Description In the past, ORR has awarded up to two cooperative agreements to serve torture treatment centers, as well as, mainstream, refugee, and immigrant service providers who encounter torture survivors in their caseloads.

Funded activities have included the use of technology such as webinars

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to provide training, list serve discussion groups, development of an online resource clearinghouse, provision of local subgrants to increase capacity, building performance measurement capacity, national and community trainings, identification of evidence-based and emerging practices, and production of resources such as a toolkit to develop service capacity and knowledge.

Applicants may propose to provide technical assistance in all or a combination of some of the following areas.

The activities described under these areas may be proposed and/or new and innovative approaches, justifying their usefulness:
Needs Assessment:
Initial and ongoing needs assessment to determine gaps in knowledge, services and resources for torture survivors in areas such as service delivery, performance measurement, capacity, and funding diversification.

Evaluate and prioritize technical assistance needs.

Develop and implement strategies to meet identified needs.

Training:
Deliver training to torture survivor programs, as well as to other service providers in the community with access to individuals who have suffered torture, to develop the understanding, expertise, and tools to assist torture survivors.

Performance Measurement:
Identify and promote successful instruments and methods of measuring client outcomes.

Assess needs, share best practices, provide individualized consultation and guidance, deliver training, and develop resources to torture survivor programs in support of ORR's implementation of output and outcome data reporting.

Collaboration:
Increase awareness among torture survivor programs of existing refugee, asylee, and mainstream services available and appropriate for their clients.

Assist programs to identify and partner with community service providers to deliver a comprehensive integrated range of services that leverages rather than duplicates existing resources.

Facilitate partnerships with national and local organizations, institutions, and associations that work in related fields of study to develop their internal long-term capacity and expertise regarding torture survivors.

For example, through collaboration with a torture survivors program, a national health care organization may disseminate research, training, and tools to staff at its local affiliates for the purpose of developing its internal capacity to serve torture survivors.

Additionally, facilitate collaboration among torture survivor programs toward the strategic design and delivery of technical assistance activities.

Capacity Development:
Provide assistance to programs in geographic areas where a strong need for torture survivor services exists, but where such services are lacking.

Conduct training and technical assistance for refugee, asylee, and mainstream providers to facilitate the development of expertise and appropriate services.

Information Sharing:
Manage, maintain, enhance, and promote the technical assistance website as a means of informing and linking torture treatment centers and other relevant providers to resources and knowledge in the field.

Utilize the website and other mechanisms as necessary to share information for the purpose of improving and increasing expertise among providers.

Identify, compile and promote, on an ongoing basis, evidence-based and promising practices for the delivery of services to torture survivors.