REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 16, 2025
FROM
JEANY GLASGOW, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts with Foster Family Agencies for Resource Family Approval Permanency Assessment Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following qualified Foster Family Agencies for Resource Family Permanency Assessment Services, to assist in the completion of the Resource Family Approval application process on a fee-for-service basis, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $4,500,000, for the contract period of January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2030:
1. A Coming of Age to Adulthood, Inc.
2. A Greater Love Foster Family Agency, Inc.
3. A New Beginning FFA
4. ABC Foster Family Agency
5. All for Kids Organization
6. Ark Homes Foster Family Agency
7. Building Bridges Foster Family Agency
8. Futuro Infantil Hispano F.F.A.
9. Greater Hope Foundation for Children, Inc.
10. Happy Children Resource Center Foster Family Agency, Inc.
11. International Christian Adoptions
12. Kamali’i Foster Family Agency, Inc.
13. Koinonia Foster Homes, Inc.
14. Litehouse Children & Family Services
15. New Life Foster Family Agency
16. SCCCC Rebuilding Lives, Inc.
17. The Heart Matters Foster Family Agency
18. There is Hope Foster Family Agency, Inc.
19. Trinity Youth Services
20. YONNIK, LLC
(Presenter: Jeany Glasgow, Director, 658-1181)
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 require additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Resource Family Approval (RFA) Permanency Assessment Services contracts will not exceed $4,500,000 individually or in aggregate for the five-year contract period and are funded 100% federal and state funding. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Human Services (HS) Administrative Claim 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Children and Family Services (CFS) contracts with qualified Foster Family Agencies (FFA) to assist in the completion of the RFA application process. FFAs are licensed, private, non-profit organizations engaged in recruiting, certifying, training, monitoring, and providing professional support to foster parents and identifying homes for the placement of children and youth.
Welfare and Institution Code section 16519.5 requires the California Department of Social Services (State), in conjunction with county child welfare agencies, to implement a unified RFA process. Current law requires the County to provide services to the family and child, so the child can return safely to the parents. The preferred route to permanency is through safe reunification, but when that is not possible, services must be provided for the child or youth to achieve an alternative permanent and stable family, which is referred to as permanency. Reunification, guardianship, relative placement, and adoption are all forms of permanency.
Written directives from the State require CFS to establish a single approval process for all types of placements. The RFA process requires a time limit of 90 days for the approval of applications. Currently, CFS receives approximately 80 applications per month. CFS has provided RFA Permanency Assessment Services through contracted agencies since 2017.
The 21 recommended contracts will allow CFS to contract with FFAs to assist in the completion of the RFA application process.
CFS will monitor individual RFA Permanency Assessment referrals to ensure the total payments to all contractors, in aggregate, do not exceed the spending authority of $4,500,000 for the period of January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2030. The recommended contracts are written in this manner to allow CFS the flexibility of selecting the contractor that best meets the needs of each client. There is no guarantee of the number of referrals that will be provided under each of the awarded contracts.
Contractor performance will be monitored by review of monthly invoices and written reports to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the recommended contracts.
On September 22, 2024, Assembly Bill No. 2496 passed, which added section 1062.33 to the Code of Civil Procedure and requires that FFAs and public entities each bear the cost of insuring against their respective acts and omissions and defending against claims arising from those risks. The County can no longer contractually require FFAs to indemnify the County. As a result, the FFA template contracts will require the omission of certain County standard contract terms.
The non-standard and missing terms include the following:
1. The RFA contracts do not require the FFA to indemnify the County, as required by County Policies 11-05 and 11-07.
• The County standard contract requires the contractor to indemnify, defend, and hold the County harmless from third-party claims arising out of the acts, errors, or omissions of any person.
• Potential Impact: The FFAs are not required to defend, indemnify, or hold the County harmless from any claims, including indemnification for claims arising from an FFA’s negligent or intentional acts. If the County is sued for a claim, the County may be solely liable for the costs of defense and damages, which could exceed the total contract amount. However, pursuant to the revised Code of Civil Procedure section 1062.33, the County can no longer contractually require FFAs to indemnify the County.
2. The RFA contracts do not include certain County insurance requirements, including the waiver of subrogation.
• The County standard contract requires contractors to carry appropriate insurance at limits and under conditions determined by the County’s Risk Management Department.
• Potential Impact: No waiver of subrogation may allow an FFA’s insurer to bring suit against the County, which could result in expenses that exceed the total contract amount. However, pursuant to the revised Code of Civil Procedure section 1062.33, the County can no longer require FFAs to provide additional insured endorsement or waiver of subrogation rights.
CFS recommends approval of the RFA contracts, including the non-standard terms, to continue to contract with FFAs to provide RFA Permanency Assessment Services.
PROCUREMENT
The County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of Request for Proposal (RFP) No. HSSA25-HSSA-5777 with the Purchasing Department (Purchasing) on July 16, 2025, to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide RFA Permanency Assessment Services countywide for a period of five years. The RFP was posted to the County’s Electronic Procurement Network (ePro).
A total of 21 proposals were received by the established deadline in response to the RFP. Proposals from the 21 agencies listed below met the minimum requirements and continued through the evaluation process.
|
Proposer Name |
Location |
|
A Coming of Age to Adulthood, Inc. |
Riverside, CA |
|
A Greater Love Foster Family Agency, Inc. |
Santa Fe Springs, CA |
|
A New Beginning FFA |
Hesperia, CA |
|
ABC Foster Family Agency |
Santa Ana, CA |
|
All for Kids Organization |
Los Angeles, CA |
|
Ark Homes Foster Family Agency |
Rancho Cucamonga, CA |
|
Building Bridges Foster Family Agency |
Ontario, CA |
|
Futuro Infantil Hispano F.F.A. |
West Covina, CA |
|
Greater Hope Foundation for Children, Inc. |
Barstow. CA |
|
Happy Children Resource Center Foster Family Agency Inc. |
Pomona, CA |
|
Hillsides |
Montclair, CA |
|
International Christian Adoptions |
Temecula, CA |
|
Kamali'i Foster Family Agency, Inc. |
Lake Elsinore, CA |
|
Koinonia Foster Homes, Inc. |
Loomis, CA |
|
Litehouse Children & Family Services |
Rancho Cucamonga, CA |
|
New Life Foster Family Agency |
Glendora, CA |
|
SCCCC Rebuilding Lives Foster Family Agency, Inc. |
Victorville, CA |
|
The Heart Matters Foster Family Agency |
Grand Terrace, CA |
|
There is Hope Foster Family Agency Inc. |
Montclair, CA |
|
Trinity Youth Services |
Claremont, CA |
|
YONNIK LLC |
Adelanto, CA |
.
The evaluation panel, with representation from Children and Family Services, reviewed and evaluated the proposals based on the criteria listed in the RFP. The criteria included: qualifications and experience, financial review, technical review, and references. Based on the criteria, the evaluation panel determined that all vendors best met the needs of the County. However, Hillsides opted not to proceed with the contract award. Award letters were sent to all responsible and responsive proposers on December 3, 2025.
Purchasing supports this competitive procurement based on the formal solicitation described above.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Manager, 388-0222) on November 14, 2025; County Counsel (Daniella V. Hernandez, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 25, 2025; Risk Management (Stephanie Mead, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on November 24, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on November 26, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (John Hallen, Principal Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on November 26, 2025.