14-Specifications.pdf

SPECIFICATIONS

Educational Advocacy, Technical Support and Legal Assistance Program for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

SCOPE

Harris County is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide an Educational Advocacy, Technical Support, and Legal Assistance Program for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (HCJPD) for a period of one (1) year, beginning on or about June 1, 2026 and ending 12-months thereafter, or until all goods and/or services ordered prior to the expiration date have been satisfactorily provided. All references to “Harris County” are to include the Harris County Juvenile Board (“Board”) and Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (“Department”).

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

A pre-proposal conference is scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 11:00AM CST Via Microsoft Teams. Attendance is not mandatory, but all vendors are strongly encouraged to attend in order to have a better understanding of the requirements of this RFP. Should you wish to attend, you must RSVP to Margaret Obot at margaret.obot@pur.hctx.net one (1) day prior to the conference. By RSVP request, you will be provided with the conference line number and access code to dial in to attend the meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact the Office of the Purchasing Agent at 713-274-4400 at least one

(1) day prior to the conference.

It is the responsibility of each vendor to examine the entire RFP package, seek clarification in writing, and review their RFP response for accuracy before submitting. Questions relating to this RFP must be submitted in writing though Bonfire. The deadline for submission of questions relating to this RFP is listed on the Event schedule within Bonfire of this project. All questions submitted in writing prior to the deadline will be compiled and answered in writing. A copy of all questions and answers will be released as a Public Notice within Bonfire to all firms. The County will not be bound by any information conveyed verbally.

RENEWAL OPTIONS

Harris County may consider four (4) one-year renewal options, renewable one (1) year, at a time based upon the same terms, conditions and pricing as the original year. Renewal is subject to approval by the Harris County Juvenile Board. Once renewal options are exhausted, the contract must be rebid. Harris County reserves the right to rebid at any time that is in its best interest and is not automatically bound to renew.

TARGET POPULATION

The Educational Advocacy, Technical Support, and Legal Assistance Program provides educational support to youth and families involved in the Harris County juvenile justice system. The target population is comprised of youth ages 10-17, including pre-and post-adjudicated youth. Many of these youth are multiple grade level(s) behind, are high risk for dropping out of school and/or are suspected of having an education-related disability.

FOCUS

The Educational Advocacy, Technical Support, and Legal Assistance Program (“Program”) shall focus on improving educational outcomes for pre-and post-adjudicated youth so that they have the opportunity to meet grade-level academic content and achievement standards. The Program will provide youth with services to assist in successfully transitioning from institutionalization to further schooling or employment. The Program will strive to prevent youth from dropping out of school and provide support to assist youth who have dropped out or are returning from correctional facilities reenter education programs.

GOALS

The Program goals:

Expand efforts to address youth’s educational needs by providing educational technical assistance and advice, advocacy legal, and support services to assist staff and families of justice-involved youth.

Work with local education agencies, advocacy groups, and parents to provide appropriate educational services for youth with excessive absenteeism, low academic achievement, suspension/expulsion, alternative placements, and special education needs.

Increase involvement of family partners through staff development, community trainings and collaboration with family advocacy organizations.

Engage in efforts to improve school safety.

ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM/EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE

Output and Outcome Measures In order to determine whether a particular service is of value to the youth under the department’s supervision, the department's Research and Evaluation staff generate outputs and recidivism rates of participants. While these results are not in the immediate control of the selected vendor(s), these results along with other measures will be used to determine each provider’s effectiveness.

Outputs -Number of youth referred to each service offered by vendor.

-Number of youth rejected or terminated from vendor’s service or program.

-Number of youth providing positive feedback concerning services or program components.

Recidivism Outcome Measures The department expects at minimum the following recidivism results:

-75% of youth will not acquire a new offense within 180 days of completing the program, or services.

-70% of youth will not acquire a new offense within one (1) year of completing the program, or services.

