11-10-16_Draft_PWS.pdf

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SECTION C – DESCRIPTION AND SPECIFICATIONS

DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

November 10, 2016

1.0 INTRODUCTION

On behalf of the U.S. Military Departments, including the National Guard and Reserves, the

Department of Defense (DoD) requires a Contractor to provide confidential non-medical counseling services to military service members and their families, through the Military &

Family Life Counseling (MFLC) program. The MFLC program addresses the behavioral and psychological health of military service members and their families. The MFLC program is one of the most critically important and highly visible programs within the DoD community.

The MFLC program utilizes:

1) General MFLC’s who support adult military members and families; and

2) Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) MFLC who support military children and youth.

Counseling services are currently provided at 223 military installations or nearby civilian communities located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and commonwealths, and 17 foreign countries. See section J-X Footprint. Counselors provide face-to-face, worldwide support through either rotational, surge, or on-demand assignments.

Counseling is usually provided by more than 2,000 rotational assignments, that is, over 2,000

MFLC and CYB-MFLC’s provide support on an on-going basis through rotational assignments of up to 12 months. Surge support is provided for a specified period of time of up to 90 days. On average, there are over 100 surge assignments supporting the Active duty component per year.

On-demand support is provided for a specified period of time, typically one to three days. There are approximately 42,000 hours of on-demand support per year. It is mandatory that prior to contract award, all counselors shall be licensed or certified, properly credentialed, ready to perform on the start date of this contract, and be compliant with industry accepted standards for the performance of non-medical counseling.

Counseling services shall be delivered in person usually at or near participating duty stations, but also within the associated civilian communities.

The Contractor shall have and maintain a worldwide deployable network of counselors available for immediate assignment, sufficient to meet the Government’s requirement for counselors described in section J-X Footprint. The Contractor shall maximize the use of locally/regionally based counselors and the efficient utilization of its worldwide network in filling and managing counselor assignments. The Contractor’s approach shall account for innovative approaches to the logistical complexities of managing worldwide counselor assignments in both CONUS and

OCONUS locations as described in section J-X Footprint. Travel shall not be reimbursed for

CONUS and this is inclusive of local travel mileage which will not be reimbursed by the

Government.

The Government will order counseling services through the use of Technical Direction Letters

(TDLs) and Unique Numerical Identifiers (UNIs) within the established contract.

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The MFLC program provides in person, confidential, non-medical counseling services to Active and Reserve component members and their families. The MFLC program began in 2004 as an initiative of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and

Family Policy (MC&FP). Non-medical counseling is designed to address issues that occur across the military lifestyle and help service members and their families cope with the normal reactions to the stressful/adverse situations. The counseling approach is psycho-educational, which helps participants learn to anticipate and resolve challenges associated with military life. Support is aimed at preventing the development or exacerbation of mental health conditions that may detract from military and family readiness. These services are intended to augment, not replace, other DoD support services/programs or staff available for active military, as well as Guard and

Reserve service members and their families.

The CYB-MFLC provide in person, confidential, non-medical counseling services that benefit military children. Everyone in a military family has to cope with deployments, relocation and the other demands of military life. Those demands may be most difficult for children, who may have to start over in new schools, have little or no control over where they go, and generally lack the coping skills of adults. CYB-MFLC’s understand the issues military children face and can provide support to meet their individual needs. CYB-MFLC’s play a key role in giving military children the support they may need during some of the more challenging periods of military life.

The overall goal is to give the military child, as well as the rest of the family, support through difficult situations.

MFLC and CYB-MFLC counseling services are confidential, with the exception of domestic violence, child abuse/neglect, suicidal or homicidal threats, or other threats of harm to self or others.

Counselors must adhere to commercial and professional standards of practice set forth by, federal, state, and local laws, as well as relevant DoD/Military Branch of Service policies. For all types of counseling an understanding of the military lifestyle is required. For all domestic U.S.

assignments, all counselors must be licensed in the state in which the participant is receiving services. For all foreign assignments, all counselors may be licensed in any state, the District of

Columbia, a U.S. territory or commonwealth.

1.1 BACKGROUND

The MFLC program was established to expand access to confidential counseling and reduce the barriers and stigma often associated with seeking counseling support. Due to past and present deployments of U.S. military service members to locations such as Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of world conflict, military members and families may be subject to extreme stress. The stresses of military life are complex, requiring a wide range of problem solving skills in areas such as: single parenting; child care; spousal employment; fluctuating family income; frequent relocations; isolation from other extended family members; child education; and children coping with the absence of a parent. The DoD recognizes these difficulties and is committed to providing the necessary counseling support.

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Active participation in counseling programs by military service members and their families is highly encouraged by DoD. In order to meet this widely recognized need, DoD created the

MFLC Program, facilitating private and confidential services outside the chain of command.

