6142-0 final.pdf

Bid # S-10000-00014040/ODHS #6142 6142-0 final D10 ISRS Direct Award Public Notice adb

PUBLIC NOTICE

OF INTENT TO DIRECT AWARD FOR

IN-HOME SAFETY AND REUNIFICATION SERVICES (ISRS)

IN DISTRICT 10

1. Pursuant to the authority granted under OAR 125-246-0170(2)(d)(D), the State of

Oregon, acting by and through its Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS);

Office of Child Welfare Programs, District 10 Administration, intends to enter into a contract with The Family Nurturing Center for the provision of In-Home Safety and Reunification Services (ISRS) in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson Counties to safely reduce the number of children who enter or remain in foster care. The focus of ISRS is safety and change.

2. Definitions. For purposes of this document, capitalized terms shall have the following meanings:

a. “Caseworker” means ODHS’ Child Welfare staff. Although The Family Nurturing Center will coordinate aspects of an individual Family case management responsibility with one primary Child Welfare Caseworker, there are circumstances where the term Caseworker will also include ODHS supervisors, managers or technical staff, and can include Child Welfare workers with experience in other child welfare disciplines, such as Child Protective Services (CPS), foster care, family based services, residential services or adoptions, among others.

b. “Change Service” means a service to assist parents to meet the expected outcomes of the case plan. Change Services assist parents to make demonstrable changes to the diminished protective capacities that lead to their Child(ren) being unsafe.

c. “Child” or “Children” means an individual under 21 years of age who qualifies for Child Welfare services provided by ODHS.

d. “Culturally Responsive” means to adapt, honor, and align with the beliefs, practices, culture, and linguistic needs of diverse populations and communities whose members identify as having particular cultural or linguistic affiliations by virtue of their place of birth, ancestry or ethnic origin, religion, preferred language or language spoken at home. Culturally Responsive services are adapted to the varied and intersecting biological, social, and cultural categories such as gender identity, class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, caste, and other axes of identity.

e. “Family” means, at a minimum but not to the exclusion of, siblings as defined in ORS 419A.004 or other persons living in the same household with a Child, the Child and:

(1) The Child’s parent as defined in ORS 419A.004;

(2) The Child’s guardian appointed pursuant to ORS chapter 125; or

(3) A person who has a caregiver relationship as defined in ORS 419B.116 with the Child.

f. “Safety Service” means a protective action within an ongoing safety plan composed of actions, activities, tasks, or imposed situations that may be formal or informal; provided by professionals and non-professionals for the purpose of managing or controlling impending danger threats. Safety Services must have an immediate effect; must be immediately available; must always be accessible; and must be sufficient to control impending danger. Safety Services are grouped according to five objectives: behavior management; crisis management; social connection; separation; and resource support.

3. Services to be Provided. The Family Nurturing Center will provide the following services:

a. Safety Services. As a Safety Services provider, The Family Nurturing Center will participate in protective action plans, initial safety plans, or ongoing safety plans where The Family Nurturing Center’s actions, assistance, or supervision will help Families manage safety. An ODHS protective action or safety plan will outline the Safety Services and conditions designed to control a safety threat through in-home observation, supervision, and specific intervention. The Family Nurturing Center will be required to confirm conditions outlined in the protective action or safety plan on each contact with ODHS referred Families. The Family Nurturing Center will be expected to provide Safety Services that, in whole or in part, have been identified in the ODHS protective action or safety plan. The identified Safety Services will have immediate impact with respect to controlling identified safety threats. The parent or caregiver who is the alleged perpetrator of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or domestic violence will not be used to provide protection.

Protective action or safety plans may include, but are not limited to, the following array of services:

(1) Supervision and monitoring Child(ren) safety by direct observation;

(2) Stress reduction;

(3) Basic parenting assistance;

(4) Respite care;

(5) Social, or emotional support, or both;

(6) Safe housing assistance;

(7) Food/clothing/basic needs;

(8) Assistance to access emergency medical, mental health, and addition services as needed;

(9) Stabilization of home environment assuring Child’s needs for stability and safety from potential abusers and dangerous home conditions; or

(10) Monitoring and supporting the Family’s self-managed safety.

b. Ongoing Safety Services Expectations. The Family Nurturing Center will provide ongoing Culturally Responsive safety services that include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Maintain and carry out all scheduled appointments, which are part of the protective action or safety plan;

