2-Attachment 2B_OfferorsExperienceAndCapacity.pdf

Offer Forms Request for Proposal Solicitation

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

3003 N. Central Avenue, 20th Floor

Phoenix, AZ 85012

Attachment 2-B Offeror’s Experience and Capacity

The Offeror is cautioned that it is the Offeror's sole responsibility to submit information related to the evaluation categories and that the State of Arizona is under no obligation to solicit such information if it is not included with the Offeror's proposal. Failure of the Offeror to submit such information may cause an adverse impact on the evaluation of the Offeror's proposal. It is strongly discouraged for you to copy the Scope of Work in lieu of providing unique responses below.

OFFER MAY BE DETERMINED AS NON-RESPONSIVE IF ALL QUESTIONS ARE NOT ANSWERED

FULLY.

Question 1: Describe the Entity’s experience providing parenting time services, including the number of years of experience, history and capability.

Offeror Response:

EverGrow Child Advocates (EverGrow), formerly Pinnacle Family Services, is a trusted provider of child welfare services, including Parenting Time Services (Supervised Visitation Only), in partnership with the Arizona Department of Child Safety (AZDCS).

EverGrow was born from a clear and personal mission: to provide Arizona families with the level of support and quality care that founder Candace Harrison never received while growing up in the child welfare system. While navigating the journey of childhood abuse and neglect, “Candy” knew she would grow up to contribute a true impact within the system that she needed the most. After moving out on her own at the age of 17 after a failed guardianship, Candace and her business partner Paul Harrison (and husband of 13 years) built a team and service model that centers trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and family-strengthening practices. That foundation has been built by asking every day, “Did we deliver the care Candy deserved?” The deep connection to contributing positively to the families they serve, rather than adding to the struggle, has guided EverGrow’s every decision and has set EverGrow apart in performance and impact.

Since 2016, EverGrow has successfully facilitated hundreds of thousands of supervised visitation hours, supporting family reunification efforts with a trauma-informed, child-centered approach. EverGrow’s mission is to ensure that every family served receives compassionate, ethical, and high-quality support, empowering caregivers to create safe and nurturing environments for their children.

EverGrow has been a contracted Parenting Time Services provider with AZDCS for nearly a decade, consistently meeting and exceeding contractual requirements.

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

EverGrow has:

• Successfully served 7,402 families across Arizona in Supervised Visitation Only and Parent Aide Visitation services from 2016 through March 1, 2025. This figure does not include the thousands of families serviced in other EverGrow / AZDCS contracted services which places EverGrow’s serviced families at over 10,000.

• Maintained high compliance ratings with AZDCS, evidenced by minimal Vendor Performance Reports (VPRs) and a strong track record of positive outcomes.

• Increased capacity and expanded service areas to include Pima, Pinal, Gila, Cochise, and Santa Cruz counties for a variety of services when necessary in order to assist the needs of AZDCS and its families, and to ensure accessible services.

• Implemented evidence-based practices, including structured observation and coaching models, to enhance parenting time interactions.

• Developed a specialized training program for staff in trauma-informed care, childhood development, conflict resolution, and safety planning, ensuring high-quality service delivery.

History and Growth

Prior to holding contracts of their own, EverGrow’s leadership members provided consulting services to an existing (at the time) AZDCS provider from 2014-2015, resulting in:

• An 80+% increase in staff retention,

• A sustained period without AZDCS complaints or Vendor Performance Reports (VPRs),

• And successful rollout of support for the pilot Building Resileint Families (BRF) program.

After consultation and Candace, having experienced the Arizona foster care system firsthand, EverGrow recognized the critical need for safe, structured, and meaningful family connections.

With this personal understanding and professional expertise, EverGrow:

• Secured its first AZDCS contract for Supervised Visitation Only in 2016, starting with a team of twelve (12) and expanding to over 100+ dedicated staff members today.

• Expanded its service array in 2017 by adding the Parent Aide Program, increasing EverGrow’s ability to support families holistically.

