REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 13, 2023
FROM
JEANY ZEPEDA, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with San Diego State University Research Foundation for Social Worker Training
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with San Diego State University Research Foundation, including non-standard terms, to provide Social Worker training for Children and Family Services staff in a total amount not to exceed $8,288,472, for the period of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026.
(Presenter: Jeany Zepeda, Director, 387-2792)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of this contract will not exceed $8,288,472 and will be funded through the Child Welfare Services Allocation, which is 50% Federal ($4,144,236) and 50% Realignment ($4,144,236). Adequate appropriation and revenue will be included in the Human Services Administrative Claim 2023-24 recommended budget and in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Under the recommended contract, San Diego State University Research Foundation (SDSURF) will provide one or more training courses to Children and Family Services (CFS) staff members through its Child Welfare Development Services (CWDS). CWDS is one of five Title IV-E funded regional training academies in the state of California. Established in July 1996, CWDS provides workforce development including, training, coaching, technical assistance, and implementation planning expertise to meet the organizational and workforce demands of the Southern Region (Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties).
CWDS works in partnership with the California Social Work Education Center and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to provide mandated, culturally relevant, practice-based training to child welfare workers. Common Core Training (CCT) is the approved standardized statewide training curriculum provided by SDSURF through CWDS. The purpose of CCT is to achieve consistency, equity, and excellence in child welfare through the application of the best evidence-based practices for child welfare workers who serve the children and families in California’s child welfare programs.
SDSURF will provide advanced training for social service workers and practitioners in Safety Organized Practice (SOP). SOP is a holistic approach to collaborative teamwork in child welfare and seeks to build and strengthen partnerships between families, the families’ informal support network, and the child welfare agency. CFS integrates SOP with its Structured Decision Making Assessment system to enhance child protection practices. SOP training will be provided to CFS staff, including Social Workers, Social Service Practitioners, Supervisors, and Managers to ensure staff has the most up-to-date training to meet the needs of San Bernardino County (County) residents.
SDSURF will also provide integrated training on cultural responsiveness to support staff, child welfare workers, supervisors, managers, and Deputy Directors through its Cultural Awareness Academy (CRA). The purpose of the CRA is to improve cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills of staff providing services in the County’s Child Welfare programs with the goal of reducing the negative impact of bias on decision-making, disproportionality, and disparate services. This training will include three separate year-long tracks tailored to different levels of the workforce. CWDS will also provide coaching services, advanced simulation trainings, training for trainers, and practicums.
SDSURF is a State-supported non-profit entity. As such, its board and insurance company require certain terms and conditions that differ from the standard County contract. The non-standard term is as follows:
Each party will indemnify and hold the other party harmless from and against any and all liability, loss, expense, attorney's fees, or claims for injury or damages arising out of the performance of this Agreement but only in proportion to and to the extent such liability, loss, expense, attorney’s fees or claims for injury or damages are caused by or result from the negligent or intentional acts or omissions of the indemnifying party.
• The County standard contract does not include any indemnification or defense by the County of a contractor.
• Potential Impact: By agreeing to indemnify SDSURF, the County could be contractually waiving the protection of sovereign immunity. Claims that may otherwise be barred against the County, time limited, or expense limited may be brought against SDSURF without such limitations and the County would be responsible to defend and reimburse SDSURF for costs, expenses, and damages, which could exceed the total contract amount.
CFS recommends approval of the contract, including non-standard terms, to allow SDSURF to provide Social Worker training for CFS staff.
Performance of the contract will be monitored by review of monthly reports to ensure compliance with the administrative and program requirements of the contract. The contract may be cancelled at any time upon 30 days’ written notice.
PROCUREMENT
CFS recommends a non-competitive procurement for services obtained from SDSURF based on the CWDS’s being the only CDSS-approved training provider for the County. CFS has contracted with SDSURF to provide SOP and CCT since April 2013.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on May 4, 2023; County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 8, 2023; Purchasing (Alberto Cazares, Purchasing Buyer II, 387-2463) on May 11, 2023; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on May 23, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on May 25, 2023.