IFB_Y24-141_Scope.pdf

IFB Y24-141

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR HEAD START

SPECIFICATIONS / SCOPE OF SERVICES

A. OVERVIEW:

The Contractor shall provide mental health and behavioral services for Orange County Head Start. The objective of this project is to obtain mental health and behavioral evaluations, assessment and therapy services for children referred by the Head Start Program. The services will also include consultation and universal prevention for the children, families, staff and program.

The services are required both during the regular school year (August through May), and during the Summer Head Start Program (June). However, the number of children requiring services during the summer program is reduced from the number during the regular school year.

B. LOCATION OF SERVICES

Services shall be provided on-site at the Head Start centers listed below:

Aloma HS 2949 Scarlet Road

Winter Park, FL 32792

Bithlo HS 18501 Washington Avenue

Orlando, FL 32820

Callahan HS 101 N. Parramore Drive

Orlando, FL 32805

Denton Johnson HS 400 Ruffle Street

Eatonville, FL 32751

Dillard HS 311 N. Dillard Street

Winter Garden, FL 34787

Dover Shores HS 1200 Gaston Foster Rd.

Orlando, FL 32812

East Orange HS 12050 E. Colonial Drive

Orlando, FL 32826

Engelwood HS 5985 La Costa Drive Orlando, FL 32807

Evans HS 4949 Silver Star Road

Orlando, FL 32808

Frontline HS 3000 CR Smith St.

Orlando, FL 32805

Hal P. Marston HS 3933 W.D. Judge Drive

Orlando, FL 32808

John H. Bridges HS 445 W. 13th Street Apopka, FL 32703

Lila Mitchell HS 5151 Raleigh Street Orlando, FL 32811

McCoy HS 5225 S. Semoran Blvd.

Orlando, FL 328822

Pine Hills HS 6408 Jennings Road Orlando, FL 32808

South Orlando YMCA HS 814 W. Oak Ridge Road

Orlando, FL 32809

Southwood HS 6225 Brookgreen Avenue

Orlando, FL 32839

Taft HS 9504 S. Orange Avenue

Orlando, FL 32824

Three Points HS 4001 S. Goldenrod Rd.

Orlando, FL 32822

Ventura HS 4400 Woodgate Blvd.

Orlando, 32822

Washington Shores/ELC HS 2500 Bruton Boulevard

Orlando, FL 32811

Washington Shores Elementary HS

944 W. Lake Mann Drive Orlando, FL 32805

Additional sites may be added during the term of this contract.

C. SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR SERVICES

Evaluations and therapy sessions will be paid by Medicaid and its subsidiary insurances, or other private insurance. In the event that a child receiving services under this contract has private medical insurance, the Head Start Program will compensate the Contractor for the child’s insurance co-payment. Requests for reimbursement of co-payments shall be specifically identified when invoicing the County. Children without any insurance coverage will be covered by the Head Start Program. The Head Start Program will be considered the payer of last resort. The Contractor shall, at minimum, accept all Medicaid, Medipass, Amerigroup, Sunshine State, Prestige, Staywell, Healthease, and Citrus insurances.

The Contractor shall maintain a list of all the names of insurance companies and subsidiaries accepted by the organization subject to the approval of the County.

D. MANDATORY BACKGROUND CHECKS

Per Florida State Statute 943.0542 and the National Child Protection Act, the Contractor shall submit Level II Background Check and Fingerprinting by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) of ALL employees/sub-contracted therapists associated with the contract. The Contractor shall bear the cost of these background checks. The Contractor shall submit a letter certifying background checks were conducted and no negative results were reported.

E. SPECIFIC SERVICES FOR HEAD START ENROLLED CHILDREN

The selected service provider shall:

1. Accept referrals from Orange County Head Start Program.

2. Upon receipt of referral, the Contractor shall verify Medicaid/Private Insurance information.

3. If child is Medicaid (direct or through subsidiaries) or Private Insurance eligible, the Contractor shall obtain authorization to provide an evaluation and therapy services, if indicated.

4. The Contractor shall provide written proof to the Head Start Program of the denial of the request for services/ineligibility for services from the Medicaid/Private Insurance provider to Head Start, before request for Head Start funding is submitted for approval.

5. Parents or legal guardian shall be contacted within 10 calendar days to set up an appointment to complete the initial assessment.

6. The Contractor shall provide a monthly report to the Head Start Disabilities Manager that includes notes of the consultation, training tools discussed, teacher engagement, student response and action plan for the classroom.

7. Written evaluation reports shall be submitted to Orange County Head Start within five (5) business days of the final approval of the report.

8. Therapists shall develop an Individual Behavior Plan for children in behavior therapy within fourteen (14) calendar days from the initiation of ongoing therapy.

The Head Start Program and the Contractor shall agree on a mutually acceptable form to best meet the needs of the Head Start clients and the teaching teams.

9. Therapists shall provide therapy to each child referred in accordance with the assessment report results.

10. Therapists shall provide ongoing technical assistance for teacher staff in addition to support for the implementation of the Individual Behavior Plan. Head Start may fund additional hours of service based on each child and/or center’s individual needs. This funding will be used to provide additional support to classroom/center staff in the implementation of the Individual Behavior Plans.