The current requirements for MFLC and CYB-MFLC counseling services are provided by contracts awarded in August 2012 with a five year period of performance expiring August 2017.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide in-person, confidential, non-medical, counseling services in support of the MFLC program, to support all Active and Reserve component military service members and their families, including severely injured service members and their families. The non-medical counseling services shall be provided by licensed or certified counselors. These non-medical counseling services shall not be associated with any Military Medical Treatment Facility

(MTF), mental health counseling service, TRICARE, or any other medical providers.

Non-medical counseling is defined as short term non-therapeutic counseling that is not appropriate for individuals needing clinical therapy. Non-medical counseling is supportive in nature and addresses: conditions of living; life skills; improving relationships at home and at work; stress management; adjustment issues, such as those related to returning from deployment;

marital problems; parenting; and fear, grief and loss.

Eligible participants may receive up to twelve non-medical counseling sessions per person per issue annually at no cost to the participants.

2.1 ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for counseling services is outlined in DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6490.06 Counseling

Services for DoD Military, Guard and Reserve, Certain Affiliated Personnel, and their Family

Members. Eligibility for counseling services is amplified in the Eligibility Matrix provided in section J-X Eligibility Matrix. The Government will provide this section after award.

Individuals are eligible to be MFLC program participants and receive all services as follows.

1) Active duty members of the Military Services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air

Force) and their immediate family, which includes spouses as defined by 1 U.S.C. section

7, children, and anyone who has legal responsibility for a Service member’s children or dependent parent during deployment or separation;

2) Members of the Army and Air National Guard, the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air

Force Reserves (including the Selected Reserve, Individual Ready Reserve, and Standby

Reserve), regardless of activation status, and their immediate family, which includes spouses as defined by 1 U.S.C. Section 7, children, and anyone who has legal responsibility for a

Service member’s children or dependent parent during deployment or separation.

3) Members of the U.S. Coast Guard on active duty and activated reserve personnel deployed or mobilized under the Title 10 authority of the DoD.

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4) Members of the DoD Civilian Expeditionary Workforce during the 90 days prior to deployment and 180 days post-deployment, and their immediate family, which includes spouses as defined by 1 U.S.C. Section 7, children, and anyone who has legal responsibility for a Civilian Expeditionary Worker’s children or dependent parent during deployment or separation (Attachment J-4g).

5) If non-military dependent youth are in the classroom and/or group/camp setting together with military connected youth, the CYB-MFLC shall support the classroom and/or group/camp as a whole to include both the military connected and non-military connected youth.

6) Support for civilians is limited to members of the DoD Civilian Expeditionary Workforce and their immediate family members.

7) Caregivers for military personnel and their families.

The individuals listed below are NOT eligible:

8) Civilian children are not eligible to receive MFLC program services; this includes civilian parents and or guardians of the civilian children attending the schools, Child Development

Centers (CDC), camps, and Youth and Teen Centers. Civilian children are not eligible to receive counseling on a one-on-one basis; therefore they are not permitted to have a signed consent form to authorize the CYB-MFLC to meet with the child.

2.2 OUT OF SCOPE

Non-medical counseling shall not include: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Traumatic

Brain Injury (TBI); any mental disorders identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders (DSM 5); child abuse; sexual assault; domestic abuse; duty to warn (harm to self or others); clinical mental health counseling, treatment and/or therapy; and substance abuse treatment. In addition, pre-marital counseling, or any other counseling typically provided by military chaplains, which addresses spiritual and religious values, marital roles, and family planning is excluded.

Telephonic counseling or other electronic modes of communication, such as web based, secure online chat, or video based communications (Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangout, Webex, Zoom, etc.), are prohibited as counseling under this contract.

Handoff, Referrals or Notification Requirements

The following special out of scope situations have requirements involving protocols for: a handoff or referral to another provider; and/or a duty to notify and report.

1) PTSD / TBI - PTSD, TBI, and any mental disorders identified in the DSM 5 are NOT authorized for support. However, the Contractor shall refer participants with these

Section C, Page 5 of 28 conditions via a warm handoff to behavioral health, TRICARE, MTF, or other providers of professional mental health services as appropriate. The procedures for all hand-offs/referrals will ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the participant does not have to repeat their information when the third party agency is engaged in the conversation.

The Contractor shall refer other military family life issues of a medical nature requiring a medical diagnosis (depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder) to a Military MTF, TRICARE or other civilian medical treatment facility.

2) Imminent Risk / Duty to Warn - The Contractor shall make notifications of Duty to

Warn incidents to the installation POC and the Contractor chain of command immediately. The Contractor shall implement, document, and maintain Duty to Warn procedures, in accordance with DoD/Military Branch of Service regulations and established protocols, to address events where a service or family member reveals a threat of harm to self or others.

