2-Attachment 3A Method of Approach Casa D'Amore Family Care.pdf

Solicitation Instructions Part 2

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 36 of 47 2 o n l i n e a t : A P P . A Z . g o v

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 3-A

Method of Approach

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 steps that you will take to ensure you are meeting the staffing requirements and maintaining staff capacity. Include how you plan to ensure ongoing responsiveness to the requirements of the Contract and to the needs of the State in case of staff turnover for designated Key Personnel.

§ Include staff turnover rate for the last year;

§ Detail Entity’s recruitment process including average time to hire staff, and efforts to recruit and maintain staff.

Offeror Response:

The following is a description of what we have faced since we were first awarded the SVO contract in 2017 and how it has impacted the steps we take to ensure that we are meeting staffing requirements and maintaining staff capacity for the new Parenting Time Scope of Work. We are confident that our history implementing and managing the Supervised Visitation contract the past 8 years demonstrates our resilience, dedication, and ability to provide ongoing responsiveness to the contract requirements.

Hiring and retaining staff was a challenging management struggle in 2022-23. In response, we utilized rigorous search efforts to recruit and retain quality applicants with experience in social services and working with children and families, in addition to having writing skills and the ability to use common sense problem-solving strategies to ensure safe practices that follow state and agency procedures and protocol.

Recent increases in the minimum wage and local competition with businesses that pay higher wages while requiring less expertise made retaining our employees difficult. To counter the wage discrepancies and the continuing rise in the cost-of-living, we evaluated wage changes and were able to slightly increase our wage offerings and provide added benefits to our employees, such as hiring and retention bonuses and wage price points. Our goal was to attract and retain highly qualified employees while also rewarding the more committed and enthusiastic employees.

To evaluate our employee’s satisfaction with their work environment and the support received from administration, we request feedback on evolving needs or areas of concerns so our agency can continually evaluate our work culture and mitigate potential issues to improve staff retention. We survey our employees to help us better understand the areas of stress for them and give them the opportunity to share possible solutions and alternative processes. Overall, the results are positive and encouraging of our agency’s efforts.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 37 of 47 2

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

A new Parenting Time contract will allow us to address the issue of inadequate pay for our Case Aides and Administration and explore options for flexibility by adding support staff positions, providing mentor support, and offering increased flexibility in work schedules. We hope to encourage educational and professional growth through a comprehensive system of rewards for employees who seek to improve themselves professionally through their commitment to our participant families and to learning and developing skills essential to this line of work.

Additionally, we anticipate the need for increased flexibility in the new contract due to the likelihood of hours being changed within a case plan, such as a request from ADCS to increase hours in a case referral from 4 hours per week to 8 hours per week. Changes such as this will affect the Case Aide’s ability to manage increased hours due to the child’s schedule. Therefore, in response, we anticipate a need to hire Case Aides who can manage weekend hours, and/or scheduling two Case Aides to manage one referral and using unique hour blocks for the supervised time.

Our agency utilizes performance monitoring to provide ongoing feedback to our employees regarding their effectiveness and to identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth. Any noted gaps or problems are addressed through reflective supervision and targeted training and mentorship. When an employee is performing below expected agency standards, they are placed on an improvement plan and monthly reflective supervision is moved to weekly supervision to provide feedback and review of case management. Employees who may need more growth and support are partnered with a strong and experienced employee to provide mentorship and coaching. We have found this method of coaching and mentoring to be effective in improving employee outcomes, overall performance, and consequent retention.

Additional challenges retaining Case Aides involve the fluctuation in case hours due to cases closing or No Shows. This results in Case Aides, despite concerted efforts on their part and that of the administration, not carrying full-time hours on a regular schedule. In the beginning of 2023, our pay rates were slightly lower than other agencies and providers. This resulted in our staff moving into other lines of work that provided them with more consistent schedules and higher income opportunities. Given this reality, we explored the contributing factors that result in turnover and provided solutions for our staff that increased stability in retaining them.

Solutions included: providing an increase in wages in 2023; allowing staff to "buddy up" on more challenging cases so they can share the case and have more flexibility available for participants who may need more flexible scheduling; and compensated professional growth opportunities to encourage and promote ownership in our program. Our Case Aide turnover rates subsequently declined from 65% in 2022 to 50% in 2023 to 33% in 2024. As noted, our turnover rates consistently decline as we continually check the temperature of our agency’s culture and assess and evaluate our changing employee needs. As a result, 2024 has been more stable and our staff report being happy and comfortable in their positions with our agency. We believe that our agency's dedication to supporting our employees results in increased commitment and loyalty and ultimately, an increased level of staff retention.

