CONGREGATE CARE SCOPE OF SERVICE.pdf

FOR CHILDREN | FOR FAMILIES | FOR MISSISSIPPI

SECTION 2: Scope of Services and Requirements

2.1 Purpose

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) seeks to engage vendors who will actively participate in the MDCPS Continuum of Care (CoC). This solicitation aims to select award recipients to deliver specified services outlined in the proposal. Vendors can submit proposals to operate either a single facility or multiple facilities. Chosen agencies will undergo an organizational needs assessment, receive training for foster caregivers and staff, and review policies to better support and sustain the needs of the youth.

The MDCPS Continuum of Care is a network of partnering agencies working together to protect children and provide a comprehensive range of family-centered services. These services cater to children at all levels of involvement with the child protection system, covering prevention services, medical and legal support, licensed foster homes, and residential treatment settings.

When out-of-home placements are deemed necessary, the CoC ensures that children and youth are placed in quality therapeutic foster homes that are safe, licensed, child and family-centered, and trauma-informed. The CoC’s goal is to establish and maintain a robust statewide partnership of organizations serving children and youth in foster care, aiming to significantly reduce placement disruptions, decrease congregate care placements, and achieve permanency.

Each partnering agency within the CoC commits to its designated service role as per the contract and is required to engage in evidence-based practices that promote physical and psychological safety, shared parenting, and a culture of trauma awareness. Agencies must also actively collaborate with MDCPS on youth admissions and discharge transitions, ensuring that youth are not denied admission or discharge based on agreed contract criteria.

It is understood that any contract resulting from this RFQ may require approval by the Public Procurement Review Board (PPRB). If any contract resulting from this RFQ is not approved by MDCPS and/or PPRB (if required), it is void and no payment shall be made.

2.2 Scope of Services

MDCPS is seeking to procure the services of vendors that will agree to be an active participant in the MDCPS Continuum of Care. The outcome of this Solicitation will be the selection of an award recipient(s) to accomplish specified services contained in the proposal. Proposers may submit a proposal to operate a single facility or multiple facilities.

The MDCPS Continuum of Care (CoC) serves as a network of partnering agencies that work collectively to ensure that children are protected and are provided with a wide range of family centered services that meet their needs at any level of involvement with the child protection system. Ultimately, the CoC network of partner providers spans the entire spectrum of child protection services to include prevention services, medical and legal supports, licensed foster homes, and residential treatment settings.

When out-of-home placements have been deemed in the best interest of the child, the CoC ensures that children and youth are provided with quality therapeutic foster homes that are safe, licensed, child and family-centered, and trauma-informed. Moreover, the CoC purpose is to establish and maintain a robust statewide partnership consisting of organizations that serve children and youth in foster care that are committed to significantly decreasing overall placement disruptions, reducing congregate care placements, and achieving permanency.

As a part of the Continuum of Care, each partnering agency commits to its designated service role (according to the contract) within the CoC and is required to engage in evidence-based practices that promote physical and psychological safety, shared parenting, a culture of trauma awareness, and actively collaborate with MDCPS regarding youth admissions and discharge transitions. In addition, CoC members agree to work diligently to ensure that youth are not denied admission and/or discharge based upon agreed contract criteria. Ultimately, CoC members actively coordinate with MDCPS and other members of the CoC regarding referrals, admissions, discharges, placement transitions, and aftercare recommendations/services. Additional details and requirements for each setting type can be found here.

The Continuum of Care statewide partnership is comprised of dedicated organizations that serve children and youth in the following settings:

•Adolescent Diversion Units / Access Units are less structured and formalized than emergency shelters and shall include fully furnished living environments that include internet capability. Adolescent Diversion Units / Access Units will offer time limited use of individual spaces for youth in foster care. MDCPS will provide supervision via the use of approved caretakers 24 hours a day / 7 days a week as all youth must receive 24-hour supervision. The Partner Provider agrees to notify MDCPS when their staffing capacity to provide supervision of youth is in place.

•Intake and Assessment Centers (Emergency Shelters) (IAC) shall be designated to provide emergency and/or temporary residential services (up to 60 days) to meet the basic needs of children and youth ages ten (10) to twenty-one (21). Intake and Assessment Centers are short term solutions for children and youth entering care until permanency may be achieved. No child shall remain in an Intake and Assessment Center for more than sixty (60) calendar days unless there are exceptional circumstances and the MDCPS Deputy Commissioner of Well-being and Safety has granted express written approval and documented the need for the extension. Placement of children or youth in facilities of this type will not occur prior to each facility’s satisfaction of all requirements for licensure.

•Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP) are a specific category of a congregate care setting, for which agencies must meet detailed assessment, case planning, documentation, judicial determination and ongoing review and permanency hearing requirements for a child to be placed in and continue to receive title IV-E FCMP’s for the placement. The facility must also meet the definition of a CCI at sections 472(c)(2)(A) and (C) of the Social Security Act, including that it must be licensed (in accordance with section 471(a)(10) of the Act and that criminal record and child abuse and neglect registry checks must be completed in accordance with section 471(a)(20)(D) of the Social Security Act. Placement of children or youth in facilities of this type will not occur prior to each facility’s satisfaction of all requirements for licensure.

