Final_RFI_736_2200000003_1_SO_FORM.PDF

Document ID: RFI 736 2200000003 Page: 1

Commonwealth of Kentucky

SOLICITATION

Addenda: No Addenda #:

TITLE: Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care C3018-0

Date Issued:

8/1/21 Record Date:

2021-07-27

Solicitation Closes Date:

8/30/21 Time:

14:00

Solicitation No:

RFI 736 2200000003

Online Bidding Prohibited: Yes

For Information Call:

Kimberlee Ratzlaff 502-564-6746

Bid Receiving Location:

Bid Receiving

See Terms & Conditions for Bid Submission Instructions

Other KY

Vendor Customer Number:

Vendor Name:

Phone Number:

Fax Number:

Email Address:

Ordering

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Contact Name:

Contact Email:

Contact Phone Number:

Payment

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Contact Name:

Contact Email:

Contact Phone Number:

Ownership Type

__ Sole Proprietorship __ Partnership __ Corporation __ Other_________________________

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED AGENT IS REQUIRED UNLESS RESPONSE

IS SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY. FAILURE TO SIGN SHALL RENDER

THE BID INVALID.

Signature X_________________________________________ FEIN#____________________ Date____________

All offers subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

Document ID: RFI 736 2200000003 Page: 2

Line Items

Commodity Group: Default

Line CL Description Quantity UOM Unit Cost Line Total or Contract Amnt

1 Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care

Comm Code Comm Description Manufacturer Model # Manuf Part #

95247 Foster Care Services

Extended Description Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care

Shipping Information

Billing Information CHFS DCBS Division of Administration & Financial Management

DCBS.CONTRACTS@KY.GOV

275 E Main Street 3W-B

Frankfort KY 40621

Document ID: RFI 736 2200000003 Page: 3

Submission Checklist

The following items will be required to be submitted with bid:

Item

RESPONDENT GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. RFI ORGANIZATION

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) is issuing the RFI on behalf of the Department for Community Based Services.

2. SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

The schedule listed below presents the major activities associated with the RFI distribution and proposal submission. The Commonwealth reserves the right at its sole discretion to change the Schedule of Activities, including the associated dates and times.

Release of RFI August 1, 2021 Submissions Due by 14:00 EST August 30, 2021

*NOTE: ALL TIME REFERENCES ARE EASTERN TIME ZONE

3. Instructions for Submission

Please see Section 2 for submittal instructions.

4. E-Procurement Award Notification

Document Description Page 4

2200000003 Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care C3018-0

No award will be made based on the responses received to this RFI. Its purpose is to generate information only.

Request for Information Title Page

For

Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care Interest

Solicitation No. – RFI 22*00000003

Issued by

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services

Hereafter referred to as “Department”

On Behalf Of

Department for Community Based Services (DCBS)

SOLE POINT OF CONTACT

Kimberlee Ratzlaff Purchasing Agent II

CHFS Division of Procurement and Grant Oversight 275 East Main Street, 4E-C

Frankfort, KY 40621 E-mail: Kimberlee.Ratzlaff@Ky.Gov

Document Description Page 5 mailto:Kimberlee.Ratzlaff@Ky.Gov

Section 1 Purpose and Background

1.00 Issuing Office

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) and Division of Procurement and Grant Oversight (DPGO), is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) on behalf of the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS).

1.01 Background

CHFS has under its care children who need specialized services. Therefore, CHFS is soliciting information from private child placing (PCP) agencies (a.k.a. Providers) who have the capacity to provide intensive therapeutic foster care to children and youth that are in the custody of or committed to CHFS.

1.02 Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to solicit information and ideas for consideration by CHFS as it explores the benefits of a potential intensive therapeutic foster care program (ITFC).

CHFS, pursuant to Kentucky Revised Statutes, Chapters 600 - 645, is responsible for the provision of services to children committed to the Cabinet. The services governed under this proposal are conceptualized as family centered, youth guided, time limited, intensive, evidence informed practices that promote the child welfare goals of safety, permanency, well-being, and stability.