3) Adverse Incidents - In the event of an Adverse Incident, the Contractor shall follow prescribed policies and procedures listed in section J-X Adverse Incidents ensuring notification within 24 hours of awareness of the incident. Adverse Incidents include a range of events and situations that may cause harm or injury to a participant or reflect negatively on the MFLC program through media attention including but not limited to the following: suicide; homicide, serious harm or injury; and any other event or situation that may reflect negatively on the MFLC program.

3.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

The Contractor shall comply with the following DoD Directives (DoDD) and DoDIs and all future updates which may be found at the respective links: DoDD http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/dir.html; and DoDI http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/ins1.html.

DoDI No.1342.22, Military Family Readiness

DoDD No. 5200.02, Subject: DoD Personnel Security Program

DoDI No. 6490.06, Counseling Services for DoD Military, Guard and Reserve, Certain

Affiliated Personnel, and Their Family Members

DoDI No. 6400.06, Domestic Abuse Involving DoD Military and Certain Affiliated

Personnel

DoDI No. 6495.02 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program

DoDI No. 1402.05, Background Checks on Individuals in DoD Child Care Services

Programs

Additionally the Contractor shall reference the latest versions of following applicable documents as needed.

American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/dir.html http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/ins1.html

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4.0 MANDATORY CREDENTIALING AND QUALIFICATIONS

The Contractor shall have and maintain a deployable worldwide network of counselors available for immediate assignment sufficient to meet the Government’s requirement for counselors described in section J-X Footprint, such that there is no break in service or coverage for the entire period of performance of this contract. This includes the number and types of counselors

(MFLCs and CYB-MFLCs), as well as the geographical requirements for counselors. All counselors shall meet the credentialing and qualifications listed in this section.

4.1 BACKGROUND CHECKS

Immediately after contract award and throughout the period of performance for this contract, the

Contractor shall perform the following background and clearance activities.

1) The Contractor shall require all MFLCs and CYB-MFLCs to submit a Department of

Defense Form 2981 and an Optional Form 306 to the Contractor (Section J, attachment xx). If the Contractor chooses to move a candidate forward for consideration for performance under this contract for whom derogatory information exists, the derogatory information must be resolved prior to placement on assignment.

2) For MFLCs, the Contractor shall initiate a Criminal History Background Check and FBI

Check (submitted to appropriate agency completing the check). If the Contractor chooses to submit a candidate for consideration for performance under this contract for whom derogatory information exists, the derogatory information must be resolved prior to placement on assignment.

3) All CYB-MFLC shall undergo a background check in accordance with the latest version of DoDI No. 1402.05, Criminal History Background Checks on Individual in Child Care

Services.

4) Contract personnel/providers who have previously received an acceptable Criminal

History Background Check and Fingerprint Check in the last five years shall provide proof to the Contractor prior to performing under this contract.

5) The Contractor shall initiate the clearance process with appropriate points of contact for all required Government clearances such as, Secret, NACI (National Agency Check and

Inquiries), CNACI (Child National Agency Check and Inquiries), and IRC (Installation

Records Check), within the designated timeframe. The Contractor shall have the required

Government clearances or interim clearances no later than the end of the transition-in period. The Government is responsible for the completion of the NACI and CNACI as well as the cost of the complete investigation.

6) The Government will not reimburse costs for OCONUS travel: If a counselor has traveled to an OCONUS assignment and was found to be unfit for performance based on their background check, the Government will not reimburse the travel, lodging, per diem, Section C, Page 7 of 28 or M&IE as well as the travel costs for arrival to the OCONUS assignment or return to the United States.

7) The Government will not reimburse for any time frame for which services are not able to be performed due to the Contractor’s failure to complete the appropriate processing procedures for a counselor to obtain entrance to the performance location for that assignment. This applies to both CONUS as well as OCONUS. For the travel costs inclusive of lodging, per diem & M&IE for OCONUS locations, the Government will not reimburse the lodging, meals or expenses for those day(s) of which the Counselor is not able to obtain entrance.

4.2 ALL COUNSELORS – DEMONSTRATED QUALIFICIATIONS PRIOR TO

CONSIDERATION

The following credentials and qualifications are mandatory for all counselors which must be demonstrated prior to submitting the counselor for consideration by the Government for an assignment.

1) All Contractor personnel performing this requirement must be a U.S. citizen, and must speak fluent English.

2) A Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health related field such as social work, psychology, marriage/family therapy, or counseling; a valid unrestricted counseling license/certification from a state, the District of Columbia, a U.S.

territory or commonwealth that grants authority to provide counseling services as an independent practitioner in their respective fields; and demonstrated counseling competence preceding their employment with the MFLC program.

3) Counselors shall be licensed or certified and properly credentialed to perform this requirement and shall be compliant with industry accepted standards for the performance of non-medical counseling.

