REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 15, 2020
FROM
MARLENE HAGEN, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Court Appointed Special Advocate of San Bernardino County to provide Court Appointed Child Advocacy Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve a Contract with the Court Appointed Special Advocate of San Bernardino County to provide Court Appointed Child Advocacy Services, in the amount of $945,000, for the contract period of October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2023.
(Presenter: Marlene Hagen, Director, 388-0242)
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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The recommended contract will not exceed $945,000, or $315,000 per program year, and is funded through approximately 75% ($708,750) Wraparound Reinvestment Funds and approximately 25% ($236,250) Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Wraparound Reinvestment 2020-21 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Court Appointed Special Advocate of San Bernardino County (C.A.S.A.) is designated by the presiding Juvenile Court Judge to provide Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) services to children in juvenile court. C.A.S.A. recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers who are appointed by the Juvenile Dependency Count to build meaningful relationships and advocate for the best interests of children in juvenile court, including victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The recommended contract supports Children and Family Services’ (CFS) and C.A.S.A.’s ability to locate, engage, and connect foster youth with immediate biological family, next of kin and other adults who may serve as permanent lifelong connections. CFS anticipates an estimated 215 San Bernardino County youth will be served annually.
One July 1, 1998, California passed legislation establishing the CASA grant and requiring the Judicial Council to adopt guidelines establishing CASA of California and its affiliates as the sole agency responsible for these services. C.A.S.A. is a non-profit organization and a member organization of CASA of California and the National Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. CASA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for foster youth and juvenile court dependents by providing stable and consistent advocacy and mentoring through trained community volunteers. CFS and C.A.S.A. have collaborated in advocating for the protection of the County’s dependent youth for more than 35 years.
C.A.S.A.’s performance will be monitored by reviews of monthly invoices and an annual site visit by County staff to review for compliance with the administrative, fiscal, and program terms and conditions of the Contract.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable, as CASA of California and its affiliates are the sole agencies responsible for the delivery of these services.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Jennifer Mulhall-Daudel, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on August 11, 2020; County Counsel (Michael Markel, Principal Assistant County Counsel) on August 17, 2020; Purchasing (Michelle Churchill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on August 17, 2020; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on August 18, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on August 18, 2020.