OCS and NASCSP analyzed your feedback to help us modify the ROMA Next Generation framework and incorporate and respond to the comments we received.  The ROMA Next Generation framework has undergone significant changes—all in an effort to use the collective expertise and response from the Network in moving us forward. The ROMA Next Generation component revisions are all included in the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Annual Report, which has been submitted in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Clearance packet.

Federal Register Notice, 60-Day Comment Period

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is requesting feedback from the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Network on the proposed CSBG Annual Report through a Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) information collection posted to the Federal Register in volume 81 FR 39267, number 2016-14229, pages 39267-39268 on June 16, 2016. The Federal Register Notice was posted on June 16, 2016 and started the 60-day comment period.

Comments on the CBSG Annual Report must be submitted to infocollection@acf.hhs.gov within the 60-day comment period that began June 16, 2016. You are encouraged to submit your comments as soon as possible in order to expedite the clearance process. For detailed guidance on how to submit your comments, please reference the Dear Colleague Letter posted by OCS on June 17, 2016.

Guidance, Tools, and Resources to Support Your Review

As you review the CSBG Annual Report, you will notice significant changes were made to the ROMA NG components originally posted during the Initial Feedback Period. In addition to content changes, there are changes to the overall organization and structure:

• The ROMA NG components are organized into modules and sections and are now labeled the CSBG Annual Report.
• Only the local level data entry forms are included in the CSBG Annual Report as a part of the OMB Clearance packet.

While the FRN and the Dear Colleague Letter provide official guidance on the comment process and document for comment, NASCSP is providing additional tools and resources to offer guidance as you review this material. We encourage you to first listen to two webinar recordings before beginning your review:

• ROMA Next Generation Overview webinar recording: The overview webinar provides an overview of the feedback we heard during the initial feedback process, the modifications made to the material, and the OMB Clearance Process.
• Module 1: State Administration webinar recording: Provides an overview of every section in Module 1.

And, register for the three live national webinars to walk you through each module. These webinar will be recorded and posted to the NASCSP website.

• LIVE WEBINAR: June 29, 2016, 2:00-3:30pm EDT,  Module 3 – Community Level 
• LIVE WEBINAR: July 6, 2016, 2:00-3:30pm EDT, Module 4 – Individual/Family Level
• LIVE WEBINAR: July 14, 2016, 2:00-3:30pm EDT,  Module 1 & 2- State Administration & Agency Expenditures, Capacity, and Resources

Below you will find some additional tools that we created for you to use during your review. Visit the NASCSP website to access all of these resources in full and others that we will add throughout the comment period. Additionally, you can still access the tools and resources created during the Initial Feedback Period here.

Excel Spreadsheets for Modules 2-4

The CSBG Annual Report officially open for comment is provided by OCS in a PDF document. NASCSP has provided the Excel spreadsheets for: Module 2: Agency Expenditures, Capacity, and Resources, Module 3: Community Level, Module 4: Individual and Family Level

State and National Reports

We’ve created sample State and National Reports for Module 3 and Module 4 to show how the data elements would aggregate to the State and National level, based on the data that agencies submit in the Modules. It’s important to see that some of the data elements aggregate in a different format, so we encourage you to review these samples to get a sense of how your data would roll up to each level. 

Collective Impact Tool

Our Collective Impact Tool lays out the early, middle, and late stages of a Collective Impact Initiative and what types of work goes into building one. It’s also designed to help you set milestones and goals and ensure you and your partners are moving in the same direction!

Myth Busters Blog Post

As we worked through your feedback from the Initial Feedback Period, we noted areas of possible misinterpretation, so we created this myth-buster blog to help demystify ROMA Next Generation.

Module Specific Posters

These ROMA NG Posters quickly show how the various Modules support the three national community goals in a visually accessible style. We’ve built posters you can print out and use to guide discussions. We have posters for Module 2, Module 3 posters for Community Level Strategies and Community Level NPIs, and Module 4 posters for the Characteristics and Demographics reports, Individual and Family NPIs and Individual and Family Services to help you frame conversations with your peers.

CSBG IS/CSBG Annual Report Crosswalks

We created the  CSBG IS/ROMA NG/Annual Report Crosswalk  and an annotated version of the CSBG Annual Report to break down the connections between the CSBG IS, the components in the Initial Feedback Period, and current version for the FRN#1 comment period.

To contact NASCSP staff with questions about the CSBG Annual Report, tools, and resources, please email us at romanextgeneration2016@gmail.com.