DATE: April 13, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Revenue Agreement with The Mockingbird Society to expand the Mockingbird Family Model
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Revenue Agreement with The Mockingbird Society to support expansion of the Mockingbird Family Model to include Spanish-speaking foster families, effective upon execution, not to exceed two years ($127,000).
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will allow the Department of Social Services to expand the Mockingbird Family Model (MFM) to Spanish-speaking foster families. Funding will provide foster families with linguistically appropriate supportive services to increase recruitment and retention and will also support placement stability and improved outcomes for foster youth, with no increase in Net County Cost. The item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board does not approve the recommended action the planned expansion of the MFM would not occur and Spanish-speaking families would not receive enhanced support.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. If approved, the recommended agreement will provide a maximum of $63,500 in the first year; $127,000 over two years to offset the costs associated with expansion of the MFM. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department's Org 5610 FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget and will be included in subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
Since 2016, the Department has contracted with The Mockingbird Society (TMS) for consultation, training and technical assistance to implement and sustain the MFM. The MFM is a unique model developed in the state of Washington, designed to support foster youth and their resource parents (formally referred to as foster parents and relative care providers) by building a network of support. This networ...
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