To manage and sustain our Case Aide and Key Administrative Personnel, we cross-train our staff in several areas of proficiency such as scheduling, reporting and administrative duties. Additionally, we have trained key staff who have been with our agency for more than a year to manage essential duties in case there is a change in personnel. These staff are compensated at a higher pay rate than other employees and aspire to be placed in management positions should turnover or contract capacity change in the new Parenting Time Contract. This allows us to have contingency plans to manage swift transitions into positions either temporarily or permanently as the need to fill a position arises due to illness, turnover or vacations. In addition, when a Case Aide leaves their position unexpectedly or with short notice, our employees are compensated for taking on the extra cases

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 38 of 47 2

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 that are “above and beyond” the typical five case caseload. This provides incentive and has resulted in our agency filling any open case load issues quickly and without disturbance of case management fidelity. Our succession planning minimizes service disruptions for Key Administrative Personnel through reflective supervision, yearly evaluations and ongoing communication regarding agency goals and planning, allowing us to scale up when demands increase.

Our agency will continue to utilize strategies that have shown success in attracting and retaining quality employees, meeting the demands of staffing requirements and maintaining our staff capacity, while also maintaining high levels of responsiveness to requirements of the contract and needs of the State in the case of turnover of key personnel.

A. Include staff turnover rate for the last year:

Calendar Year 2024:

a) Case Aides: 33%

b) Administration: 25% (1 in 4 administration turnover)

B. Detail Entity’s recruitment process including average time to hire staff, and efforts to recruit and maintain staff.

Casa D'Amore Family Care's recruitment process includes pursuing avenues that provide quality applicants in the areas of social services and working with families and children (ie: public schools, local university and college systems, social professional networks, and inside recommendations from current and former employees.) Additionally, we utilize web-based employment systems, such as Indeed, and professional social media such as Linked In and Facebook. We have also worked with a local recruiting agency and attended job fairs to expand our hiring options.

To streamline the hiring process, we utilize an agency Program Facilitator to post the position as needed, review all applicants, do phone call screenings and set up interviews, which includes the candidate bringing essential documents such as their fingerprint clearance card, CPR/First Aid certification, and 5-year Driving Record. This allows our Program Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor to remain dedicated to the tasks of interviewing, hiring, training and management of staff. The screening process allows us to focus in on potential hires meeting the criteria needed for an excellent Parenting Time employee, including flexibility, experience working in a similar field with children and families, a positive and enthusiastic attitude toward helping families, and a willingness to be proactive and dedicated to the position. We screen for candidates who appear aligned with our core values and professional demeanor. Our interview process includes an in-depth personal interview along with a written in-basket project to assess writing and technical skills.

Our account/job posting includes a detailed job description which describes requirements for the position such as the ability to acquire a Level One Fingerprint Card, Central Registry Background Check, a 5-year Motor Vehicle report, pre-employment and biennial drug test, etc. After a positive interview and offer to hire, we conduct the background check and immediately request reference checks prior to moving forward with training or on-boarding. Reference checks are used as a tool to determine competency and insight into previous work performance and ethics.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 39 of 47 2

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

Upon posting the position and completing the interview process it takes, on average, about 5 to 7 days to complete hiring paperwork, depending on their status regarding the above requirements.

Once Case Aides are hired and cleared according to ADCS and Scope of Work criteria, they are trained utilizing the ADCS Aide training program, as well as our internal training and on-boarding objectives to create a strong foundation and understanding of the job duties and expectations. Case aides will be assigned (15) hours of training within 30 days of being contracted, and 15 hours of training annually. On-boarding includes training on agency guidelines such as: professional conduct, dress-code, rules regarding usage of the agency visitation rooms, employment expectations, paperwork completion expectations, professional boundaries, using our business software/operating system, including our agency’s secure cloud system for document storage and sharing, confidentiality, incident reporting, deadlines associated with case management, problem-solving common case management issues, transportation expectations, car seat training, Narcan training, and Mandatory Incident Reporting training. Additionally, ongoing annual training is provided to support and educate staff on issues faced by participants and their families. Details on our training plan are provided in Question 4.

