March 2011Vol. 12, No. 2Introducing the TTACC (Training and Technical Assistance Coordination Center) Team

The Children's Bureau T&TA Network has worked to provide a seamless array of services to States, Tribes, Territories, Tribal organizations, Tribal consortia, and grantees to promote continuous improvement in the delivery of child welfare services.

The mission of the Training and Technical Assistance Coordination Center (TTACC), operating under the guidance and direction of the Children's Bureau, is to coordinate the delivery of intensive, individualized, onsite T&TA services provided to States, Tribes, territories, and courts through the T&TA Network. This will allow for improved assessment and coordination of T&TA after Federal reviews and recommendations. One of the primary roles is to assist Children's Bureau staff as they monitor the delivery of onsite T&TA.

The Coordination Center engages both the customers (States, Tribes, territories, and courts) and members (Regional Offices, Children Bureau Central Office, National Resource Centers, and Implementation Centers) of the T&TA Network. It is housed at JBS International in North Bethesda, MD.

TTACC carries out its coordination work principally through its four T&TA Coordination Specialists: Sonja Heard, Deb Martinez, Ann Carver, and Tamisha Peanort. Under the guidance of Project Director Melody Roe and Federal Project Officer Roshanda Shoulders, the Coordination Specialists have forged relationships with key players throughout the Network to carry out the coordination that's at the heart of the Children's Bureau's goals. For a map of TTACC coordination coverage, visit the TTACC Information Portal: www.ttaccportal.org

According to Ms. Roe, "I joined TTACC in August of 2010 because I believe that a coordinated, integrated approach to the delivery of TA services will result in better long-term outcomes for the States, Tribes, territories, and courts we serve. It's exciting and challenging to be a part of shaping the T&TA Network's future direction, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue working with the Regional Offices, our T&TA Network partners, and our Federal partners to improve the delivery of TA services."

Even as TTACC moves from establishing itself as a new player within the Network to becoming essential in carrying out the Children's Bureau's vision of a nationwide TA Network that works collaboratively to provide a seamless array of services that promote continuous improvement in child welfare, early success stories of coordination efforts have come in, including several States with particularly complex T&TA coordination challenges.

Please feel free to direct any questions you may have about the project to ttacc@jbsinternational.com.

 Contributed by John Cashman of TTACC