DATE: September 24, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Amendment II to Agreement No. 19-451-1 with Comprehensive Youth Services of Fresno, Inc. for Supervised Visitation Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment II to Agreement with Comprehensive Youth Services of Fresno, Inc. for Supervised Visitation Services, extending the term by six months, which includes a three-month base term and three optional one-month extensions, from October 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, and increasing the maximum by $269,911 to a total of $5,714,047.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will allow continued provision of supervised visitation services to children and their families involved in Child Welfare Services for six additional months. The extension is necessary to provide continuity of services while the new contractor of these services, North Star Family Center, ramps up to full capacity. The recommended action will increase the maximum compensation by $269,911 for the extension period and will be funded with a combination of Federal, State, and County Social Services Realignment funds. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended action, court-ordered visitation services for families may be adversely impacted. The Department of Social Services (DSS) will need to evaluate overtime and weekend supervision coverage to assume a larger percentage of court ordered supervised visits internally.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Approval of the recommended action will increase the maximum compensation by $269,911, for a total maximum agreement cost of $5,714,047. The cost will be fully offset with Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) and California Senate Bill 163 Trust Funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues have been included in the DSS Org 5610 FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
Visitation is a critical service in Child Welfare for children and their families that have been separated due to abuse and/or neglect. Timely and regular visitation services promote and facilitate family reunification. Visitation is required as part of the court ordered services by the Juvenile Dependency Court and the Department must ensure compliance.
On September 10, 2019, your Board approved Agreement No. 19-451 with Comprehensive Youth Services of Fresno, Inc.(CYS) to provide Supervised Visitation Services. On January 26, 2021, your Board approved the first Amendment to Agreement 19-451 with CYS in response to an increase in families requiring supervised visitation services.
The recommended Amendment seeks to add funds and extend the Agreement for an additional six months, which includes a three-month base term and three one-month optional extensions. CYS, whose contract expires September 30, 2024, is DSS’s current provider and currently serves approximately 258 families monthly. The three-month base term will allow DSS to transition families to the new contractor of these services, North Star Family Center. The one-month optional extensions will be executed as needed. This will ensure effective coordination of visits with families and prevent any disruption of services.
DSS has revamped Supervised Visitation services, renamed Supervised Family Time, to focus on a more family-friendly approach, and released a bid for new services. On March 29, 2024, Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 056 was issued for Supervised Family Time and was sent to approximately 225 bidders by the Internal Services Department- Purchasing Division. Three proposals were received by the closing date of May 3, 2024, and all were accepted for review. A five-member review committee was established and comprised of representatives from DSS, the Department of Behavioral Health, First Five Fresno County, and Fresno County Superintendent of Schools. Proposals were reviewed and ranked based on the RFP specifications, response quality, proposed services, and cost. The review committee awarded North Star Family Center the bid.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #36, January 26, 2021
BAI #58, September 10, 2019
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment II to Agreement A-19-451-1 with CYS
CAO ANALYST:
Amina Flores-Becker