New staff are scheduled to shadow experienced Case Aides who provide direction and discussion on agency practices and procedures. In addition, our Asst. Supervisor or Program Supervisor will provide training specific to Parenting Time contract guidelines and standards and explain the importance of being flexible when working with ADCS to design a family-centered visitation schedule for each case on their caseload. The Asst.

Supervisor or Program Supervisor will create a shadowing plan and schedule to provide information, direction, and feedback for the new staff as they manage their first visitations. Our senior Case Aide or Supervisor will oversee the new staff while they move through the process of connecting with their new case and set up a first visit. New staff are observed by the Supervisor during their first visit to provide support and feedback. Our comprehensive on-boarding process, which provides our new Parenting Time staff with the agency's organizational framework and a basic understanding of contract requirements, is designed to create a sense of comfort and confidence as they move into taking on a full caseload. Once the new staff feels ready to handle cases on their own, they are provided a few cases to manage with support from senior staff. New Case Aides typically are provided with a full caseload (five cases for full-time employees and 3 cases for part-time) within 2 to 3 weeks of hire.

Once new Case Aides are assigned a full caseload, ongoing support is provided through weekly Reflective Supervision meetings for the first couple of months, eventually transitioning to a monthly meeting. This allows time for the new Case Aide to ask questions and for the Program Supervisor to review any areas of question or concern. Case reviews are conducted during this time and suggestions are made regarding any identified issues.

Efforts to retain quality employees include the intentional creation of a sense of community among the staff, including monthly potluck breakfast meetings for team building, training, and discussion of any topics of interest. Both reflective supervision and team meetings are crucial to the agency’s goal of staff retention. Employees are provided every opportunity for support and positive feedback as well as clarification of any concerns. The creation of a sense of team provides support and problem-solving solutions for individuals. Staff utilize the confidential cloud-based messaging system called SLACK to communicate with each other, problem solve and assist each other as needed with visits and transportation. Additionally, any PTO not used at the end of the year is paid out to the employee as a bonus to help incentivize reduced use of personal time off.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 40 of 47 2

Solicitation No. BPM006769 Parenting Time Services

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

We have heard from our employees, both past and present, that this sense of community and the built-in systems of support are crucial to their success and continued commitment to our agency. We have been told repeatedly that we are the “most supportive agency they have ever worked with”.

Finally, our administrative staff has provided fidelity and professional commitment throughout the term of our current contract. They are also very experienced, as our Program Supervisor has been with the agency’s visitation program since 2019 and our Asst. Supervisor since 2021. They have complete autonomy to manage the program and the staff with minimal oversight from the CEO. The CEO of Casa D’Amore Family Care, LLC manages the group homes and the visitation program within the agency. The Program Supervisor is the link to our program fidelity through professional ownership and dedication to the parenting time program’s success.

Our agency’s focus on positive and consistent employee support has created a collaborative and cohesive culture. We believe the supportive and intentional culture we have created allows our agency to be resilient and continue to meet the needs of our families, even when there are other factors causing upheaval (ie: Case Aide turnover, gas price hikes, pandemic, etc.). This is evident in the fact that we do not return cases to ADCS, do not receive VPR’s and consistently take cases above our current capacity.

Question 2: Provide a written narrative response that demonstrates the method or manner in which the offeror proposes to satisfy the requirements of the Scope of Work. The language of the narrative should be straightforward and limited to facts, solutions to problems, and plans of proposed action. The response shall at a minimum describe and provide a response for each of the following bullet points listed below:

§ What are your processes to document visits, track case progress and manage referrals?

§ How will you ensure accurate and timely communication and collaboration with the ADCS and/or other involved parties for visit schedules, progress and concerns?

Casa D’Amore Family Care’s Parenting Time program will continue to satisfy the requirements of the Scope of Work with fidelity and accountability. Our agency is proactive and dedicated to the population we serve.

Our administrative staff has longevity and experience, and we have a proven record of meeting all deadlines and expectations. We continually review our agency's organizational health and commitment to the goals and vision of serving families safely and within the parameters of the contract. Our agency has built-in systems of redundancy to ensure we have effective, accurate, and timely communication and collaboration occurring both within our agency, with our families, and with ADCS and other involved parties for service delivery and coordination of care.