•Specialized Group Care for Minor Victims of Sex Trafficking (SGC) is a setting that is licensed to provide 24-hour care and supervision for children and youth identified to be involved in sex trafficking. Providers of this setting conduct services for commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC). This term is to be considered synonymously with victims of human trafficking or victims at risk of human trafficking and must meet the licensing requirements outlined in the Congregate Care Licensure Standards in addition to the program requirements outlined in this rule. Placement of children or youth in facilities of this type will not occur prior to each facility’s satisfaction of all requirements for licensure.

•Supervised Independent Living (SIL) is a licensed or approved setting in which young adults in foster care can reside in the least restrictive, non-traditional environment while continuing to receive casework and supportive services that promote independence and will help them become self-sufficient. The program should encompass a balance between independence and dependence. Young adults in the program should not require 24-hour supervision but have scheduled and unscheduled intermittent check-ins. Youth (ages 18-

21) currently in foster care that has been assessed and determined to be ready for living independently with supportive services provided by the approved Partner Provider.

Supportive services shall be provided by the program Partner Provider.

• Teen Maternity Homes are settings specializing in providing therapeutic prenatal, postpartum, or parenting supports for youth in foster care - ages twelve (12) years of age through age twenty (20) years and (11) eleven months.

• Therapeutic Foster Homes are licensed or approved by the state as a foster family home that meets the standards established to provide care for children or youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance in a family setting, utilizing specially trained foster parents.

Therapeutic Foster Care services are intensive and supportive services provided to children in the custody of MDCPS. These children have significant medical, developmental, emotional, or behavioral needs, who with additional resources, can remain in a family setting and achieve positive growth and development. Services include specialized training, clinical support, and in-home intervention to therapeutic foster parents and the child, allowing the child to remain in a family home setting.

• Therapeutic Group Home Services shall provide services to children in MDCPS custody ages ten (10) to twenty (20) years (or until the twenty first (21st) birthday if custody has been extended by the court) and should be designed to meet the needs of children who are unable to live at home, or with a Foster Family) with at least moderate emotional, behavioral, medical, or developmental problems, for instance, bipolar disorder, dysthymia (depression), intermittent explosive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, sexually deviant behavior, intellectual disability/developmental delays, behavior disorder, mental illness/on medication, other diagnosed psychiatric disorders according to the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders and therefore require temporary therapeutic and mental health services in a group care setting that is integrated within the community.

The goal for children in therapeutic group homes is lasting permanency through reunification, relative care, adoption or guardianship. Therefore, the primary work with the child and family should be focused on making this happen. The Therapeutic Group Home Applicant shall provide structure, therapeutic support, behavioral intervention and other services identified in a child’s permanency plan for children with moderate clinical and behavioral needs. The Therapeutic Group Home Program shall be designed for children and youth in need of twenty-four (24) hour care and integrated planning to address behavioral, emotional, or family problems and the need for progressive reintegration into family and community living. Children and youth in a therapeutic group home placement shall remain involved in community-based schools (if possible) and participate in community and school-based recreational activities with appropriate supervision. Placement of children or youth in facilities of this type will not occur prior to said facilities satisfaction of all requirements for licensure.

• Traditional Foster Homes are licensed or approved by the state as a foster home that meets the standards established to provide care for children in a family setting with licensed foster parents to support lasting permanency and/or reunification with biological families.

• Traditional Group Home Services shall be designed to provide services to children and youth in MDCPS custody ages ten (10) to twenty (20) years (or until the twenty-first (21st) birthday if custody has been extended by the court). Group Homes may serve children younger than ten (10), upon written approval by the Assistant Deputy Commissioner (ADC), when they are siblings of a resident over age ten (10). The goal for children in Group Home Care is lasting permanency through reunification, relative care, adoption, or guardianship.

The purpose of Group Home Care is to provide an environment and services that will help children, and their families develop the necessary skills to support lasting permanency.

The Group Home shall provide services to help children and youth return to their families, transition to a less restrictive setting, or to independent living. Placement of children or youth in facilities of this type will not occur prior to said facilities satisfaction of all requirements for licensure.The outcome of this Solicitation will be the selection of an award recipient(s) to accomplish specified services contained in the proposal. Proposers may submit a proposal to operate a single facility or multiple facilities. In the event of multiple facilities being a part of the same campus under a contracted provider’s network of services, each individual facility must meet all requirements for licensure before the placement of children and youth can occur. Proposals must explain the Provider’s expertise and/or history in the provision of residential services.

Please refer to the specific setting type for additional details and requirements. All proposals must contain language on how the proposer can meet the identified needs of children and their families.

The proposal shall describe in detail specialized training given to direct care and administrative staff to adequately prepare them to provide care to children in a trauma-informed manner. Proposals must explain how providers will address behavior management, methods of crisis intervention and stabilization, and strategies of behavior de-escalation.

MDCPS is seeking providers who demonstrate they will use a collaborative problem– solving approach and provide a child-centered nurturing environment. Proposers must acknowledge the performance measures outlined in the MDCPS Congregate Care Partner Provider Scorecard that will determine the effectiveness of their program.

Note:The MDCPS Congregate Care Provider Scorecard (see: Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) is a performance evaluation tool for agencies serving youth in foster care, focusing on Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being using nineteen (19) key metrics, with deficient outcomes (below 80% or 70% in safety) triggering Corrective Action Plans and potentially impacting contract renewal, ensuring providers meet standards for child welfare in Mississippi.