• Partnered with AZDCS in 2018 to launch the Building Resilient Families (BRF) program, further reinforcing the organization’s role as a leading provider of Parenting Time Services.

• Continued service innovation in 2021 by adding the Family Connection (FC), Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP), and Home Assessment and Courtesy Supervision (HACS) programs, and again in 2024 by adding the Kinship Support Services (KSS) program to its service array, strengthening its ability to support families at various stages of reunification and permanency.

This evolution has given EverGrow’s staff a multi-dimensional understanding of the

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts reunification process and allows EverGrow to approach Parenting Time Services with greater insight into caregiver protective capacities, skill reinforcement, and trauma-informed engagement.

Capability to Deliver Parenting Time Services

EverGrow’s ability to meet the Scope of Work requirements in Parenting Time Services contract is supported by:

• Highly trained staff: Every Parenting Time Case Aide receives a minimum of 24 hours of in class training, over 10 hours of field service training and observation, and ongoing continued education including trauma-informed supervision, de-escalation techniques, and child development best practices.

• Robust quality assurance measures: EverGrow conducts monthly file audits, case reviews, and client satisfaction surveys to maintain service excellence.

• Flexible scheduling for families: Services are available evenings, weekends, and holidays, accommodating the diverse needs of Arizona families.

• Strong compliance and reporting protocols: EverGrow staff utilize not only the Guardian system for real-time documentation and case management, but also an array of technological supports through Microsoft Office 365 Business Suite, ensuring accurate and timely reporting to AZDCS.

• Comprehensive staff support: Regular weekly group supervisions, quarterly professional development workshops, and guest speaker sessions provide ongoing learning opportunities, enhancing service quality.

• Culturally competent and inclusive services: EverGrow offers multilingual support, ensuring accessibility for non-English-speaking families.

• Comprehensive onboarding and talent acquisition: EverGrow utilizes team member sourcing strategies that have proven successful in meeting AZDCS staffing and waiting list needs year over year. With the leadership of Paul Harrison and his extensive education and experience in corporate psychology and recruitment, EverGrow has the ability to source and maintain gainful employment of its team members over the long-term.

Question 2: Provide a detailed plan of how your agency will be ready to serve cases on the go-live date, after award. The response shall at a minimum describe and provide a response for each of the following bullet points listed below:

▪ Provide the anticipated number of referrals your agency expects to have the capacity to serve on the first day of contract implementation.

▪ Does your agency anticipate an increase in capacity

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts throughout the contract term? If yes, describe your plan for scaling up, including timelines, staffing, and resource allocation.

▪ Describe how your agency tracks and manages service capacity and the progression of referrals (cases) in real-time.

What tools, systems, or processes do you use to ensure timely scheduling and service delivery?

Offeror Response:

▪ Provide the anticipated number of referrals your agency expects to have the capacity to serve on the first day of contract implementation.

• EverGrow currently services 125 active SVO cases in Maricopa County, 22

SVO cases in Pima County, and 9 SVO cases in Pinal County.

• EverGrow requests a contracted capacity under the new Parenting Time contract to be 95 in Maricopa, 60 in Pima, and 15 in Pinal.

• EverGrow will be able to follow the transition plan described by AZDCS to ensure uninterrupted service delivery between SVO and Parenting Time

Services (PTS). EverGrow will do so by requesting new openings as they become available and SVO referrals close. EverGrow will continue to request PTS cases as they become available in Pima and Pinal as demand increases.

• Please note that EverGrow has a history of consistently meeting and exceeding its capacity in all contracted regions of SVO and has only ever been under its contracted capacity as a result of cases being unavailable for AZDCS to assign them to EverGrow. However, staffing continues to remain consistent due to EverGrow’s diversification.

Thus, EverGrow has the ability to immediately staff up all regions as requested cases volume within Pinal and Pima upon Go-Live day, should the cases be available for referral acceptance.