Casa D’Amore Family Care consistently reviews performance targets each quarter relative to the expected Parenting Time Performance Measures Targets and we consistently meet or exceed the target percentage rates defined in the S.O.W. In the past, the areas that created difficulty for staff to meet the goal of initial contact within 24 hours are situations that involve getting outdated information on the referral. This requires contacting ADCS and correcting information prior to contacting the family. In addition, when ADCS has been conducting visits and those are still in place when we are assigned the referral, it is often difficult to schedule the visit within 5 days because we must coordinate with the completion of the ADCS visit schedules.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 41 of 47 2

Solicitation No. BPM006769 Parenting Time Services

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

As an agency, we are committed to the well-being of our staff, and to meeting positive performance outcomes for the families we serve. The following describes our processes to manage referrals, document visits, and track case progress in an accurate and timely fashion, while effectively collaborating and communicating with ADCS and all other interested parties.

• The Program Supervisor communicates with the ADCS team within 24 hours of the receipt of a new referral. The Program Supervisor or Assistant Supervisor will review the case plan for details including the primary language used by the family, cultural considerations (including LGBTQ+), any important health or safety issues, the number and ages of children, their placement locations and parent address/es, the type of supervision required (full or partial), and the number of visits/hours per week.

• Our agency utilizes WorldWide Interpretations for language services necessary as part of our contracted service responsibility. We assign Spanish speaking cases to staff who are fluent Spanish speakers and able to communicate/speak with our participants.

• Based on the Case Plan information, the Case Aide is selected, and the Program Supervisor provides her/him with the new referral and any relevant case information.

• Once the Case Aide has been assigned the new referral, they contact all parties within the initial 24 hours to start services. The Case Aide sends an email introduction to the ADCS team along with any questions regarding the new referral.

• If there is an NPP or FES assigned to the case, our Case Aide will connect with them and assure that visitation times are aligned with them. They will be included in any emails related to the case, as well as any other providers identified as being integral to case planning. Case Aides will coordinate with other providers to provide seamless and responsive coordination of their plans with the visitation case plan.

• The first visit must be scheduled by the Case Aide within 5 business days of the initial referral. Any problems encountered by the Case Aide may be discussed with the Program Supervisor or Assistant Supervisor and may require communication with the assigned ADCS Specialist. The Parenting Time Specialist will keep ADCS informed on the case progression and include them on communications related to case visitation and planning. If the participants/placements are not responding to initial contact, the Case Aide will follow up with the ADCS team for any additional information regarding the new case. The Case Aide will continue to make efforts to reach out to participants and to communicate with ADCS. If the Case Aide cannot contact the participants via phone, text or email during multiple daily time frames (morning to evening) they will go to the participant’s home and/or place of frequency to attempt contact.

• The Case Aide will communicate to the ADCS Specialist if the new referral is not active after three

(3) days. If ADCS cannot locate or update information on the participants, the agency will give ADCS the information so they can address the lack of participation and determine if the case should be closed.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 42 of 47 2

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

• If the agency has not had an update within 14 days, the agency will request referral closure. If a response is not given in (5) days, the agency will close the case by sending in the Discharge Summary Report for approval and, if necessary, proceeding with the Service Request Closure process.

• The first contact with the family is essential to creating a positive connection and engaging the family in the process. Information about the services provided is shared, questions answered, and the identification of any barriers to successful visitations are addressed with the goal of problem-solving.

The Parenting Time Guidelines are reviewed with the parents, as well as reviewing how our observations will be recorded on the Summary of Parenting Time form.

• Case Aides will make every attempt to positively engage the families and encourage successful visitations. Reminders of scheduled parenting time will be sent by Case Aides to parents/caregivers through the most effective method for that family (ie: text, phone call or email). Any meetings that are cancelled will be re-scheduled within one week. Case Aides will attempt to contact the parents/caregivers if they are a No Show and wait at least 15 minutes for them to arrive to the scheduled visit. Case Aides understand the importance of forming a trusting and reliable relationship with new participants. First impressions and connections help to build a positive foundation and structure for future visits. Case Aides will make every effort to solve problems if there is difficulty making first contact, including visiting areas parents are known to frequent if they are unhoused, going directly to the participant's homes, and contacting listed family members.

