REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 10, 2020
FROM
VERONICA KELLEY, Director Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title v
Non-Financial Standard Student Internship Program Agreement Template with Private schools/other institutions
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve the non-financial standard student internship program agreement template with private schools/other institutions that establishes the terms and conditions for training and field experience of student interns, for the period of March 10, 2020 through June 30, 2024.
2. Authorize the Director of Behavioral Health Department to execute the non-financial standard student internship program agreement template with the individual private schools/other institutions and make any non-substantive changes to the non-financial student intern program agreement template, on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
(Presenter: Veronica Kelley, Director, 388-0801)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
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 template (agreement template) is 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 Nursing, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy and Social Work. DBH can provide the needed tutelage and guidance to student interns participating in a variety of behavioral health related educational programs. Reciprocally, the use of interns as a part of the County’s workforce is a valuable means of maximizing available public resources. Through the student internship program, DBH will provide 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.
The recommended agreement template will allow DBH to facilitate agreements with approximately 46 private schools and other institutions, such as hospitals, in order for DBH staff to provide training and field experiences in related programs. The agreement template establishes the terms and conditions under which DBH will accept students into the internship program.
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 being utilized due to the large number of private schools/other institutions interested in participating in DBH’s internship program and the varying timelines involved with the various fields of study for the individual internship programs. Approval of this request will expedite the process with participating schools and allow DBH to continue to maximize available public resources.
Since 2008, DBH has operated a successful unpaid internship program through the use of Board of Supervisors (Board) approved standard agreement templates. Standard agreement templates with schools/other institutions 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 expand participation in the program with other interested schools/institutions, which benefits the County, schools, institutions, students, and residents.
On May 21, 2019, (Item No. 26), the Board approved a non-financial standard student internship program agreement template, for the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024. This agreement template is used for public schools/other institutions and cannot be used for private schools/other institutions.
The recommended agreement template will be used for private schools/other institutions and contains specific insurance requirements to be maintained by the private school/other institution as well as a mutual indemnification provision. Upon approval, the agreement template will be effective for the period of March 10, 2020 through June 30, 2024 and may be terminated without cause with 30-days written notice.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Natalie Kessee, Contracts Manager, 388-0869) on January 23, 2020; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on January 2, 2020; Human Resources (John Wood, Interim Human Resources Division Chief, 387-6080) on January 8, 2020; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on February 5, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on February 19, 2020.