REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 25, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Revised Standard Agreement Template for Children's Residential Intensive Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the revised standard agreement template for ongoing Children's Residential Intensive Services, retroactively effective July 1, 2024, or date of youth placement, whichever occurs later, with no change to the aggregate amount not to exceed $53,000,000, and with no change to the end term date of June 30, 2026.
2. Authorize the Assistant Executive Officer, Deputy Executive Officer, or Director of the Department of Behavioral Health to execute the individual standard agreement template with qualified agencies that have completed the standardized application process to become a Children's Residential Intensive Services provider, including any non-substantive changes, on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide County Residents' Safety, Health, and Social Service Needs; Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The aggregate amount not to exceed $53,000,000 for Children's Residential Intensive Services (ChRIS) is funded by Federal Financial Participation Medi-Cal, 2011 Realignment, a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Children and Family Services (CFS), and Mental Health Services Act funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health's (DBH) 2024-25 budget and will be included in the 2025-26 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder services to San Bernardino County (County) residents. In addition, DBH is responsible for meeting the mental health needs of minors in its care by providing necessary services to minors placed in residential care settings. DBH has provided ChRIS to children requiring Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) in Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs) since 2010.
The ChRIS program is a structured residential program that uses STRTPs and incorporates the practices, principles, and behaviors of the Integrated Core Practice Model to provide the required SMHS to children and youth who are CFS dependents and/or Probation wards. STRTPs provide short-term, high levels of specialized and intensive mental health treatment services, as well as 24-hour care and supervision to children and youth who suffer from severe emotional and behavioral disorders in need of residential care.
The expectation is that these SMHS will be integrated with the residential services provided by the direct care staff within STRTP. Core services are provided, including community services; physical, behavioral, and mental health support; educational support life and social support; transitional support services for children, youth, and families who assume permanency; and trauma-informed practices and support for children and youth, including treatment services. DBH anticipates that ChRIS providers will serve approximately 600 clients annually at an average cost of $17,666 per client.
ChRIS providers must meet strict licensing, accreditation, qualification, and program requirements to be part of DBH's qualified provider pool. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) expects DBH to have a agreement approved within 30 days of notification from a qualified agency requesting to provide ChRIS. The template will streamline the approval process enabling DBH to endeavor to meet the DHCS timeline. DBH will also implement compliance and monitoring mechanisms to review client services regularly to ensure service billing accuracy and the Medi-Cal reimbursement aligns with agreement terms.
On June 22, 2021 (Item No. 30), as the result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved a standard agreement template for ongoing procurements to be used for the provision of ChRIS, in the aggregate amount not to exceed $53,000,000, from the date of execution through June 30, 2026.
On May 24, 2022 (Item No. 42), the Board approved the revision of the standard agreement template for ongoing procurements to be used for the provision of ChRIS, with no change to the aggregate amount not to exceed $53,000,000 or change to the agreement period, of date of execution through June 30, 2026.
On June 25, 2024 (Item No. 40), the Board approved the revision of the standard agreement template for ongoing procurements to be used for the provision of ChRIS, updating agreement language, to be used with current and future qualified agencies, with no change to the aggregate amount not to exceed $53,000,000, upon the execution of the agreement by the parties through June 30, 2026.
The prior standard agreement template terms stipulated the start date upon execution. Due to new legislative requirements implemented by Assembly Bill 1051, the standard agreement template needs to be revised to include an effective date of July 1, 2024, or date of youth placement. As all parties negotiated the terms in good faith, the agencies continued to provide DBH with ChRIS services. Approval by the Board on this date will have no impact on ChRIS services or activities to this Agreement.
Once the revised standard agreement template is approved by the Board, the following agencies will execute new agreements under the revised standard agreement:
1. Community Access Network Nonprofit Corporation
2. California Family Life Center
3. Casa De Amparo
4. Core Conditions, Inc.
5. DN Associates Residential Care
6. Elite Family Systems
7. Global Family Care Network (DBA Daughter Project Girls Home)
8. Kern Bridges Youth Homes
9. New Start Youth Facility, Inc.
10. Our Healing Center
11. Promesa Behavioral Health
12. Rite of Passage
13. San Gabriel Children's Center, Inc.
14. Scott's Social Services
15. Success in Recovery, Inc.
16. Valley Teen Ranch
Negotiation of the agreement terms with the agencies involved lengthy discussions between the DBH program and the above agencies, with an agreement reached by all parties on the final agreement terms. This item is being presented at this time, as this is the first date available following the negotiations and required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews. As all parties negotiated the agreement terms in good faith, the agencies continued to provide DBH with ChRIS services. Approval by the Board on this date will have no impact on ChRIS services or activities to this agreement.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contract Supervisor, 383-3940) on February 19, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 24, 2025; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on March 06, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on March 6, 2025.