• The Case Aide will observe and monitor the participant’s interactions and actively support the parent to meet the child’s needs when necessary to ensure the child’s well-being and safely. The Case Aide will provide support throughout the parenting time and will make every effort to ensure the parenting time may continue for the scheduled amount of time. The Case Aide will utilize the Parenting Time Guidelines as a foundation for reminding or reinforcing expectations. The Case Aide will supervise all aspects of the visit unless the ADCS specialist has recommended changes to the visitation times or level of supervision.

• If there is a lack of consistent attendance to visits or no shows, the Case Aide will keep ADCS informed and immediately address issues with the parent/caregiver in a positive, proactive manner to problem solve concerns and get visitation schedules aligned with case plan goals. Case Aides who have repeated problems or questions related to case management, and who feel they need additional communication with a parent/caregiver’s team, may request to be involved in service provider case planning to share information and ask for assistance and knowledge related to a case. A Case Aide must receive approval from the Program Supervisor before requesting to attend team planning meetings.

• Any missed or canceled visits will be rescheduled within a week and the Case Aide will involve the Program Supervisor or Asst. Supervisor if scheduling is difficult so that logistical issues will not interfere with planning and scheduling.

• Our Case Aides provide regular weekly updates to case managers through several avenues. Case summary reports are uploaded into Guardian within (7) business days, and any email related to the

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 43 of 47 2

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 case will be copied to the ADCS Specialist if there is a concern over canceled visits, placement concerns, or no shows. Case Aides make every attempt to help participants understand their responsibility related to engaging in the Parenting Time visitation process.

• Case Aides will document visitations on the Summary of Parenting Time form which will be entered into Guardian by our Assistant Supervisor by 5:00 pm on the Friday following the week services were provided or missed/canceled when the visit was scheduled. Communication is documented through email follow up with the Program Supervisor, ADCS, the participant and placement and is to be included on the Summary of Parenting Time. Case Aides are trained to keep all emails and communication in case files on our confidential cloud-based communication system (Zoho Technology Office Suite).

• Staff will inform the ADCS specialist that the referral will expire (30) days prior to the end of the referral, as well as weekly attempts if no response is received. Once the referral expires, and no response is received, the agency will proceed with service closure.

• Upon discharge approval, the discharge summary will be uploaded into Guardian within (7) business days.

• Our Assistant Supervisor maintains a secure spreadsheet on our agency’s encrypted cloud storage system that includes all relevant agency data to ensure that everything is completed and submitted on time. Dates and details related to contacts, visits, Guardian uploads and closures are all documented in the storage system. The spreadsheet acts as a "catch all" for information about all agency cases and assists in the communication process for the delivery of service and coordination of care. The spreadsheet allows for quick response to questions, communications, and planning.

Our agency uses appropriate system management and maintenance, as well as fraud prevention and detection to protect our data and protect the privacy of our confidential data, per the Privacy Rule.

Question 3: Describe your process for communication with the State specific to contract administration, including but not limited to, personnel changes, updated agency information, VPR related issues and general communications. Identify any key roles or points of contact.

Casa D'Amore Family Care is proactive and engaged in communication with all levels of service and management within and outside of the agency. Overall, administration of the agency is managed by both the Chief Executive Officer and the Program Supervisor. This allows for shared communication channels to be assured that information is transparent and managed in a collaborative culture of shared leadership.

a. The Chief Executive Officer manages contract Administration and collaborates with the Program

Supervisor on issues related to contract management. This includes communication on contract changes, use of Guardian and other internal technology and communication systems and all financial management. The CEO will monitor contract compliance internally and communicate with ADCS on questions or changes to our organizational structure or agency information. The CEO manages all financial responsibilities related to financial operations, budget management, financial forecasting and

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 44 of 47 2

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 timely invoicing and ensuring the agency is successful. The CEO facilitates hiring of key supervisor personnel positions and organizational changes within the agency related to service delivery and program fidelity and communicates these changes to ADCS contract administration. The CEO also attends any provider meetings or state level Director or leadership meetings and initiates internal training planning for enhancement beyond required ADCS training. The CEO evaluates the Supervisor and assesses the agency is meeting the vision and goals related to the contract, culture and future of the organization. Additionally, the CEO completes all invoicing and submits it in a timely fashion.

b. The Program Supervisor oversees all internal operations related to implementation of the SOW and personnel management including hiring and training and communicates any personnel changes relative to contract management with ADCS. This includes communication through email with the Field Operations personnel for ADCS and ADCS specialists related to case management. The Program Supervisor communicates case management with ADCS supervisor staff, manages internal and external issues related to cases or communication with ADCS specialists, coordinates with outside agencies for mandatory training needs and overall daily management of visitation building and visitation schedule, and works with the community of providers to enhance community visitation opportunities.