4) For assignments in the 50 states, Counselors shall be licensed in the state in which the participant is receiving services. For OCONUS assignments (excluding Alaska and

Hawaii) counselors may be licensed in any state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory or commonwealth.

5) The Contractor shall work with the installation point of contact to complete a Secret clearance on counselors determined by the Government to need such a clearance.

Currently there are 38 MFLCs and 15 CYB-MFLCs which require a Secret clearance, however it is anticipated that the total number of personnel requiring a Secret clearance may increase to 60 or more.

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6) In addition to meeting the above requirements, the counselors’ supervisors must have a minimum of two years full-time counseling experience post-licensure; documented counseling supervision, oversight, and management experience; and demonstrated current counseling competence through at least periodic, direct service counseling experience during the two years preceding this contract.

7) Contract personnel/providers who have previously received an acceptable NACI/CNACI check in the last five years shall provide proof to the prime Contractor prior to performing under this contract.

8) Counselors shall possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below.

An understanding of the military lifestyle.

Working knowledge of military, state, federal, and local laws and resources.

Understanding, sensitivity, and empathy for service members and their families.

Ability to develop trusting, helping relationships. Ability to work effectively with individuals and families from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Ability to intervene in crisis situations, using sound professional judgment, ethical practice, and common sense. Counselors must work independently to develop, implement, and evaluate safety and intervention plans to meet individual and family needs. The Contractor must agree to operate within established guidelines of the military services family support and quality of life programs.

Ability to work cooperatively with military and civilian medical, social service, law enforcement, and legal personnel on behalf of service members and their families.

9) Counselors must demonstrate sound professional judgment and the highest ethical standards in executing their responsibilities. All counselors shall have strong skills in written and verbal communication, and assessment. The Government may remove a counselor from an assignment and/or from the Contract at any time due to performance issues or other matters that negatively impact an assignment or negatively reflect on the

Government or the program.

10) The Contractor shall annually certify and be able to demonstrate (at any time) to OSD or the Contracting Officer (CO), in writing, that the counselors and supervisors licensure, credentials, required experience and background checks are current and proper for performance under this contract. This certification shall verify that the counselor has not experienced any terminations of performance under any other Government contract or any license suspensions or any investigations. Counselors, who have experienced any of the aforementioned actions, shall not perform services under this contract (under particular limited circumstances, the Government may consider an exception on a case-by-case basis).

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4.3 ALL COUNSELORS - DEMONSTRATED QUALIFICATIONS PRIOR TO

ASSIGNMENT

The following credentials, qualifications, and on-going training activities are mandatory for all counselors which shall be demonstrated prior to assignment.

1) The Contractor shall not send a counselor to any location at any time during the performance of this contract until the required background check has been completed or initiated in accordance with section 4.0.

2) The Contractor shall provide training and orientation for counselors and supervisors that include all requirements of this contract, service-specific and general military culture and customs, structure and chain of command, ranks and insignia, and other specialized subject areas prior to beginning an assignment. The Contractor shall design and implement a method for regularly updating personnel on current/emerging issues pertaining to military life. Counselors shall be familiar with evolving issues that affect military members and their families.

3) The Contractor shall ensure that all MFLC and CYB-MFLC assigned to facilitate

Military Caregiver PEER Forums will complete seven (7) evidenced based modules, as designated by the Government in Attachment J-X, prior to facilitating a forum.

4) The Contractor shall annually certify and be able to demonstrate (at any time) to OSD or the CO, in writing, that the counselors and supervisors have comprehensive/current knowledge of the overall military culture, issues affecting military families, and all requirements of this contract. OSD and the Military Services may require the MFLC or

CYB-MFLC to complete specialized training which will be provided to the Contractor.

4.4 CYB-MFLC DEMONSTRATED QUALIFICATIONS PRIOR TO

CONSIDERATION

The following credentials and qualifications are mandatory for all CYB-MFLC counselors which must be demonstrated prior to submitting the counselor for consideration by the Government for an assignment.

1) A CYB-MFLC must have expertise working with the identified age of the participants in all youth programs, such as CDCs, schools or camps.

2) CYB-MFLCs must be assigned based on the needs of the support activity. For example, a CYB-MFLC assigned to support an elementary school must have experience supporting elementary school-aged children.

3) A CYB-MFLC supporting an outdoor adventure camp must have the ability to participate in strenuous activities including hiking, camping, kayaking, and backpacking.

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5.0 REQUIREMENTS

This section defines broad based general requirements for the Contractor, as well as, counseling requirements which are more narrowly focused on the service delivery standards for the MFLC and CYB-MFLC.