▪ Does your agency anticipate an increase in capacity throughout the contract term? If yes, describe your plan for scaling up, including timelines, staffing, and resource allocation.

▪ EverGrow has consistently staffed up in all contracted regions, for all contracted services, as needed by AZDCS. EverGrow will increase its capacity throughout the contract term should the needs of the state

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts require such an increase. This has been evidenced by EverGrow’s consistent collaborative approach to staffing up and drawing down waiting lists by the hundreds and expanding its contracted service regions.

▪ EverGrow has the ability to increase its capacity within a 3-4 week timeframe that allows for EverGrow to source new team members and get them fully trained. However, EverGrow does not desire to overshoot its contracted capacity at the onset of a new program should the PTS contract not require such a volume of resources.

▪ Simply stated, EverGrow has the ability to increase capacity if AZDCS has the cases to assign in order to fill the openings created by

EverGrow’s allocation of resources.

▪ Describe how your agency tracks and manages service capacity and the progression of referrals (cases) in real-time. What tools, systems, or processes do you use to ensure timely scheduling and service delivery?

EverGrow Child Advocates has developed a robust, multi-tiered tracking and communication system to ensure real-time monitoring of service capacity, accurate referral management, and timely service deliver. EverGrow’s infrastructure is built on proactive planning, daily cross-departmental communication, and integrated software systems that enable EverGrow to move with urgency an precision which allows for meeting both the needs of families and the expectations of AZDCS.

Systems and Tools

EverGrow utilizes custom client relationship and information tracking that works in tandem with the information received from AZDCS and Guardian. This tracking method along with technological tools such as HomeBase, allows for:

• Tracking all incoming referrals by date, type, needs, and location

• Monitor openings and current caseloads at both the regional and staff levels

• Log and timestamp every stage of referral progression, from the receipt of the referral through case closure

• Generate real-time dashboards for leadership to access capacity, compliance deadlines, and staff availability

This system ensures that EverGrow’s team can anticipate service needs, identify potential delays, and pivot resources as needed to maintain flow.

Referral Coordination Department

EverGrow’s Referral Coordination Department operates as the nerve center of its intake and assignment process. This team:

• Monitors Guardian multiple times daily for new referrals, extensions, or special

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts requests

• Cross-references each referral with their internal capacity tracker to match families with the most appropriate service provider based on language, culture, skill set, and geography

• Coordinates with Case Aides and Supervisors within 24 hours of referral receipt to initiate contact and begin service scheduling

• Ensures all referral documentation is accurate, complete, and uploaded to

Guardian and internal systems in real time

This department also maintains a rolling case forecast to proactively reserve capacity for upcoming referrals and avoid oversaturation.

Internal Scheduling & Staffing Oversight

To support timely delivery, EverGrow uses the following internal protocols:

• Daily capacity huddles between Referral Coordination, program Supervisors, and administrative leads to review pending referrals, staff schedules, and caseload saturation

• A flexible PRN (as-needed) staff pool that can be activated to cover urgent needs, high-volume periods, or hard-to-staff regions

• Supervision reviews that include caseload monitoring, missed contact follow-ups, and client engagement patterns to ensure real-time response to case complexities

All field staff are required to update schedules in EverGrow’s centralized calendar system within HomeBase, which syncs with supervisor dashboards and is reviewed weekly to assess:

• Adherence to SOW scheduling timelines (e.g., initial contact, intake completion, service initiation)

• Progression benchmarks and family engagement status

• Need for reassignments or added supports

Timeliness & Accountability

EverGrow maintains strict internal standards:

• Initial contact attempted within 24 hours of assignment

• First service scheduled within 3–5 calendar days

• 72-hour rule in effect for no-contact protocols, including phone and in-person outreach efforts logged in detail

These efforts are audited weekly through our Quality Assurance Department, which flags any delays or risks and provides real-time feedback to program leadership for immediate resolution.