Social Outcomes The data on the evaluation components listed below will be collected by each provider and made available to the Juvenile Board Chair, HCJPD Executive Director, HCJPD Assistant Executive Director, the Education Services Director, the Youth Diversion and Development Division Director, or their designee(s) for audit and evaluation purposes on a monthly, quarterly, and/or annual basis. In addition, vendor will also make the same information available to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and any county or state auditor for the same purpose. Each vendor will provide HCJPD with a monthly progress report concerning the services provided and have secure internet access to provide this information. The results of these outcome measures will be based on current and accurate data provided by each vendor and placed in the department's web-based reporting system, if applicable.

95% of youth referred shall enroll in/return to school, enroll in homeschool or private program, enroll in a General Education Development (GED) program, or enroll in a job training program.

75% of youth served in the Educational Support Services Advocacy Program shall show improved levels of engagement in school across domains including attendance, grades, and disciplinary needs.

80% of parent/legal guardians shall engage in educational advocacy for their youth.

90% of youth served in the Educational Support Services Advocacy Program shall be able to self-advocate and identify campus/district resources and supports.

Qualitative Measures The following measurements of program quality shall be used to evaluate each provider:

Additional Performance Components: In addition to holding providers accountable for the program progress of youth, providers will also be evaluated on the level and quality of services provided in the following areas:

- coordination of community-based support including services relating to truancy, juvenile probation, mental health, and case management;

- compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations;

- development of family support mechanisms and strategies to involve parents in each youth’s experience;

- development and coordination of community-based efforts to provide social services, mentoring, support, and enrichment services to probationers;

- timely monthly, quarterly and annual reports submitted;

- accurate and timely invoices submitted;

- sustainability plan for services to at-risk and delinquent youth; and,

- Client Satisfaction Surveys or Service Provider Verification Form(s).

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Program shall provide a wide variety of educational support services including training, technical assistance, and advice to probation staff, youth and their families, school district personnel, and community stakeholders. The Program will also provide direct advocacy and legal services to probation-involved youth and their families in order to obtain improved educational outcomes for youth. The education-related issues the Program will address include, but are not limited to: eligibility for disability services at school; need for improved behavioral, disability, and language support services; truancy; school enrollment; services for youth behind in grade level and/or are interested in non-disciplinary alternative education and vocational programs; bullying;

homelessness; and school reentry following release from juvenile or school disciplinary placement.

IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRALS

The Program receives referrals from the Department’s mental health clinicians, school personnel, judges, juvenile probation staff, and parents. Referrals placed in HCJPD’s Project-II system are routed to different Community Unit Probation Services (CUPS) units based on either geography (the office to contact for help depends upon where in the county the youth lives or attends school) or issue area (the office to contact for help depends on the nature of the youth’s unmet educational need). HCJPD has divided the county into eight (8) geographic zones. The Education Specialists employed by a contracted agency, are located within the HCJPD CUPS and serve all HCJPD geographic zones.

CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES

The Program provides three (3) types of assistance: individualized educational support services, direct advocacy and legal services, and community support services. Education Specialists strive to provide individualized education support to the referring adult for all cases in an attempt to enable the adult to successfully advocate on behalf of the youth. Individualized education support may include guidance on navigating the school system, accessing resources, and understanding school policies and procedures.

If direct advocacy services are required, a “case” is opened and an Educational Specialist shall handle all aspects of the youth’s case. Services rendered shall include interviewing youth and families, obtaining school records and conducting transcript reviews, assessing academic processes (enrollment, discipline, and placement issues), and developing educational and vocational case plans designed to meet the youth’s educational needs. Specialists working on special education matters will provide support and information regarding the Special Education process and 504 plan eligibility and represent youth and families at Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and Manifestation Determination Review (MDR) meetings. Specialists working on school discipline matters will advocate for youth if he or she has been suspended or expelled and represent youth and families at school discipline hearings. Youth reintegrating into their communities from juvenile placement facilities will receive developmentally appropriate transitional and aftercare services as they step down to less restrictive settings.

