REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
February 27, 2024
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Standard Student Internship Program Agreement Templates
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the non-financial Standard Student Internship Program Agreement templates for public and private schools/other institutions that establishes the terms and conditions for training and field experience of student interns, for the period of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029.
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Behavioral Health to execute the non-financial Standard Student Internship Program Agreement templates with the individual public and private schools/other institutions and make any non-substantive changes to said agreements, 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
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Standard Student Internship Program Agreement (Agreement) templates are non-financial; therefore, this item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) employs qualified professionals in a variety of areas including Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Social Work. DBH can provide the needed guidance to student interns participating in a variety of behavioral health related educational programs. Reciprocally, the use of interns as a part of San Bernardino County’s (County) workforce is a valuable means of maximizing available public resources. The Agreement templates will allow DBH to facilitate Agreements with public and private schools and other institutions, such as hospitals, in order for DBH staff to provide training and field experiences in related programs. Through the student internship program, DBH provides learning experiences that will help students receive the skills they need to prosper in the 21st century economy, which aligns with the San Bernardino Countywide Vision2Succeed initiative.
In addition, DBH is requesting authorization for the Director of DBH to execute the individual Agreement templates, as well as making any non-substantive changes, subject to review by County Counsel. Templates are utilized due to the large number of public and private schools/other institutions interested in participating in DBH’s internship program and the varying state and federal regulatory agency timelines involved with the various fields of study for the individual internship programs. The California Board of Behavioral Sciences Statutes and Regulations requires internship for the Marriage and Family Therapist and Master of Social Work curriculums; however, the various public and private schools/other institutions begin internship placement at different times of the year. The Psychology Internship Program must adhere to the match process that is conducted by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) in which psychology interns are matched to psychology internship programs. The APPIC controls the timelines that interns and programs must abide by in the match process. These create a need for an accelerated timeline for an Agreement approval when a student is matched from a public or private school/other institution that doesn’t currently have an Agreement with DBH. Approval of this request will expedite the process with participating schools/other institutions and allow DBH to continue to maximize available public resources.
DBH has operated a successful unpaid internship program through the use of Board of Supervisors approved Agreement templates since 2008, with the most recent approved on March 10, 2020 (Item No. 20). Agreement templates with public and private schools/other institutions establish the terms and conditions under which DBH will accept students into the internship program and enable students to earn required internship hours while working under the supervision of DBH staff. In addition to the current schools and other institutions that have and will continue to participate in the student internship program, DBH intends to continue to expand participation in the program with other interested schools/institutions, which benefits the County, schools, institutions, students, and residents.
The recommended Agreement templates will be used for public and private schools/other institutions and contain specific insurance requirements to be maintained by the public and private school/other institutions. Two templates are needed as the Agreement template for public institutions contains mutual indemnification language which differs from the standard indemnification language in the Agreement template for private schools/other institutions. Upon approval, the Agreement templates will be effective for the period of July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2029 and may be terminated without cause by either party with 30-days’ written notice.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Ellayna Hoatson, Contracts Supervisor, 388-0858) on November 21, 2023; Human Resources (Gina King, Human Resources Deputy Director, 388-0821) on January 29, 2024; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 29, 2024; Risk Management (Victor Tordesillas, Director, 386-8623) on January 29, 2024; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on January 30, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on February 8, 2024.