Outcomes

With this structured, proactive approach, EverGrow has achieved:

• 100% acceptance of assigned referrals with no returns

• Consistent on-time service delivery across all counties

• Positive feedback from Case Managers and AZDCS leadership regarding responsiveness and communication

• The ability to flex and scale in alignment with Department needs and contract

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts modifications

EverGrow’s ability to manage high volume, meet timelines, and remain client-centered is made possible by our integrated technology, dedicated departments, and a values-based culture of accountability and collaboration.

Question 3: Provide examples of challenges your agency has encountered in parenting time services and how you addressed them. Include challenges with maintaining contract capacity, if applicable.

Offeror Response:

In the near decade that EverGrow has performed Parenting Time services, EverGrow has only exceeded capacity. EverGrow has never encountered contracting challenges as it relates to staffing, onboarding, or capacity. EverGrow is well known for its ability to staff up when needed. EverGrow not only requests cases in bulk when needed but also works these cases with a quality that ensures scope of work requirements are exceeded. EverGrow is committed to not just volume, but what EverGrow calls, “Red Carpet Customer Service,” to all of the families in which they serve.

Over the last 9 years of administering Parenting Time Services across Arizona, everGrow has encountered, and overcome, a range of challenges common to child welfare service delivery.

EverGrow’s approach has always been rooted in solutions-focused leadership, proactive planning, and compassionate persistence to ensure families receive the services they deserve without disruption.

Challenge #1: Systemwide Capacity Strains During Guardian Transition and Modification of Referral Volume

When the Department transitioned from CHILDS to Guardian, the entire provider network experienced delays in referral assignments and authorization extensions. Rather than pause or delay services, EverGrow implemented a flexible capacity plan, reserving internal case openings and activating their PRN (as-needed) team to absorb new cases until Guardian workflows stabilized. This allowed EverGrow to accept 100% of referrals without interruption, despite statewide service bottlenecks.

When AZDCS changed the process in which SVO referrals are generated and assigned to the provider community, EverGrow has had to utilize its diversified service arrays in order to avoid downsizing its quality workforce. Understanding that the new Parenting Time Services contract would be impending for launch, EverGrow has overcome the minimal case volume within the Pinal and Pima regions by pivoting its resources and workforce to meet other AZDCS and EverGrow clientele needs. This allows for qualified and seasoned personnel to be available for PTS go-live and for the moment if / when PTS referrals become available.

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Challenge #2: Frequent No-Shows and Family Disengagement

A common challenge in Parenting Time Services is engagement. Families may miss visits due to transportation, work conflicts, or unresolved barriers. To address this, EverGrow implemented a standardized 72-hour re-engagement protocol that includes daily outreach (phone and in-person), problem-solving barriers, and communication with DCS within the same timeframe.

Additionally, EverGrow staff are required to provide at least one barrier resolution strategy before rescheduling is allowed. This proactive stance has significantly reduced service gaps and supported families in re-engaging meaningfully.

Challenge #3: Emotional Labor Leading to Staff Turnover

Parenting Time Services can be emotionally taxing for direct service staff. EverGrow recognizes that high turnover threatens capacity and continuity. To address this, EverGrow created a comprehensive employee support model that includes:

• Weekly individual and group supervision

• Team-building activities to foster community and belonging

• Low caseload-to-staff ratios to prevent burnout (while also ensuring full-time hours to assist with capacity waiting lists)

• Group supervision check-ins and leadership open-door policies

As a result, EverGrow has achieved significantly higher retention rates than industry averages, allowing for stable staffing and consistent service delivery across all awarded counties.

Challenge #4: Inheriting Failing Systems (Pre-Contract Consulting Work)

Before launching Parenting Time Services independently, EverGrow leadership consulted for a struggling AZDCS provider plagued by VPRs, client complaints, and staff attrition. Through strategic implementation of documentation systems, quality controls, and ethical supervision, we helped the agency reach a sustained period with zero DCS complaints. This experience shaped the operational standards we later used to build EverGrow—designed from the ground up to meet the needs of the Department, staff, and families without compromise.