(2) Follow consistent and planned responses to determine Child(ren) safety, when the Family is not available for scheduled meetings or when the Family does not follow through with scheduled appointments;

(3) Notify the Caseworker when the Family misses a scheduled appointment;

(4) Hold unscheduled meetings with the Family as necessary to assess Child(ren) safety;

(5) Assist parents to develop effective communication with their Caseworker which could include advocating for themselves and their Child(ren) or notifying the Caseworker about their difficulties in maintaining regularly scheduled meetings or appointments;

(6) Maintain frequent and regular communication with ODHS and all involved Safety Services providers; and

(7) Attend ODHS family meetings and scheduled case staff meetings, as directed by the ODHS Contract Administer, or delegate.

c. Change Services. The Family Nurturing Center will provide Change Services utilizing Culturally Responsive interventions with demonstrated effectiveness for improving Child safety. When services are initiated before final development of the ODHS case plan, The Family Nurturing Center will use professional judgment to evaluate and report on parental capacity to protect their Child(ren) and recommend actions and services to the parents and ODHS which will improve parental care of their Child(ren). Change Services include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Crisis intervention services to address the crisis of disclosure of abuse, CPS assessment, and concerns when a significant Family member leaves the home;

(2) Working with non-offending caregivers to protect all Family members from the disruption of Family routines and to help them provide physical and emotional security in the home; and

(3) Motivational interviewing, collaborative problem solving, and parent– Child attachment coaching sessions. These services:

(a) May involve the use of parent-Child interaction interventions in live sessions and may also include parent sessions for review in small group formats. (e.g. attachment coaching);

(b) Utilize the existing protective capacity of caregivers and assist parents to improve the diminished protective capacities that led to their Child(ren) being unsafe;

(c) Help parents gain additional problem-solving skills to eventually become self-sufficient including the ability to access needed community services and supports;

(d) Help parents develop empathy for their Child(ren)’s experience and help the Child(ren) contribute to their solutions; and

(e) Help parents identify strategies for predictable problem solving relating to child behavior, child safety, depression, mood stabilization and other adult relationships.

d. Basic Home Management Skills. The Family Nurturing Center will provide basic Culturally Responsive home management skills that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Meal planning and dietary supports;

(2) Home safety planning and strategy;

(3) Budget development and financial education;

(4) Child activities and supervision; and

(5) Time management.

e. Self-Management Services. Self-management services help Families build additional problem-solving skills to eventually become self-sufficient. Services will assist parents to improve the diminished protective capacities that led to their Child(ren) being unsafe and will include skill building in problem solving to access needed community services and supports for themselves and their Child(ren). The Family Nurturing Center will provide Culturally Responsive self-management services that include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Facilitating access to counseling resources for Child(ren) that have experienced trauma through abuse and exposure to domestic violence.

This includes:

(a) Working with the non-offending parent to identify immediate and ongoing needs of Child victims, including siblings;

(b) Identifying and coordinating resources for counseling through commercial health insurance, the Oregon Health Plan, or from Oregon Department of Justice’s Crime Victims’ Compensation;

and

(c) Verifying that a Crime Victims’ Compensation assistance application is completed for all appropriate Child victims of crime.

(2) Collaborating with existing physical and behavioral health care providers to ensure coordination of services and supports that meet the Child(ren)’s needs. This includes:

(a) Identifying and coordinating resources through commercial health insurance and the Oregon Health Plan to meet health and safety needs of the Child(ren) and Family;

(b) Ensure that Child(ren) and Family have current health care insurance, and if not assist with renewing or obtaining coverage;

and

(c) If the Child(ren) or Family members are enrolled with a Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), assist Family with connection to CCO Intensive Care Coordination.

(3) Providing services as needed to help caregivers access and receive increased social support from Family friends and neighborhood programs tailored to the cultural and emotional needs of Family members.

f. Transportation Services. Contractor shall provide transportation services to Families as needed in order to facilitate participation in ISRS. ODHS prefers that all transportation services be provided using Contractor’s vehicles; however Contractor may provide these services through its employees’ personal vehicles if the employee’s vehicle meets the standard requirements found in Subsection e.

below.

