REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
November 3, 2026
FROM
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Standard Contract Template for Children’s Residential Intensive Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the standard contract template for ongoing Children’s Residential Intensive Services, to be utilized for future qualified agencies, with an aggregate amount not to exceed $95,400,000, and a contract period of January 1, 2027, date of execution, or date of youth placement, through June 30, 2031.
2. Authorize the Assistant Executive Officer, Deputy Executive Officer, or Director of the Department of Behavioral Health to execute the individual standard contract template with qualified agencies that have completed the standardized application process to become a qualified Children’s Residential Intensive Services provider on behalf of the County.
3. Authorize the Assistant Executive Officer, Deputy Executive Officer, or Director of the Department of Behavioral Health to make any non-substantive changes to the standard contract template on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The standard contract template for Children’s Residential Intensive Services (ChRIS) will be utilized to contract qualified agencies to provide Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) for children and youth with a total aggregate amount of $95,400,000 that will be funded through Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation, 2011 Realignment, and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Children and Family Services. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) and the HS Administrative Claim 2026-27 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH provides mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to San Bernardino County (County) residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. As part of its continuum of care, DBH delivers SMHS to minors receiving treatment in residential care settings. Since 2010, DBH has provided ChRIS to children requiring SMHS while placed in Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs).
ChRIS is a structured residential program that delivers SMHS within STRTPs and incorporates the principles of the Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM). ICPM is a team-based approach implemented through four phases: Engagement, Service Planning, Monitoring and Adapting, and Transition. Using individualized service plans tailored to the unique needs of each child and family, ICPM fosters collaborative partnerships that support the well-being, permanency, and successful transition of children and youth receiving ChRIS services during the period of placement and up to two months after the child or youth has left the group home to facilitate a successful transition to a lower level of care.
In 2025-26, ChRIS observed the following outcomes:
• Served a total of 414 unduplicated child/youth clients
• Average cost of $51,151 per child/youth
ChRIS anticipates the following outcomes for future contracts:
• Serve approximately 632 unduplicated children/youth annually
• Average cost per child/youth of $33,544
ChRIS providers must meet strict licensing, accreditation, qualification, and program requirements to be included in DBH’s qualified provider pool. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requires DBH to execute an agreement for ChRIS services within 30 days of child/youth placement, per California Assembly Bill 1051. The standard ChRIS Template enables timely execution of these agreements ensuring continued compliance with DHCS requirements and maintaining access to residential SMHS for eligible youth.
ChRIS is currently provided to 384 youth by 56 vendors, established using the standard contract template approved by the Board of Supervisors on August 18, 2026 (Item No. 19) for the contract period of July 2024, or date of youth placement, whichever occurs later, through December 31, 2026. For 2026-27, DBH anticipates growth in STRTPs capacity as new contracts are established both within the County’s borders and in other counties within California. The average length of placement is often only six to eight months instead of the planned twelve months, which results in a lower cost per youth overall and allows additional children to receive services within the contract budget and term.
The recommended actions will allow DBH to execute individual contracts utilizing the ChRIS Template to establish the terms and conditions for reimbursement of SMHS provided to youth with serious emotional disturbances placed in STRTPs. These actions will also enable DBH to meet DHCS's required 30-day timeframe.
Performance measures for ChRIS contracts focus on tracking service quality, timeliness, accessibility, and outcomes to ensure providers meet established standards. Contractors are required to submit regular reporting such as monthly service logs, outcome data, fiscal reports, and compliance documentation, which allows the department to monitor progress and identify trends or concerns. Accountability mechanisms, including performance audits, contract monitoring meetings, site visits, and corrective action plans, help ensure that services are delivered as intended and align with program goals. Together, these structures promote transparency, support continuous improvement, and ensure that community members receive high-quality, effective behavioral health services.
PROCUREMENT
On September 10, 2026, the County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) DBH #25-99, Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) #DBHE26-ADMN-6420, to solicit applications from qualified agencies to provide ChRIS program services for the period of January 1, 2027, date of execution, or date of youth placement through June 30, 2031. This RFQ was publicly posted on ePro and advertised in eight newspapers.
Each vendor will be evaluated by DBH to ensure that all program conditions and qualifications are met prior to the execution of an individual contract utilizing the approved template with the agency using the following criteria: ability to serve target population; proposed program services and strategies; experience; staffing and qualifications; appropriateness of facility; and outcome measures.
ChRIS is an ongoing procurement, allowing applicants to apply after completion of the initial procurement to meet the needs of County children/youth and at the department’s discretion. This flexible structure permits additional agencies to be contracted if a youth is officially placed in their care or upon interest in future placement if qualified.
A unique aspect of the ChRIS program is the use of an aggregate contract amount, which allows funds to be utilized across agencies as varying levels of need emerge. In the recommended aggregate contracts, the amount represents a projection of anticipated utilization across all contracts. These contracts will be monitored individually on a monthly basis and adjusted as needed.
The Purchasing Department supports this competitive solicitation of qualified vendors.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Michael Shin, Administrative Manager, 388-0899) on September 10, 2026; Child and Family Services (Amy Williams, Staff Analyst II, 893-1364) on October 7, 2026; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 21, 2026; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on September 25, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Lizveth Varela, Administrative Analyst, 387-4883 and John Hallen, Principal Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on October 16, 2026.