5.1 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Counseling modalities consist of individual, family, couples, and groups. Services are not delivered in the traditional manner of 50 minute sessions in an office setting, but rather vary in duration from a few minutes to an hour or longer. Services are provided “just in time,” when and where they are needed using a “walk around/coaching” approach. Counselors go to where the people are instead of waiting for people to schedule an appointment to see them, but an appointment can be made if desired. For example, counselors may meet with family readiness groups; meet service members returning from deployments (including welcome events at respective airports), be available in reintegration orientations, meet with rear detachment commanders and other community agency staff upon request, brief commanders and leadership, and work with children and youth. Counselors should be easily identifiable and approachable, operate in a manner that maximizes accessibility, including availability at installation common areas and family support centers.

Counseling may be provided outside the gates of installations, nearest to where families live and socialize. This may include placing counselors in housing areas and/or community agencies (Red

Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and others) frequented by families.

Additional requirements include:

1) The Contractor shall recruit, retain, train, and maintain a deployable network of counselors meeting all credentialing requirements in this PWS.

2) Upon request, the Contractor shall deploy counselors individually or in groups. Crisis or special situations may require the Contractor to deploy groups of up to 35 or more counselors.

3) The Contractor shall have the capacity to fulfill and manage all task requirements to deploy the required number of counselors to accommodate the baseline footprint, footprint fluctuations which may include the addition of several hundred counselors, and short term surge and on-demand support requirements approved by the Office of the

Secretary of Defense (OSD). Counselors may provide short term surge support for planned and unplanned events, military contingencies, emerging issues and/or natural disasters.

4) The Contractor shall establish and utilize a comprehensive financial management system, processes, and procedures to manage all aspects of tracking costs associated with performing all aspects of this requirement. The Contractor shall establish and implement

Section C, Page 11 of 28 audit trail capabilities, internal controls, corrective action procedures, and reporting capabilities. The Contractor shall dedicate personnel for financial management, including the assignment of management functions, authority and responsibility.

5) The Contractor shall ensure that all personnel maintain the highest degree of sensitivity, compassion, and respect for service members and their families. The Contractor shall remain free of any political bias and shall ensure consistency of service regardless of installation, location, or any other factor.

6) When the military chain of command requests information concerning a service member, the Contractor shall remind them of the confidential nature of the service. If the chain of command wishes to send a service member for counseling to a MFLC or CYB-MFLC and have the MFLC or CYB-MFLC report back to the commander, the Contractor shall inform them it is not possible due to the confidential nature of the program.

7) The Contractor shall annually certify and be able to demonstrate (at any time) to OSD or the CO, in writing, that the counselors and supervisors licensure, credentials, required experience and background checks are current and proper for performance under this contract. This certification shall verify that the counselor has not experienced any terminations of performance under any other Government contract or any license suspensions or any investigations. Counselors, who have experienced any of the aforementioned actions, will not perform services under this contract (under particular limited circumstances, the Government may consider an exception on a case-by-case basis).

8) The Contractor shall certify, upon award and the exercise of each option period (at the discretion of the Government), that all counselors and supervisors are properly licensed or certified, comply with the appropriate background check requirements, and possess all other qualifications as indicated in the PWS prior to beginning an assignment.

9) The Contractor shall maintain all counselor/supervisor certifications and background check documentation for the life of this contract, and make them available for

Government review at any time during performance.

10) The Contractor shall develop and implement processes and procedures to support the warm hand-off of a Participant to other providers and community/DoD resources, such as

Military One Source (MOS), ensuring that the Participant does not have to repeat information when the third party agency is engaged in the conversation.

11) The Contractor shall regularly monitor the activity, productivity, and efficiency of its counselors for all assignments and implement guidelines to maximize time. For example, if a rotational counselor is spending 5 hours twice a week doing “walk-in” hours and conducts only 1 face-to-face Non-Medical Counseling session, the Contractor shall work with the counselor to adjust their walk-around counseling approach.

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5.2 COUNSELING REQUIREMENTS

1) Counselors shall not represent the Government at any federal, state, or military meeting or event nor perform any inherently governmental functions. All media/press inquiries should be forwarded via Contractor to the Government Program Office (Contracting

Officer’s Representative (COR) and Government Program Manager (PM)).

2) OSD is the approval authority for all service delivery. Once approved by OSD, the

Contractor shall coordinate all program management and service delivery with the Service

HQ, installation point of contact (POC), the National Guard Bureau (NGB), Reserve Affairs, and local education agencies when indicated.

3) Regardless of the location or the assignment, the Contractor shall consult with the local

POC regarding the counseling needs of military service members and their families.

Changes, realignments, or requests from the local POCs must be discussed with and approved by the Government before adjustments are made.

4) Counselors shall verify, at some point during the session, eligibility for services, which may include requesting to view a military identification card (See section J-X Eligibility

Matrix. The Government will provide this section after award.)