At any given time, DCBS may have a hundred children who could benefit from a less restrictive placement with appropriate community based therapeutic supports. In all cases, these youth have a trauma history that may include abuse, neglect and dependency. These youth require out-of-home-care placements and will have a range of custody statuses and permanency goals from Emergency Custody Orders (ECO), Temporary Custody (TC), Commitment, to Adoption, Return to Parent (RTP), and Planned Permanent Living Arrangements (PPLA). Multiple placement in out of home care are often an additional source of trauma for children. The primary outcomes for these youth are safety, permanency, and well-being. They typically have higher needs and are diagnosed with serious emotional disturbances. Many of the youth suffer from emotional, psychological, behavior and learning problems.

Some national estimates indicate approximately 90% of youth in placement have an identifiable mental health or behavioral health issue. These youth are at greater risk of being involved in the child welfare system for a longer period of time and therefore at greater risk for unstable placements and poor overall educational, social, health, and poverty outcomes long-term.

While these children have higher needs, residential treatment is not always necessary. Data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicates that youth in residential care settings are less likely to achieve timely permanency and have poorer outcomes than family-based settings. Youth in family-based settings have fewer placements and are less likely to be re-abused. Family–based settings allow youth to remain in or closer to their community of origin. Kentucky has recently implemented the Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) requirements of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA); therefore, youth may be assessed to not need treatment in congregate care. These youth may still have more behavioral health needs and trauma histories than current therapeutic foster care providers are accustomed to serving.

For these children CHFS is searching for interest in providing intensive therapeutic foster care services as well as expertise surrounding the provision of ITFC.

Document Description Page 6

Submission responses should include current practices and/or models, related background information, and analysis or data to support the material provided. While the following list is not exhaustive of all the information requested, some examples include:

1. The ITFC program will provide ongoing intensive therapeutic case management and support for the foster family and child on a twenty-four hour basis similar to high fidelity wrap-around services.

In addition, the ITFC program will provide:

a. A professional treatment team for the child and the ITFC family;

b. Therapeutic Services; and

c. Trauma-informed training

2. The ITFC program will ensure that the youth is provided at minimum weekly face-to-face case management as well as a minimum of one time per week-individualized therapy to include evidence based practices specific to the individual needs of the youth as outlined in the youth’s treatment plan.

3. Provide specifically developed training designed to support intensive therapeutic foster homes.

This will include meeting initial and annual training requirements. ITFC foster parents will develop skills to:

a. Guide a child in building social, emotional and resiliency skills;

b. Guide a child in building connections, relationships and trust;

c. Guide a child in gaining a sense of security, empowerment and self-worth;

d. Recognize a child’s strengths and opportunities and

e. Guide a child’s growth by establishing a safe and structured environment

4. Use data to implement targeted recruitment in order to recruit, retain, and support foster and adoptive families that reflect the ethnic diversity of children with more intensive therapeutic needs awaiting placement.

5. The ITFC program will interview each interested family in order to ensure that the family fully understands the program and can be successful in the program.

6. The ITFC program will use the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) Model Home Study for all prospective ITFC parents.

7. A family interested in becoming an ITFC parent will have only one foster child placed in the home at a time. Exceptions could be considered based on the needs of the child, the ITFC family’s experience, or placement of a sibling group.

8. An ITFC foster parent must make a six to nine month commitment to the youth except in the case of a life-threatening safety event. The Provider will not reject or eject a child if that child meets the Provider’s acceptance/admission criteria except for the following reasons: licensure limitations, accreditation limitations, noncompliance with licensing standards, inadequate staff or foster homes to meet the child's needs, and/or deficiencies cited during monitoring visits. The child’s level of intellectual functioning and level of aggressive or disruptive behavior shall not be used as a basis for rejecting or ejecting a child,

9. At least one adult in the IFTC home must be a stay at home parent.

10. The foster parent will utilize the learned skills two hours per day and will document on a daily basis.

11. The ITFC program and foster family will continue to abide by all other regulations and procedures detailed in the current PCP agreement.

