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Training and Technical Assistance
ACAAA coordinates the peer assistance review program that has helped
the community action agencies strengthen their managment systems; coordinate
annual conferences, including the development of workshops that provide
instruction on issues of vital importance to the development and advancement
of community action; provide assistance int the implementation of Results
Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA), the federally mandated
out-come based management system the agencies must have in place by
Oct. 1, 2002; assistance in gathering and disseminating information
about the work of the agencies and how their programs help individuals
and family advance, in articles in ACAAA quarterly newletter, in news
releases and features in local newspapers, and in news releases and
news advisories for radio and television stations; provides assistance
in communications to other partners, including the Arkansas Hunger Coalition,
and the state weatherization program, which is operated by our main
state-government partner, the state Office of Community Services.
Peer Assistance
Communications Clearinghouse: quarterly newsletter that reports on the work of the agencies, ACAAA developments and other related information; the providing of information on issues of vital importance to community action, including census figures on poverty, developments about hunger and homelessness, studies that document the value fo Head Start.
ROMA Coordination
In recent years, the federal government enacted measures to ensure accountability in federally funded programs, such as the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), which requires federal agencies to develop program-specific outcome measures. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Community Services, which administers the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) at the federal level, established the national CSBG Monitoring and Assessment Task Force (MATF) in 1994 to respond to this challenge.
MATF developed a performance-based management system called ROMA, which is the acronym for "Results Oriented Management and Accountability." ROMA is a guide for community action agencies (CAAs) for conducting needs assessment, agency mission review, activity planning, resource allocation, service delivery, outcomes measurement, and outcomes reporting. MATF established six national goals for the community action network, for which each state must report its CAAs' client, community, and organizational outcomes annually. All states and CAAs must fully implement ROMA prior to CSBG reauthorization in FY 2003.
In response to the federal mandate, and with funding from the Arkansas Department of Human Services Office of Community Services, the Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association (ACAAA) formed a ROMA Work Group to coordinate the efforts of Arkansas' community action network to ensure the state's and CAAs' compliance in ROMA implementation. The ROMA Work Group is comprised of representatives of DHS Office of Community Services, community action agencies, and the state association. For the past year, the ROMA Work Group has worked diligently to develop guidance in implementing ROMA for the state's community action network.
Advocacy
Working to improve energy affordability; hunger coalition.
Working to increase public awareness and support of issues and challenges
facing low-wage, disabled and elderly individuals and families.
Professional Development and Training
Annual conference, working to develop credentialing program.
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