support to improve their data capacity. NCJJ will develop data tools, technical assistance and training for Designated State Agencies (DSAs) to improve their capacity to: Effectively collect, analyze, and submit required compliance data to OJJDP and to use their own data to support the development and implementation of their annual state plan.

The primary work of this project is providing technical assistance and training to DSAs in a variety of ways. Each of these TA approaches/strategies dovetail with one another to achieve the stated goals and objectives of the project.

Coordination activities—this includes a kickoff meeting with OJJDP and other TTA providers, planning activities, regular calls with OJJDP and other TTA providers throughout the project, and data consultations with the agency as needed.

Develop data tools (up to three)—these will be determined in consultation with OJJDP and will either be designed for use by states and territories or for use by the agency.

Provide training and technical assistance to DSAs to improve their data capacity—TTA will include interviews with stakeholders to identify data challenges; identification of up to five jurisdictions to receive intensive tailored TTA including data capacity assessments, site visits, and ongoing coaching; general/less intensive TTA for DSAs; and presentations, webinars, or brief publications.

Establish a data workshop for state/territory DSAs—The workshop will focus on improving compliance monitoring and other juvenile data capacity, to include how to use data to design and implement the annual state plan and inform juvenile justice system improvements.