Document Description Page 7

2.00 Communications and Requested Information Submission

1. Are you currently a Behavioral Health Service Organization (BHSO) or Multi-Specialty Group

(MSG)?

2. Would you be willing to pay a rate to your ITFC parents determined by CHFS?

3. What recruiting methods do you plan to utilize to ensure that the family is appropriate for the program?

4. What is your current acceptance criteria? How would the acceptance criteria be restructured to include youth with severe emotional disturbances and needs that are more complex?

5. What is your current disruption process and how would your program ensure placement stability for at least six to nine months? Would you be willing to participate in an ITFC program that includes a no eject/reject policy except for extreme circumstances related to safety?

6. Describe the ITFC program plan to provide after-hours support and include how critical incidents will be handled?

7. What training curriculum that must include trauma informed care will you use to train the ITFC parents?

8. Does your agency currently use the SAFE Model Home Study and if not what would be the barrier to implementing this model?

9. What is your program’s policy on including culturally sensitive services?

10. Does your agency have prior experience or experience in other states with the provision of

IFTC services?

11. What other services or relevant experience does your agency have that would support or be relevant to an ITFC program?

12. If an exception to the number of children in the home were to be requested, what would this request look like? What types of supports would be needed with additional children in the home?

13. What support does the ITFC program envision from DCBS and the Managed Care

Organization (MCO)?

2.01 Submittal Instructions

Requested information shall be submitted through electronic mail. A written certification shall be provided indicating the electronic document has been properly scanned for infected viruses stating the virus software and version used.

All requested information must be received in accordance with the date and time listed in the Schedule of Activities listed in the Respondent General Instructions Sheet.

Requested information shall be submitted to the Sole Point of Contact listed on the Title Page immediately preceding the Table of Contents.

This RFI has been issued to obtain information only and is not intended to result in a contract or vendor agreement with any respondent. There is no definitive plan to contract for services at this time as a result of responses to this RFI.

Document Description Page 8

This solicitation for information does not commit the State to publish an RFP or award a contract. The issuance of an RFP, as a result of information gathered from these responses, is solely at the discretion of the State. Should an RFP be issued, it will be open to qualified vendors, whether those vendors choose to submit a response to this RFI. The RFI is not a pre-qualification process.

No award will be made as the result of the information received.

All proposal submissions must be sent via Secure File Transfer on https://ftp.ky.gov

Complete Instructions for submission are attached to the header.

Please LABEL all files accordingly.

From the issue date of this RFI until the responses are due, vendors shall not individually communicate with any Commonwealth staff concerning this RFI except as referenced above.

The Vendor should address the following issues “at a minimum” as they prepare a response to this RFI:

Firm Information (Transmittal Letter)

The Sections that should be included in your response to the RFI are:

1. Transmittal Letter

The transmittal letter should be in the form of a standard business letter and should be signed by an individual authorized to bind the vendor. It should note if any proprietary information has been included and the name, address, phone number, fax number, and E-mail address of the vendor’s contact.

2. Response

The Response should address the specific questions raised above, as well as give the requested information on the Respondent firm so that this may result from the Request for Proposal.

3. Proprietary Information

The vendor should place all confidential data, in order, under separate cover clearly marked confidential. All such data provided should be titled and reference the specific question or requirement it addresses.

Additional Information

Responses may be subject to Kentucky Open Records Law pursuant to the provisions of KRS

61.870 et. seq.

Document Description Page 9 https://ftp.ky.gov

Firm information should include name of company, address, telephone number, contact person, brief history of company, length of time in business, and any firm brochures or literature if available.

List experience and/or reference with property/assets management services.

Document Description Page 10