REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 19, 2023
FROM
TRACY REECE, Chief Probation Officer, Probation Department
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Victor Community Support Services, Inc. for Child and Family Team Facilitator Services for Youth
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with Victor Community Support Services, Inc. for the provision of Child and Family Team Facilitator services for justice-involved youth, in the amount not to exceed $421,000 for the period of January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025.
(Presenter: Tracy Reece, Chief Probation Officer, 387-5692)
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
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Costs of $421,000 for the provision of the Child and Family Team Facilitator services are funded through Assembly Bill (AB) 1913 - Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Probation Department (Department) 2023-24 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Child and Family Team (CFT) process brings a facilitator, family and important people in a youth’s life together through a team-based process to identify the strengths and needs of the youth and to assist in achieving positive outcomes for safety, permanency, and wellbeing. The CFT process is intended to be inclusive of multiple formal support systems a family may need, as well as the informal, community, and natural supports that surround a family.
Currently, the Department’s Probation Officers and other staff provide CFT Facilitator services to meet mandated laws and regulations (Welfare and Institution Code sections 706.5 and 706.6). However, the Department does not have sufficient staff with specialized skills, abilities, and expertise to perform CFT Facilitator services and must allocate a significant amount of time to train CFT facilitators. The recommended contract with Victor Community Support Services, Inc. (VCSS) would provide CFT Facilitator services in an expedited manner and free up Probation Officers’ time to continue performing other assigned duties. Specifically, VCSS would structure the CFT meetings and complete the Juvenile Assessment and Intervention System™ (JAIS) documentation.
The recommended contract will also help provide the CFT Facilitator services more consistently through San Bernardino County (County) given that the recommended contract is with the same vendor that currently provides CFT Facilitator services for the County’s Department of Children and Family Services (CFS). On June 8, 2021 (Item No. 38), as the result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 21-429 (Agreement) with VCSS, to provide CFT Facilitator services for CFS, and on June 14, 2022 (Item No. 19), the Board approved an increase and extension of the contract for a total period of July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024. CFS supports the Department entering into a contract with VCSS.
Approval of this item will allow the Department to contract for the provision of CFT Facilitator services for justice-involved youth to reduce recidivism by providing specialized CFT Facilitators who understand the needs of youths and the probation system. As every youth is unique, a CFT Facilitator can focus on the youths’ individual needs as a neutral third-party facilitator to provide services in the least intrusive manner with a family-centered focus, while allowing Probation Officers the opportunity to focus on supervision strategies.
PROCUREMENT
The Department entered contract negotiations with VCSS based on a competitive procurement process conducted by CFS for the provision of CFT Facilitator services. The County Administrative Office authorized the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) HS 20-09/ePro Bid No. HSSA21-HSSA-3903 on October 23, 2020, to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide CFT Facilitator services countywide. The RFP was publicly advertised through direct mailings to more than 400 community-based organizations, faith-based agencies, service providers, and other interested parties and posted on the County’s Electronic Procurement Network (ePro).
The evaluation committee, comprised of five individuals with representation from CFS, Human Services (HS) Auditing Division, and HS Program Development Division, reviewed and evaluated the proposals based on the criteria referenced in the RFP. The criteria included cost, experience and qualifications, administrative capability, and technical capability. Although cost was a consideration in the evaluation process, it was not the primary consideration. Based on the evaluation criteria, the evaluation committee determined VCSS best met the needs of the County and was recommended for contract award.
The Purchasing Department reviewed ePro Bid No. HSSA21-HSSA-3903 and concluded that a competitive process was completed in accordance with County Policy No. 11-04. Either party may terminate the contract upon a 30-day advanced written notice. County Policy No. 11-04 requires Board of Supervisor approval for all contracts for services that exceed $200,000 in cost per scope of service, per vendor, per department.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Maria Insixiengmay, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 14, 2023; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2060) on November 15, 2023; Finance (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on December 5, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4342) on December 5, 2023.