She provides reflective supervision and evaluation of staff. The Program Supervisor manages and schedules the language interpretation needs. The Program Supervisor also completes the Monthly Capacity Reports and communicates this information to ADCS. In addition, the Program Supervisor keeps a daily tally of case assignments and movement to assess case compliance. Along with the Assistant Supervisor, the Program Supervisor also: completes any contract-related reporting duties;

balances payroll budget concerns; exerts quality control over Case Aide invoices; and manages staff scheduling related to the proper coverage of visits (accounting for staff vacation days, sick days, emergencies, etc).

c. The Program Supervisor and Chief Executive Officer manage problems related to any complaint, incident reporting or Vendor Performance Report together to communicate and resolve issues quickly and effectively. The Program Supervisor and CEO work together on any court related concerns and manage communication of any serious issues related to cases or contracts with outside providers, families and/or ADCS to keep all parties informed and involved in collaborative resolutions and positive outcomes. The Program Supervisor and/or CEO will communicate concerns or questions with our Statewide Service Coordinator, making certain to keep the coordinator in the lines of communication on any concerns that relate to service delivery or meeting contract requirements.

d. The Assistant Supervisor will act in place of the Program Supervisor if the Program Supervisor is unavailable, including conducting evaluation measures with staff. The Asst. Supervisor will manage all data input into Guardian, uploading reports, double checking timelines are met, assisting Case Aides on day-to-day management issues. The Asst. Supervisor also keeps daily reports in a Tracker Spreadsheet to keep real time data on how cases are being managed. If any problems arise the Asst.

Supervisor will alert the Case Aide and the Program Supervisor to quickly intervene in any potential problems. The Asst. Supervisor also assists with the hiring process and facilitates the paperwork process for new hires with ADCS including submission of background checks and required hiring documentation and compliance.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 45 of 47 2

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

e. The Program Facilitator is an administrative support to the Parenting Time Program in relation to posting Case Aide positions, screening applicants, contacting potential applicants and screening with a pre-interview question process to guide potential hires to understand the position they are applying for, check for candidate readiness and qualifications and check if candidates meet hiring criteria. This pre-employment process helps to quickly identify potential employees and allows us to quickly move a candidate into the interview process and hopefully be welcomed into a position with Casa D'Amore Family Care. Additionally, the Program Facilitator supports the monthly ADCS invoicing task by gathering the required data, reviewing and correcting errors, calculating visitation hours and mileage totals per case and submitting to the CEO for submittal to ADCS in a timely fashion.

Casa D’Amore Family Care prioritizes accuracy, thoroughness and timeliness in our communications to avoid misunderstandings. In conclusion, our communication process with ADCS contract management and compliance is structured, transparent, and responsive. Our dedicated administration in our Parenting Time Program facilitates seamless interactions, ensuring that personnel changes, agency updates, VPR issues, and general communication are effectively managed. This approach enhances collaboration and contributes to the successful administration of our Parenting Time contract.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 46 of 47 2

Solicitation No. BPM006769 Parenting Time Services

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Question 4: Provide a detailed response for each of the following bullet points listed below:

• How does your agency ensure service delivery practices are in line with service design and best practice? Describe any internal monitoring, quality assurance processes, or staff oversight used to maintain quality across all referrals.

• Agency's process for ensuring annual training and continued education are met? What considerations does your agency take when identifying opportunities for staff knowledge enhancement?

• What strategies does your agency use to promote positive parent-child interactions, include strategies to de-escalate challenging situations?

• Explain your approach to ensure safety during transportation, including process for vetting vehicles and mitigating potential risk.