These challenges have not only strengthened EverGrow’s service model but deepened its resolve to stay agile, compassionate, and outcome focused. EverGrow does not view obstacles as setbacks. Obstacles are invitations to innovate and lead. EverGrow’s capacity to grow through adversity is a key reason for EverGrow’s long standing success and continued partnership with AZDCS.

Question 4: Describe your agency's experience in partnering with Child Welfare entities and/or other related fields, including examples that required collaboration and coordination.

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Offeror Response:

EverGrow Child Advocates has built its foundation on the belief that transformational outcomes for families can only be achieved through collaborative, coordinated efforts across all systems touching a child’s life. EverGrow does not operate in a silo however, intentionally positions itself as a working partner to AZDCS, fellow providers, courts, schools, behavioral health agencies, and more.

Collaborative Roots: AZDCS Consulting & System Turnaround

Before EverGrow (formerly Pinnacle Family Services) held direct contracts, its founders—Paul and Candace Harrison—provided hands-on consulting support to an existing AZDCS Parenting Time provider experiencing capacity breakdowns, poor staff retention, and multiple Vendor Performance Reports. Over the course of that consulting engagement, EverGrow:

• Partnered with AZDCS Contract Managers and program leadership to identify key barriers to compliance

• Facilitated staff restructuring, retraining, and retention planning

• Collaborated with community resources, including legal and financial professionals, to stabilize internal systems

• Reduced the agency’s complaint volume and supported smoother DCS coordination

This experience reinforced EverGrow’s core beliefs: successful service delivery requires strong relationships with AZDCS and cross-system allies, clear communication, and the humility to collaborate, even under pressure.

Program-Level Collaboration: Co-Development of BRF

In 2015, EverGrow founders participated in the launch and pilot design of the Building Resilient Families (BRF) program, a first-of-its-kind initiative created in partnership with AZDCS to better integrate family strengthening services. EverGrow’s leadership team worked directly with Department stakeholders to ensure:

• The program reflected trauma-informed care principles

• Staff were trained and aligned to support AZDCS outcomes

• Case communication, documentation, and success metrics were mutually understood

EverGrow’s willingness to engage in program-level collaboration positioned EverGrow as a trusted partner capable of adapting to evolving Department priorities.

Day-to-Day Coordination with AZDCS Personnel

In every referral recieved, EverGrow operates as a supportive extension of the assigned DCS Case Manager and Unit Supervisor. EverGrow staff:

• Attend Team Decision-Making (TDM), Child and Family Team (CFT), and case plan staffing meetings

No. BPM006769 Parenting Time

Services

State of Arizona

Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

• Communicate weekly, if not daily, with DCS partners regarding client progress, challenges, and safety concerns

• Submit real-time updates and documentation via Guardian, ensuring seamless visibility into case status

• Utilize signed Releases of Information (ROIs) to coordinate care with schools, behavioral health providers, shelters, and many more

EverGrow is proud that many DCS Case Managers consider its staff not just providers, but trusted collaborators in the family reunification process.

Cross-Provider Coordination

As referrals increasingly span multiple contracted service providers, EverGrow ensures consistent, professional collaboration with sibling agencies. Whether a family is receiving SVO services with one provider and NPP within Evergrow, or vice versa, its approach is rooted in:

• Transparent communication

• Respect for shared roles

• Focus on client outcomes over organizational competition

This mindset has helped EverGrow navigate complex cases with clarity and care, reinforcing the Department’s trust in its ability to be a team player within the larger child welfare ecosystem.

EverGrow is proud of its collaborative track record—not only in service delivery, but in contributing to Arizona’s broader child welfare goals. EverGrow remains committed to working in lockstep with AZDCS and allied agencies to ensure that every family it serves receives coordinated, dignified, and effective support.

End of Attachment 2-B