If an Educational Specialist is unable to resolve issues, or the educational issues are so complex or egregious at the outset of the case to warrant legal services, the case may be referred to legal services either within or outside the Department. When needed, vendor shall work with youth and families to ensure the youth receives appropriate representation at IEP team meetings, formal and informal mediations, expulsion hearings, manifestation determination hearings, local and state-level complaints and grievances, and due process hearings.

OPTIONAL SUPPLEMENTAL LEGAL AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Additionally, as a supplemental service, HCJPD is requesting Offerors to describe any legal or mental advocacy services they may be able to provide to department youth in the event conventional educational advocacy services do not result in youth receiving special education, 504 or other services from their home school. Please include a separate line item on the pricing sheet for this service.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

The Program shall work with youth and families to increase their ability to self-manage and safely problem-solve their needs, develop their competencies and advocacy skills, and simultaneously build their network of community support. The Program strives to include parents, family members, and the youth, at every decision-making level within educational advocacy support system. Education Specialists empower youth and families to have a say in their plan by facilitating frequent individual and group trainings focusing on common educational barriers, laws and programs designed to help youth succeed in school, and how to successfully partner with system professionals.

EXPECTATIONS

The end result of this program shall be to identify and enhance the strengths which the youth possess, and aggressively stabilize his/her quest for educational success. Through educational support and direct advocacy services, the youth shall develop supplemental skills and be provided the support that he/she needs to succeed in school. Identification of strengths of the youth will be the focus of the Program and returning the youth to the educational platform as a success will be its hallmark.

The program shall consist of a Supervising Attorney/Coordinator of Operations and a sufficient number of Educational Specialists to provide services county-wide at sites to be designated by the Juvenile Board. The Supervising Attorney/Coordinator of Operations shall be responsible for program-oriented functions such as program monitoring, staff training, managing the referral system, and service coordination as well as directing the legal strategy of advocacy cases, and providing direct education-related legal service to youth and their families when needed. The Educational Specialists shall have a background in education with a demonstrated knowledge of federal and state education laws, procedures, and practices. The Educational Specialists shall be responsible for managing and progressing the case strategy to improve the educational outcomes for the youth on their caseloads.

HCJPD wants to share with the schools the Program’s philosophy of understanding that a youth cannot learn if he/she does not feel success is attainable. The Program is an attempt to build on the elements of strength that are inherent in the youth.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

1. Vendor shall assign an Educational Specialist to sites throughout Harris County. Each

Educational Specialists shall be required to work up to 40 hours/week, with the work week defined as beginning 12:01 a.m. Saturday and ending midnight Friday.

2. Vendor shall calculate the cost of the program on an hourly basis. Overhead costs, such as the cost of all contract services, testing, travel, supplies and the costs of the Coordinator of Operations should be included in calculating the hourly cost. (Vendor may describe an alternate fee schedule or describe optional or supplemental services.)

3. The Educational Specialists shall have an educational background with a demonstrated knowledge of federal and state education laws, procedures and practices. It is projected that each Educational Specialist shall have an ongoing case load of approximately 20-25 youth at any given point.

4. A monthly cumulative report denoting the number and types of cases that the Educational

Specialist worked on that month will be provided to the administration of HCJPD. The types would include: discharge planning for youth returning to the community from placements, educational planning for youth on probation, attending transition meetings, identified youth for special education and 504 services, and community trainings offered.

5. A detailed monthly report on each youth served by the program, which lists the youth’s progress in the program, will be provided to the youth’s juvenile probation officer.

6. Provide a detailed annual report summarizing the activities and services provided, advances made, challenges, and focus for the next year.

7. Any curriculum guide developed as a result of this program will become the property of the

Harris County Juvenile Board without any further remuneration. Service Provider will have the right to share and distribute any curriculum guide and associated materials it develops as part of this program.

8. Each person who will provide services to youth, either directly or indirectly, will be required to submit to a background check and must supply demographic information as well as educational, licenses, and other related information.