5) Counselors must be knowledgeable of the resources available through Military OneSource

(www.MilitaryOneSource.mil) to make referrals for counseling and access additional resources when circumstances warrant. Counselors must also be knowledgeable of family advocacy and other support programs both on and off the installations.

6) When providing counseling, CYB-MFLC services shall always remain in the line of sight of a child’s parent, guardian, or an individual with purview over the child (such as a school

Principal, YMCA Director, CDC Director, or Teacher) who has successfully completed a background check. . Parental approval, documented in writing, is required for all child participants under the age of 18 receiving non-medical counseling services (See section J-X

Child and Youth Behavioral SOPs with Parent Letter); notwithstanding Duty to Warn or

Mandated report situations. Duty to Warn or Mandated report situations do not require parental/guardian approval in order to report to authorities.

7) Counselors shall not transport any participants in any vehicle.

8) Counselors shall not physically enter a participant’s home at any time without prior approval by the Government’s MFLC Program Manager.

9) Counseling services shall be provided in person. However counselors shall be available by telephone only for the purposes of enabling counseling participants to schedule an appointment for counseling services, and facilitating coordination with installation POCs.

Custody of telephones shall not be misconstrued as a crisis or emergency line and shall have a consistent message service (reference Section J-phone rules). Telephonic counseling or other electronic modes of communication, such as web based, secure online chat, or video http://www.militaryonesource.com/

Section C, Page 13 of 28 based communications (Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangout, Webex, etc.), are prohibited as counseling under this contract.

10) Counselors shall wear name tags that identify them by name and as a member of the

MFLC program. Name tags or other items worn by the MFLC or CYB-MFLC shall not identify them as an employee of the Contractor.

11) Rotational and Surge counselor daily activity should reflect an average minimum of 5 hours of in person counseling and 3 hours of ancillary activity daily in an 8 hour day. An in person counseling activity is considered to occur when the counselor engages a participant, determines the participant is in need of counseling, and provides the limits of confidentiality statement to the participant. Collateral activities may include but are not limited to consultation with a commander or with another provider or staff (Family Center Director, chaplain, Principal, School Liaison Officer, teacher, Camp Director etc.) about how to enhance resiliency, conducting briefings and presentations, or providing referral resources to a participant outside the context of a counseling session.

12) Parental Consent - Parental consent, documented in writing, is required for all child participants under the age of 18 receiving non-medical counseling services (See section J-X);

notwithstanding Duty to Warn or Mandated Report situations. Duty to Warn or Mandated

Report situations do not require parental/guardian approval in order to report to authorities.

13) Limits of Confidentiality - In accordance with DoDI No. 6490.06, Counseling Services for DoD Military, Guard and Reserve Certain Affiliated Personnel and their Family

Members, counselors shall provide limits of confidentiality to the individual and/or family member during the initial meeting covering information about their role as counselors, a description of what non-medical counseling can cover, the short-term solution focused approach, the scope of care, and the ability to make appropriate referrals as needed.

Limits of confidentiality shall cover the counselor’s mandated reporting requirements for domestic abuse, sexual assault, duty to warn and other legal obligations. At a minimum, this confidentiality statement shall be provided to all eligible individuals seeking counseling services: “Information you provide to me or other counselors will be kept confidential, except to meet legal obligations or to prevent harm to self or others. Legal obligations include requirements of law and DoD or military regulations. Harm to self or others include suicidal thoughts or intent, a desire to harm oneself, domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, violence against any person, and any present or future illegal activity.”

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5.3 COUNSELING TASKS

The Contractor shall perform the following counseling tasks described in this section.

5.3.1 PSYCHO-EDUCATION

The Contractor shall utilize a psycho-educational counseling approach to be used by both

MFLCs and CYB-MFLCs as described below.

A psycho-educational approach teaches service members and their families how to anticipate and to address challenges/problems. Family psycho-education includes teaching coping strategies and problem-solving skills to families, friends, and/or caregivers to help them cope more effectively.

When behavioral or psychological difficulties arise during or following deployments or other stresses of military life, a psycho-educational approach provides to service members and their families: specific information about what is happening; the meaning of specific symptoms; what is known about the causes, effects, the implications of their issues; and how to find treatment and/or resources.

Psycho-education provides service members and their families help in understanding: why an individual's behavior has changed and may be frightening and different; why the person may be saying that nothing is wrong; and why they may be fearful or reluctant to get help. Families benefit from timely, basic psycho-education in order to alleviate painful and long-term effects if deployment stress is not identified and addressed. Service members and their families need help in understanding the dynamics of deployment and its effect on emotion management and coping skills. In this way, psycho-education is grounded in a preventative model, in which the knowledge and skills provided by MFLC and CYB-MFLC facilitate members’ and their families’ readiness and resilience, reducing and ideally preventing escalation to clinically harmful levels.