Offeror Response:

• How does your agency ensure service delivery practices are in line with service design and best practice? Describe any internal monitoring, quality assurance processes, or staff oversight used to maintain quality across all referrals:

Our agency's initial set-up of our Supervised Visitation program was designed to be in line with the SOW guidelines in the contract and any necessary revisions have been made along the way as changes have occurred to maintain fidelity and quality across referrals. With the awarding of the Parenting Time contract, we will undergo a review of our service delivery practices and make any further adjustments as needed to be sure our service delivery practices have fidelity with the design of the contract. This will include the following:

• Review of current onboarding processes to incorporate changes to supervision guidelines (Parenting

Time guidelines), contractual changes and paperwork or Guardian changes. We will train all staff on changes before implementation of contract go-live date. In addition, support will be provided through individual reflective supervision meetings, review of paperwork and deadlines by administrative personnel daily, and monthly/weekly meetings as needed to review and discuss implementation changes. These training processes will assure the fidelity and quality of our agency's service delivery practices aligned with the new Parenting Time service delivery.

• Changes to service delivery hours may fluctuate at ADCS request and specialized service requests from ADCS will be managed and addressed using flexible scheduling options and, if necessary, multiple case aide management. These changes will be addressed quickly, within one week, to maintain quality service delivery and continuity of case visitation. Changes that require multiple case aides or transportation outside the county will be communicated with ADCS to review solutions relative to the time and staffing requirements for case management.

• Our agency utilizes daily review and management of cases each day for compliance and fidelity related to staff expectations, level of supervision and meeting contractual guidelines. Administrative staff will supervise specific changes in service delivery daily, sending reminders to staff, reviewing changes to protocol and communicating any changes/reviews to all staff for consistent

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 47 of 47 2

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 implementation. This internal monitoring process will result in regular audit checks for accuracy and compliance with program changes and fidelity, maintaining quality across all referrals.

• Our agency will continue to solicit feedback from both staff and participants as well as ADCS, purposefully engaging in conversations related to successful quality assured practices for service delivery under the new Parenting Time program. This will be done through surveys, meetings with staff, administration shadowing cases, and administration following up with participants for quality checks on visitation outcomes to gain insight and feedback on program fidelity and to identify areas in need of attention or improvement.

• Documentation Review: Our process for documentation review provides a second set of eyes to review every report and summary along with closure and discharge documents to assure accuracy, answer questions and keep case review current and in real time. The Program Supervisor is copied on any emails or information related to cases that are escalated due to case management problems. This internal monitoring process allows for continual compliance review and provides internal transparency between Parenting Time Case Aides, administration and ADCS.

These internal monitoring measures of review, compliance, transparency and staff oversight provide assurance that our service delivery remains faithful to our service design. This commitment to fidelity and quality assurance is part of our agency's operations and integral to a successful program of support and nurturing for our families served.

• Agency's process for ensuring annual training and continued education is met? What considerations does your agency take when identifying opportunities for staff knowledge enhancement?

The Casa D'Amore Family Care agency ensures that all staff are provided with opportunities for annual training and continued education in topics essential to our field of work and population served. We provide in-person trainings, webinars, and CBT via our account with the Relias learning system. We provide in-person training for all staff on relevant and current topics. For example, we have provided our staff with in-person trainings on Trauma Informed Care, sex trafficking, substance abuse, and Narcan. We ensure that everyone can attend by surveying our staff regarding dates and times that work for them and then providing the training on different days and times to accommodate staff. We have been very successful with staff attendance by utilizing this process. We train our Group Home and Supervised Visitation staff together, which provides opportunities for staff to gain insight into a child's life through both their placement situations and out-of-home visitation experiences, providing different perspectives with opportunities to discuss from both viewpoints.

We have also provided training via live webinars on topics such as child sex trafficking, substance use and awareness and helping children in out-of-home care cope and enjoy the holidays. Annual training also includes reviews of incident report training, professional boundaries and car seat training to ensure staff are meeting the current car seat regulations.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 48 of 47 2

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

All staff in the Parenting Time Services program complete the ADCS Parenting Time Case Aide Training for onboarding which will be provided through the ADCS Learning and Development before any services are provided to clients. In addition to Onboarding training which is provided both in-person and also via the Relias Onboarding Training Plan, we also provide annual training via both in-person and Relias. We currently have 2 training plans we created through Relias for staff at the Supervised Visitation program (which will continue with the Parenting Time contract). Training plans are assigned to each staff member for completion within a specific time frame. The modules vary in time required from 30 minutes to two hours. Each one has a quiz over the content at the end which is required to be taken and passed before credit is given for it. The Assistant Supervisor assigns the modules to Case Aides and monitors their progress for successful completion.