11. The Contractor shall complete Therapy Contact Logs located at each center, to indicate the date they worked with the child and a short summary of what goals were addressed during each session. At the end of each quarter, therapists shall complete a quarterly progress section on each therapy log.

12. Therapists shall sign indicating the date and time the children were taken out of the classroom for therapy and sign and indicate the time when they return the children to the classroom for all therapy sessions.

13. The Contractor shall complete treatment plan reviews on each child receiving services as requested by Medicaid, Private Insurance, or Head Start at a minimum, at least one year following initial evaluation. Treatment plan reviews shall be submitted within five (5)business days of final approval.

14. Services provided at Head Start centers shall be provided during regularly scheduled Head Start days of operation and during times designated by the Head Start Program. The Contractor shall work with each center to establish specific mutually accepted daily times of service. (See Orange County Public School Calendar 2024-2025 included herein. Head Start closely follows Orange County Public School’s yearly schedule).

*NOTE: Head Start centers may be opened or closed as needed, and will be notified in advance by the Head Start Disabilities Team. The Contractor will need to adjust their services accordingly.

15. Therapist shall participate in Multidisciplinary Team Meetings and parent conferences as requested by the Head Start Program. These meetings are held to discuss current services, address new concerns and any other issues related to the mental health and behavior needs of the Head Start clients.

16. The Contractor shall process all billing through Medicaid or other Private

Insurance.

17. The Contractor shall determine each child’s Medicaid eligibility on the first business day of each month and notify all parties involved of current funding status.

If the child’s Medicaid or Private Insurance lapses, the Contractor shall notify Orange County Head Start immediately. Orange County Head Start staff will work with parents regarding their Medicaid/insurance eligibility. Head Start will not pay for any services provided by the Contractor during the time between the lapse of Medicaid or other insurance eligibility. However, the County will pay, for one calendar month, while the parents work to have their benefits reinstated, for services after an authorization for payment has been requested and signed.

18. When invoicing the County for service, the invoices shall be monthly with the following details of each child’s session: type of therapy provided (Individual), day and duration of service, and the applicable center.

19. The County will not pay for services when a child is absent during a regularly scheduled therapy session. The Contractor shall phone the center prior to their visit to determine the child’s attendance. Each center will provide the Contractor with a monthly calendar of events.

20. The Contractor shall provide training opportunities for Head Star personnel and/or parents to cover topics of interest regarding current trends on Mental and Behavioral Health and the roles of staff and/or parents in assisting children with increasing their mental and behavioral health at school and at home.

21. Provide Psychiatric services, by a Doctor of Psychiatry, per therapist referral for further evaluation based on individual case need.

F. CONSULTATION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, STAFF AND

PROGRAM

The Contractor shall:

1. Conduct observations for classrooms and teaching staff and provide a written report.

2. Consult with Head Start staff about challenging behaviors and other mental health concerns and make recommendations to address identified issues.

3. Consult with Head Start management regarding policies on child behavior, classroom climate and teacher competencies related to social, emotional and behavior concerns of children.

4. Provide support to classroom staff on management of challenging behaviors and mental health concerns through coaching, role-playing, modeling and reflective questioning, in addition to prevention services regarding social emotional competencies. All support services shall be documented and written reports provided to the Head Start Program Administrator.

5. Provide services to promote the overall mental wellness of staff. Examples include but are not limited to, community events that affect staff, education regarding mental wellness and mental illness, and enhancing the skills of the staff to cope with social-emotional issues.

6. Provide a sample of the consultation report and proposed consultation services that will be used for each consultation within ten (10) days of receipt of Notice of Award.

1. The Early Mental Health Consultation is a capacity building approach for teachers. The consultation will be used to provide additional strategies and tools that are evidence-based to work with the teacher and the student in promoting positive behaviors and best practices for the child’s behavior. The consultation shall not provide similar services as the other units provided for individual Mental Health counseling.

2. The consultation model should follow the Georgetown Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Model.

a. (i.e. Georgetown Model of Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation)

G. PERSONNEL

1. The Contractor shall provide a list of personnel, by name and title, including number of years of experience working with the age group and languages https://gucchd.georgetown.edu/products/FCC_SB%20ECMHC%20Manual.pdf https://gucchd.georgetown.edu/products/FCC_SB%20ECMHC%20Manual.pdf spoken (Spanish, Creole and Arabic) contemplated to perform the services within ten (10) days of receipt of Notice of Award. The County estimates 300 children at an estimated 23 locations will be served.

The Contractor shall have sufficient personnel to provide acceptable level of service to all Head Start centers. The Contractor shall provide the County with a list of employees and subcontractors who currently hold the following certifications related to serving this age group. The specific certifications shall include

• Infant/Toddler and Preschool Developmental Specialist Certification

(Required)

• Board Certified Behavior Analyst Certification

• (Optional)

H. LICENSES

1. The Contractor shall have personnel on staff which hold at least one of the following licenses:

• State of Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

• Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW)

• Licensed Clinical Psychologist (Psy.D. or Ph.D.)

2. Include documentation demonstrating State of Florida licensure through the

Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance. All specialists providing services shall be licensed or under the direct supervision of a licensed clinician.