Supporting the US Department of State’s Worldwide Mission: WRMA Wins New “Performance Management and Evaluation Services” IDIQ Team Award

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The U.S. Department of State awarded a new “Performance Management and Evaluation Services” IDIQ during the last week of FY 17 to several small and large businesses.  WRMA is excited to be a member of one of the winning Small Business teams, leveraging WRMA’s more than 30 years of expertise in evaluation, training and technical assistance, performance measurement and staffing support services.  The IDIQ is worth up to $75Million over 5 years with the Small Business Set-Aside Areas include Civilian Security, Rights & Stability and Management initiatives.  WRMA looks forward to supporting the State Department’s mission to “Create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community,” by amplifying best practices of successful programs and ensuring staff have the tools and resources to advance U.S. foreign policy.

WRMA Congratulates USDA on Release of SNAP Trafficking Report

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WRMA congratulates the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service for the publication of the “Extent of Trafficking in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for 2012-2014.”  WRMA was pleased to support this study effort, providing research and analytics services for the publication’s findings and final report, examining the rate of trafficking in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

 

Highlights include:

  1. The rate of trafficking was 1.5 percent of total SNAP benefits, an increase from the estimate of 1.3 percent in the 2009-2011 study;
  2. The total value of trafficked benefits increased to an estimated $1.1 billion annually, reflecting the overall growth in SNAP participation and benefits, and the slightly higher trafficking rate;
  3. About 11.8 percent of all authorized SNAP stores engaged in trafficking.

 

WRMA has supported the Food and Nutrition Service division of the USDA for more than 5 years, having completed multiple studies in the areas of program integrity and IT feasibility studies.

 

Read the study here:   https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/extent-trafficking-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-2012%E2%80%932014

WRMA Facilitates First Report on National Data Collection on the Maltreatment of Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities

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WRMA is pleased to congratulate the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL), on its release of the first Federal report on nationally collected data on the maltreatment of older adults and adults with disabilities. ACL released this report on August 29, 2017 at the National Adult Protective Services Association conference. The conference participants expressed their enthusiasm regarding this monumental moment with a standing ovation.

This initial report is the first in a series of reports based on first-year data submission to the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS).  This is the first comprehensive, national reporting system for Adult Protective Services (APS) programs.

In partnership with ACL, and as the primary contractor, WRMA has been supporting this important effort since 2013. ACL, in partnership with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), contracted with WRMA in 2013 (contract #HHSP23320095656WV) to implement a 2-year effort to design, develop, and pilot a national reporting system for APS. After the successful pilot, ACL contracted with WRMA to run the National Adult Protective Services Resource Center (contract #HHSP233201500042I) to fully implement NAMRS and to provide expert technical assistance and guidance to assist in enhancing state APS systems. This included improvements in APS practices, APS services, the collection of APS data, and supporting states with NAMRS submission.

NAMRS is a voluntary data reporting system collecting data from state and local APS programs. Forty-eight states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories contributed data to NAMRS in its inaugural year. Please note, we refer to the states, district and territories collectively as “states”. This extremely successful level of voluntary participation reflects the value that leaders in the field of adult maltreatment place on this data.

On behalf of ACL, WRMA engaged states and began providing training and technical assistance in preparation for the national implementation of NAMRS.  Office of Management and Budget approval was received in March of 2017 and states submitted data for the Federal Fiscal Year 2016 (Oct. 2015-Sept. 2016) by April 2017.  ACL and WRMA were very aware of the desire to see data quickly and made a concentrated effort to develop an initial report by August 2017, within four months of the submission of data.

The WRMA NAMRS team recognizes and appreciates the tremendous effort by the states, District of Columbia, and territories in preparing and submitting the data. We value our work with ACL and the continued opportunity to collaborate to improve the quality of data collection.  WRMA shares the vision with the APS community that with quality data comes invaluable information that will ultimately offer better protection, improved programs, and increased support for older adults and adults with disabilities.

Report: Release-1

WRMA Facilitates National Conference of State & Territory Child Care Administrators:

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WRMA played an active role in the 2017 National Conference on State & Territory Child Care Administrators. This year the conference focused on the past two years of implementing the Child Care and Development Fund Reauthorization and what lessons can be learned from research data, technical assistance and examples of innovative administration practices.   Building on WRMA’s work managing the National Center on Subsidy Innovation & Accountability (NCSIA), WRMA took part in the planning committee and played key roles in leading presentations on topics including Criminal Background Checks, 12-Month Eligibility/Wait Lists, Market Rate Surveys/Alternate Methodologies, and Efficiencies and Coordination of Federal Funding Streams.  Sponsored by the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, all 56 States, Territories, and the District of Columbia meet annually at this premier conference.  This was a team effort with Bob Frein and Leigh Ann Bryan participating in the STAM planning committee and staff presenting at major sessions at the conference, including Theresa Campisi, Mary Beth Jackson, Brad Kramer, Jeanie Mills, Leigh Ann Bryan, and Bob Frein.

WRMA to Present at the American Evaluation Association’s Annual Meeting

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 WRMA will be presenting at the Annual Meeting of the American Evaluation Association this coming November in Washington, D.C.  Facilitated by Dr. Jennifer Dewey, this panel will highlight key issues in the ongoing development of three U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-funded projects that collect, analyze, and report key information on vulnerable populations. Panelists representing the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, and the Children’s Mental Health Initiative will lead a dynamic discussion. Topics will include: 1) the consensus building and negotiation process between contractors, federal agencies, states, researchers, and other stakeholders to determine data needs; 2) building and regularly updating systems to collect and store data that may change over time based on funding priorities and other themes including key project successes and challenges.

WRMA Presents Cross-Cutting Analysis on Child Fatalities and Child Maltreatment at “One Child Many Hands” Conference

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On June 6-9, 2017, WRMA staff presented at the “One Child Many Hands Conference” hosted by the Field Center at the University of Pennsylvania.  WRMA’s panel was entitled Partnering for Impact: Identifying Opportunities for Early Intervention. Our panel included three papers which used evidence-based findings to advance prevention efforts within child welfare. Two of our papers used National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems data – providing a retrospective analysis identifying characteristics associated with child fatalities, and an analysis of child maltreatment perpetrators focused on predictors of recidivism.  Our panel provided cross-context research findings to elucidate early indicators of maltreatment and facilitate child maltreatment prevention programs.   WRMA presenters included Jennifer Dewey, Ph.D., Nicole B. Fettig, Ph.D., and Gila R. Shusterman, Ph.D. as well as Mary Jo Ortiz providing analysis support.