The following is our ONBOARDING TRAINING and includes the following modules:

• Cultural Awareness and Humility

• Writing Effectively in the Workplace

• HIPAA: Privacy Rule

• Harassment in the Workplace

• Understanding Workplace Violence

• Boundary Risks for Behavioral Health Paraprofessionals

• Essentials of Communication: and Communication Effectiveness

• Working More Effectively with LGBTQ+ Children and Youth

• Trauma Informed Care and its impact in Parenting Time

• Preventing and De-escalating Crisis Situations

• Incident Reporting Procedures

• Positive Behavior Supports and Non-Verbal De-escalation

• Car Seat Training (provided in-person and via CBT)

• Arizona Mandated Reporter Law Training

This Training Plan is designed to provide information on professional topics and skills to inform the Case Aide while completing their required job tasks. In addition, we provide training specific to the needs of individual's managing difficult cases to address specific case needs or compliance. Our On-Boarding includes reviewing community visits and the process for considering new opportunities for community visits. We address standards of practice for in-home visits and safety related to both community and in-home visits.

Our annual training plan is titled PARENTING INFORMATION, which includes the following modules and/or in person training:

• An Overview of Abusive Head Trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome)

• Overview of ADHD for Paraprofessionals

• Domestic Violence Effects on Children

• The Impact of Parental Substance Use Disorders on Children and Families

• Addressing and Preventing Challenging Behavior in Early Childhood

• Crisis Intervention and De-escalation (CPI)

• Parasites-Lice, Scabies, and Bed Bugs

• Attachment Disorders

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 49 of 47 2

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

• Developmentally Appropriate Activities for Infants and Toddlers

• Developmental Stages from Birth to Five Years Old

• Sex Trafficking

• Narcan training

This training plan is designed to provide Case Aides with information to assist them in their interactions with children and families.

We stay informed on current relevant and timely training experiences for our staff, and review information regarding training we receive via email from ADCS and other entities providing training in the social services field. When we find topics that fit with our needs, we pursue them and find a way to provide the training for our staff. Training that is more appropriately handled in person is managed with trained staff, such as CPI De-escalation training and Sex Trafficking Awareness. We also assess staff car seat training in person by visually requiring them to go through the process of putting car seats in and out of their cars or the agency vehicles. Additionally, ADCS provides a car seat training via CBT.

Training hours are recorded and placed in each staff member's personnel file within two weeks after the training is completed. The Casa D'Amore Family Care agency values the many positive benefits for our staff and our population served when we our staff are knowledgeable and trained on both required and relevant issues.

• What strategies does your agency use to promote positive parent-child interactions, include strategies to de-escalate challenging situations?

Casa D’Amore Family care uses several different strategies to promote positive parent-child interactions.

• Case Aides are trained to read and gather all information relative to a case prior to meeting with the family. Communication with ADCS is made prior to the first visit to assure there are no gaps in communication related to any concerns that may exist. If the family has a history of communication issues or problems in prior visitations, these are discussed and problem solved prior to the first visit and during a discussion of the Parenting Time Guidelines,

• Case Aides encourage active listening for parents to promote positive attention and proactive listening skills.

• Case Aides are trained on verbal de-escalation to help mitigate any concerns related to parent/child interactions or issues with the parents. Case Aides help the family stay calm, acknowledging both the parent and the child’s feelings. Parents are allowed to step out of the visit to compose themselves to continue with their visit more effectively.

• Case Aides are trained in how to manage inappropriate conversations between parents and children and how to re-direct toward more appropriate conversations, this includes conversations that may involve ADCS case information or questioning.

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SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A Page 50 of 47 2

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

• Open-ended questions are encouraged and modeled by the Case Aides to help the conversation continue between the parent and child. This also includes encouraging the parents to praise their children for their accomplishments.

• Parents are encouraged to plan activities in advance and offer acceptable suggestions for their visits based on what the children like, such as: painting, making puzzles, and playing boardgames.

• If a child is active, we encourage having visits at the park where children and parents can play sports (if community visits are approved).

• Case Aides remind the parents the importance of attending their visits consistently.

• When it is evident parents are not sure how to deal with certain situations while engaging in a visit, Case Aides will model behavior for parents, as well as demonstrate how to redirect difficult behaviors.

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