5.3.2 MFLC TASKS

The Contractor shall provide general MFLC counseling support which assists service members and their families with issues including, but not limited to the following.

mobilization deployment reunion frequent relocations relocation adjustment relationships deployment stress marital/couples issues family relationships serious illness

Section C, Page 15 of 28 parenting child care parent/child communications loss and grief conflict resolution self-esteem/independence decision making anxiety stress assertiveness work life balance anger caregiver peer to peer forums relationship issues homesickness

Organize and facilitate voluntary peer-to-peer forums as requested to provide non-medical counseling to caregivers, interacting as necessary with installation POCs, Recovery Care

Coordinators and caregivers to coordinate logistics and to stay abreast of caregiver issues and challenges to use as a conduit for information flow.

5.3.3 CYB-MFLC TASKS

The Contractor shall provide CYB-MFLC counseling support which assists service members and their families with issues including, but not limited to the following.

Consulting with teachers, CDC providers, parents, and children regarding disruptive class behaviors.

Working with teachers and youth in the classrooms in order to get to know the needs of teachers and students.

Interacting with children and parents during special events, field days, award luncheons, sports events.

Using OSD approved materials with younger children to address deployment issues.

Helping children prepare for life while the parent is gone.

Visiting the cafeteria during lunch hours, interacting with children out on the playground;

interacting with children and teachers at the front office or in other common areas around the school.

Supporting students exhibiting challenging classroom behavior who are referred by school guidance counselors.

Conducting presentations for teachers and parents in small and large groups on topics such as time management, maintaining your marriage during deployments, teaching children problem solving skills, compassion fatigue, and anger management.

Providing outreach to parents during parent/teacher conferences.

Conducting classroom observations with teacher permission.

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Providing support to teachers, families, and students regarding deployment and reintegration.

Addressing school behavior problems.

Supporting teachers in managing their stress levels.

Resolving student conflict.

Providing support to families during transition periods to help with adjustments to new settings/locations and help manage the normal stress as a reaction to this process.

Working closely with wounded warrior transition programs to help children/families cope with stressors and experiences as a result of a service members’ injury or disability.

Providing staff consultations for both work-related and child issues.

Interacting with children and parents from the larger military community and Child and

Youth Services (CYS), during special events, parent groups, and center activities (such as weekend basketball or soccer at the youth center).

Working with children in classroom settings and in group activities or individually in

CDCs, family childcare homes, chapel youth groups, youth centers and teen groups.

Observing children and providing concrete support to caregivers and trainers to address and redirect challenging behaviors.

Providing outreach to parents and meet for formal consultations to provide feedback and support.

Organize and facilitate voluntary peer-to-peer forums as requested to provide non-medical counseling to caregivers, interacting as necessary with installation POCs, Recovery Care

Coordinators and caregivers to coordinate logistics and to stay abreast of caregiver issues and challenges to use as a conduit for information flow.

5.4 EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND PRESENTATIONS

The Contractor shall develop (after OSD approval) or modify (provided by OSD as Government furnished property) a variety of educational materials and presentations on specific subject areas herein including, but not limited to, deployment and reintegration, coping with separation, loss and grief, effects of deployment on children, communication, and compassion fatigue/caring for the caregiver. The Government OSD Program Manager shall review/approve all materials prior to dissemination.

5.5 CANCELLATION POLICY

The Contractor shall submit counselor names and all required background check documentation per timelines established by OSD. If timelines are not met the Government will not be held liable for any payment as a loss of time to the counselor. If it is determined the loss of time is a

Government delay, a pro-rated amount shall be paid based upon the scheduled start date and actual start date. (See appendix J)

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5.5.1 ON-DEMAND AND SHORT TERM SURGE EVENTS

If a planned event is cancelled, the Contractor shall be allowed payment of all reasonable charges associated with event preparation if the notice of cancellation is received five business days or less prior to the date of the event.

6.0 COUNSELOR ASSIGNMENTS

Counselors provide face-to-face, worldwide support through either rotational, surge, or on-demand assignments. Rotational assignments provide counseling support up to 12 months. The

Contractor shall maximize the number of 12 month assignments for counselors supporting active duty locations. Surge support is provided for a specified period of time of up to 90 days. On-demand support is provided for a specified period of time, typically one to three days. Camp support is one to seven days for short term camps, and up to three months for long term camps.

Counselors may be required individually or in teams.

The Contractor is required to staff rotations in accordance with each country’s respective Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

All counselor assignments in this section will be requested using the Government designated system. Contractors will have access to this system to provide staffing and costing information to the Government.

6.1 ROTATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE ACTIVE DUTY AND NATIONAL

GUARD AND RESERVES

The Contractor shall ensure that all counselors have submitted the required documentation and have undergone a criminal history background, fingerprint, and credentials review/verification, for all items in this section, prior to submitting the counselor for consideration by the

Government for an assignment.