(1) Policies and Procedures. Contractor shall create and adhere to written policies and procedures that describes the Contractor’s practices for ensuring the safety of all involved during the provision of transportation services. Contractor’s policies and procedures shall address all requirements of this Section 3.f., “Transportation Services.” Contractor shall make such policies and procedures available to the ODHS Contract Administrator or delegate upon request.

(2) Driving Record Evaluation and Risk Assessment. Contractor’s policies and procedures must include a process for conducting a driving record evaluation and risk assessment (“Assessment”) for each individual who will be performing the duties of a driver in providing transportation services under this Contract. The Contractor’s Assessment process must include (a) the requirement that the Assessment must be conducted before the individual begins performing the duties of a driver, and (b) verification of each individual’s current and valid driver’s license confirmed through a review of a current personal driving record from the Department of Motor Vehicles in all states in which the driver has held a license in the past three years. Contractor shall conduct an Assessment for each individual who will be performing the duties of a driver pursuant to Contractor’s policies and procedures. Contractor shall keep a copy of the completed Assessment in the driver’s personnel file and make available to ODHS upon request.

(3) Verification. Prior to performing transportation services, Contractor shall provide the ODHS Contract Administrator a completed “Contractor Staff Roster”, or other written document as approved by the ODHS Contract Administrator, verifying that each individual who will be performing the duties of a driver has been determined to be suitable to perform transportation services per the Contractor’s driving record evaluation and risk assessment process and procedure.

(4) Transportation Standards.

(a) Contractor shall ensure that each individual performing the duties of driver as part of providing transportation services under this

Contract follows all applicable traffic laws at all times when operating a vehicle.

(b) Contractor shall ensure that each individual performing transportation services, whether the individual is performing the duties of driver or not:

i. Receives a copy of Contractor’s policies and procedures that addresses all requirements of this Section 3.f., “Transportation Services.”;

ii. Does not carry on their person, nor shall the vehicle transport, guns, knives, or weapons of any type, or any potentially hazardous material while providing transportation services;

iii. Carry a fully charged and operational cellular telephone while providing transportation services and shall follow all applicable laws regarding use of telephonic devices while driving pursuant to ORS 811.507;

iv. Does not smoke, vape, or use any tobacco products while providing transportation services;

v. Requires all occupants properly use seat belts in accordance with Oregon law. This includes child safety systems pursuant to ORS 811.210; and

vi. Immediately notifies Contractor if involved in an accident, receives a traffic citation, or is convicted of a traffic violation at any time.

(c) Violations.

i. Contractor’s policies and procedures must include a process for addressing concerns if there is reason to believe an individual providing transportation services under this Contract has violated any of the transportation standards listed in Subsections (a) or (b) of this Subsection (4), “Transportation Standards.”;

ii. If Contractor discovers that an individual who performs the function of driver under this Contract has been convicted of any new traffic violations, Contractor shall immediately remove the individual from performing the function of driver under this Contract until the Contractor has conducted a new driving record evaluation and risk assessment pursuant to the Contractor’s policies and procedures; and

iii. If there is credible reason to believe that a new conviction or condition may be found during a criminal history check of an individual providing transportation services, whether performing the function of driver or not, Contractor shall initiate a new background check pursuant to OAR 407-007- 0220.

(5) Vehicle Standards. Contractor shall ensure each vehicle being used for transportation services under this Contract meets the following standards:

(a) Vehicle is properly registered;

(b) Vehicle is maintained in a safe operating condition;

(c) Vehicle has an uncluttered passenger compartment;

(d) Vehicle is covered by an insurance policy that is in full force and effect as required in Exhibit C, “Insurance Requirements”;

(e) Vehicle is equipped with a first aid kit;

(f) Vehicle contains vehicle manufactured seats and seat belts that are properly installed and maintained; and

(g) Vehicle has an appropriate and properly installed child safety seat if transporting children who are required to be in one based on the child’s age, weight, and height pursuant to ORS 811.210.

OTHER PROVIDER RESPONSE DUE. Any other organization or individual that feels that it can provide the same services in Deschutes, Crook, or Jefferson County, or any combination thereof, must contact April D. Barrett, prior to June 10, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time via e-mail at april.d.barrett@odhsoha.oregon.gov.

Sender should include “Bid #S-10000-00014040/ODHS #6142” in the subject line for easy identification.