REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 25, 2024
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Agreements with California Baptist University for Student Internship Practicum Programs
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve non-financial Agreement with California Baptist University, including a non-standard term, for a Master of Counseling Psychology - Marriage and Family Therapist Student Internship Practicum, to provide students with experience in adult education programing at the County’s detention facilities, for the period of October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2026.
2. Approve non-financial Agreement with California Baptist University, including a non-standard term, for a Master of Social Work Student Internship Practicum, to provide students with experience in adult education programing at the County’s detention facilities, for the period of October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2026.
(Presenter: Kelly Welty, Chief Deputy Director, 387-3760)
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
The recommended Agreements are non-financial in nature and will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended Agreements provide for continued cooperation between the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator (Department), through its Community Service and Reentry Division (CSRD), and California Baptist University (CBU). Under the terms of the Agreements, the Department will provide students currently enrolled in the Master of Social Work (MSW) or the Master of Counseling Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapist (MCP-MFT) programs (Programs) at CBU, with supervision, training, and field experience in education programs, including trauma recovery, family relations, health and nutrition, marriage and family support services, and social work, provided to client-inmates at the County’s detention facilities.
CSRD is required by Title 15 CCR to provide adult education programing to inmates housed in County detention facilities. MSW and MCP-MFT students will assist CSRD in providing these services to inmates and their families. The goal of the proposed Agreements is to provide students with supervised practicum placement at a detention facility for the purpose of assisting with inmate rehabilitation and successful reentry into the community. The training and field experience will augment the students’ classroom learning in preparation for professional work in their chosen field of study or occupation.
On September 12, 2017 (Item No. 66), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Agreement No. 17-754 with CBU authorizing the MSW Practicum for the period of October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2020. Additionally, on January 28, 2020 (Item No. 51), the Board approved Agreement No. 20-53 to expand the collaboration between the County and CBU by allowing the MCP-MFT Practicum for the period of January 28, 2020, through January 27, 2021.
On September 15, 2020 (Item No. 60), the Board rescinded Agreement No. 20-53 and subsequently approved Agreements No. 20-899 and No. 20-900 with CBU, allowing the Department to align the periods of the two Programs to run concurrently, for the period of October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2023.
Approval of Recommendations No. 1 and No. 2 will allow for the continuation of the Programs under new Agreements for the period starting retroactively on October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2026. Due to an administrative oversight, the Agreements were not processed and submitted to seek the Board’s approval prior to the start of the recommended period. The Department has taken steps to prevent this from happening in the future.
The recommended Agreements strengthen the career skills of the region’s workforce by connecting residents with opportunities that enhance their qualifications to support existing employers and attract new employees to the area.
While the parties successfully negotiated these Agreements, both include a non-standard term as follows:
1. CBU will indemnify the County, however the County will not have approval authority in who will defend the County under the indemnification provision.
• The County standard contract indemnity provision requires the other party to indemnify, defend (with counsel reasonably approved by County) and hold harmless the County in accordance with County Policy 11-07.
• Potential Impact: In the event of a lawsuit concerning either of the student internship practicum agreements, the qualifications of the legal defense selected could affect the outcome of a claim and the resulting cost to the County, resulting in greater expenses than may otherwise be necessary.
While this is an exception to the County’s standard contract language, the Department recommends approval of these Agreements for the benefit of additional support from the MSW and MCP-MFT students to the CSRD staff to provide inmate classes, interactive counseling sessions, and one-on-one support in an effort to reduce the cycle of trauma and incarceration. County Counsel and Risk Management have reviewed the non-standard language and provided input.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 22, 2024; Risk Management (Gregory Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst, 386-9008) on May 24, 2024; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on June 7, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on June 9, 2024.