The Contractor shall not send a counselor to any location at any time during the performance of this contract until a background check is conducted in accordance with Section 4.

This section addresses rotational assignments for active duty and National Guard and Reserves military personnel and their families, which are primarily installation based, but includes off installation schools, recruiting stations, and similar off base military and civilian facilities.

Assignment lengths are up to 12 months for active duty and up to 6 month for the National

Guard and Reserves, or the length of the academic year for school CYB-MFLCs. Rotational assignments of 12 months for active duty and 6 months for the National Guard and Reserves may be considered for extension on a case-by-case basis if requested by the respective Service.

Unless otherwise directed by the Government, counselors assigned to a school to cover the academic school year shall not remain on the installation during school recesses/breaks and provide services. The Contractor shall not vacate a CYB-MFLC school assignment early to fill a

Section C, Page 18 of 28 summer camp assignment; thereby leaving a gap in the school assignment. Conversely, a CYB-

MFLC shall not vacate a summer camp assignment to fill a school assignment; thereby leaving a gap in the summer camp assignment.

The Government requires continuous consistent coverage with no breaks in service during an assignment. For service continuity purposes, it is unacceptable to the Government if all personnel rotate simultaneously. The Government requires a seamless and transparent transition between the outgoing and incoming counselors for both CONUS and OCONUS situations.

During this transition, the outgoing counselor shall, at a minimum, convey pertinent data such as installation points of contact (POC) and procedures, critical issues, and status of the installation’s current counseling needs.

The Government’s requirement is for consistent, continuous and quality non-medical counseling services that shall be provided for every assignment. Therefore, for a rotational assignment, the same counselor shall provide the services every day of the requirement for a minimum of 180 days unless due to an emergency.

After 180 days, the Contractor shall ensure that coverage is provided to fulfill the assignment maintaining the quality of the counseling services and it may take more than one counselor to complete the assignment due to when the originally assigned counselor is unavailable. However, this shall be kept to a minimum to maintain quality performance.

The Contractor shall staff all initial rotational assignments at the time of contract award. See J-X

Footprint. The Contractor shall staff any new rotational assignments after award within 30 days.

6.1.1 CATEGORY: ROTATIONAL GENERAL MFLC

Description: MFLCs usually based out of the installation’s family center or resiliency center or the National Guard and Reserves Joint Force Headquarters supporting adult participants. Additionally this includes facilitating support for the Military Caregiver

Personalized Experiences Engagement and Resources (PEER) Forum Initiative.

Assignment length: Minimum 180 days maximum 12 months for active duty and up to

180 days for the National Guard and Reserves.

Required clearances: See section 4.0.

Location: Both CONUS and OCONUS.

6.1.2 CATEGORY: ROTATIONAL GENERAL CYB-MFLC

Description: CYB-MFLCs are usually based out of the installation’s family center or resiliency center or the National Guard and Reserves Joint Force Headquarters supporting children.

Assignment length: Minimum 180 days maximum 12 months for active duty and up to

180 days for the National Guard and Reserves.

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6.1.3 CATEGORY: ROTATIONAL CDC CYB-MFLC

Description: CYB-MFLCs provide support to children and parents at the CDCs.

Assignment length: Minimum 180 days maximum 12 months.

6.1.4 CATEGORY: ROTATIONAL SCHOOL CYB-MFLC

Description: CYB-MFLCs provide support to children and parents at schools.

Assignment length: The academic school year.

6.1.5 CATEGORY: ROTATIONAL EMBEDDED MFLC

Description: An MFLC assigned to a specific military unit e.g. Air Force Wing, Marine

Regiment, or Army Brigade.

Assignment length: 12 months

6.1.6 CATEGORY: ROTATIONAL EMBEDDED CYB-MFLC

Description: A CYB-MFLC assigned to a specific military unit e.g. Air Force Wing, Marine Regiment, or Army Brigade.

Assignment length: 12 months

6.1.7 CATEGORY: ROTATIONAL RECRUITING MFLC

Description: An MFLC assigned to support recruiters in geographically dispersed locations.

Assignment length: Minimum 180 days maximum 12 months.

Section C, Page 20 of 28

6.2 SURGE ASSIGNMENTS

All counselors must have submitted required documentation and have undergone a criminal history background, fingerprint, and credentials review/verification by the Contractor, for all items in this section. The Contractor shall not send a counselor to any location at any time during the performance of this contract until verification of the criminal history background check is initiated.

MFLCs and CYB-MFLCs may provide surge support up to 90 days for active duty and the

National Guard and Reserves. Historically, the average duration for Active Duty surge assignments is 50 days.and the average duration for National Guard and Reserves surge assignments is 95 days.

1) Active Duty Component

This section is for surge assignments for active…