Brevard Family Partnership

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

For

CHILD PLACING AGENCY (CPA)

Closing Date: June 1, 2011/ Time: 2:00 p.m.

This Application outlines the process for selecting a Provider for Child Placing Agency services to ensure the safety and well-being of children throughout Brevard County using the funds that are allocated by the State of Florida Department of Children and Families and administered by Community Based Care of Brevard, Inc. dba Brevard Family Partnership.

Brevard Family Partnership

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE

Part 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3 Purpose .................................................................................................................... 3 PART II APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................... 4 Organizations Eligibility ............................................................................................ 4 Respondent Disqualification 4 Terms of Agreement................................................................................................. 5 Procurement Services .............................................................................................. 5 Proposal Deadline .................................................................................................... 5 Contracts .................................................................................................................. 5 Awards ..................................................................................................................... 5 Official Contact Person............................................................................................. 6 Notices...6 Inquiries.6 Timeline.6 Conflict of Interest .................................................................................................... 6 Lobbying Statement ................................................................................................. 7 Facsimile Transmission............................................................................................ 7 Additions, Deletions, or Modifications ...................................................................... 7 PART III SPECIAL CONDITIONS ....................................................................................... 7 PART IV TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................... 9 Project Description ................................................................................................... 9 Selection and Scoring Criteria.................................................................................. 17 Appeals .................................................................................................................... 19 PART V CONSIDERATION FOR AWARD.......................................................................... 20 Check Sheet............................................................................................................. 20 PART VI REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL............................................................... 20 Section I Project Application Form ..................................................................... 21 Section II Proposal Signature Page .................................................................... 22 Section III Description of Project .......................................................................... 23 Section IV Attachments ........................................................................................ 25

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PART I INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE Community Based Care of Brevard, Inc. dba Brevard Family Partnership (BFP) is the private, non-profit organization selected by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) as the lead agency responsible for the privatization of child welfare and related services in Brevard County as outlined in F.S. Section 409.1671. In order to insure the safety, security, and well being of every child, BFP oversees a Provider Network who provides a continuum of care for Brevards children and families to address the prevention, intervention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. BFP initiated Child Placing Agency (CPA) contracts with various agencies, beginning in July 2005 and currently there are four (4) agencies providing CPA services in Brevard County. However, in an effort to more efficiently serve the needs of the youth and foster parents in Brevard County, BFP is seeking to consolidate the functions of the multiple CPA agencies to increase efficiencies and reduce duplication that exists in the current model. CPAs are responsible for the initial license, re-licensure activities and day to day management and support of family foster homes in Brevard County. Family foster homes are licensed through the Florida Department of Children and Families and are governed by Florida Administrative Codes 65C-13 and 15. In a consolidated model, BFP is seeking 1 agency who will provide a full continuum of services to encompass all needed foster care levels (preferably through their agency to maintain continuity of care and service delivery or through a subcontract arrangement) and to provide all necessary supports (such as therapy, behavior management, tutoring, vocational skills training opportunities, supervised visitation and separated sibling visits, transportation, normalcy, educational support, respite, family team conferencing, and bio parent mentoring, etc) to the youth served, preferably through direct service Provider staff, although subcontracted services, third party funding, and other community resources will be considered to ensure continuity of care through the transition period and revenue maximization purposes. Additionally, the CPA shall be responsible for adherence to the Quality Parenting Initiative to promote recruitment and retention of quality foster parents and to facilitate placements of children into their homes ensuring compatibility with the childs cultural and religious orientation.

ANALYSIS OF NEEDED CAPACITY As of May 2011, BFP has 113 youth receiving foster care services through the CPAs. Following are the break-outs by level of care:
Current Totals of Brevard Youth in Foster Homes Level # of Youth Traditional (Pathways, Connections 95 & Passages) Therapeutic Level 1 & 2 5 Medical 11 Other (DD services) 2 Total: 113

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The following data is from the four (4) current CPA Provider vacancy reports, as of 4/28/11:
Current Total Brevard County Foster Care Homes Level/Agency # of Homes Traditional: 79 Therapeutic Level 1 & 2 14 Medical 12 DD homes/Other 13 Total: 118

PART IIAPPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

ORGANIZATIONS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY Applicants that meet the following criteria are eligible to seek funding by responding to this Application are: Providers currently licensed as a Child Placing Agency (CPA) through the Department of Children and Families and currently, or are licensed to manage a full continuum of foster care and therapeutic foster care homes in Brevard County.

RESPONDENT DISQUALIFICATION Failure to have performed any previous contractual obligations with BFP or the State of Florida in a manner satisfactory to BFP or DCF may be sufficient cause for disqualification. To be disqualified as a Respondent under this provision, the Respondent must have: 1) previously failed to satisfactorily perform in a contract with BFP or DCF, been notified by BFP or DCF of unsatisfactory performance, and failed to correct the unsatisfactory performance to the satisfaction of BFP or DCF; or 2) had a contract terminated by BFP or DCF. Per DCF requirements, BFP will not intentionally award contracts to any agency or its Providers and/or sub-providers that: Have been barred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any Federal, State, or local Department or agency; Have within a 3-year period preceding this proposal, been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property; Are presently indicted or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a government entity with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in the paragraph above; and Have within a 3-year period preceding this proposal, had one or more public transactions terminated for cause or default.

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TERM OF AGREEMENT This project is funded contingent upon availability of funds. The term of agreement is for a 1year period with a contract renewal capability for up to 3 additional years. Any such contract execution, renewal or extension shall be contingent upon satisfactory performance evaluations of the provider by BFP and shall be subject to the availability of funds. The initial year contract dollars will be stated in the contract, however, future years contract funding will be amended in annually based on funding from DCF and negotiations between Provider and BFP. BFP reserves the right to reduce or increase the amount of funding available prior to awards, contingent upon funding availability, and expenditure deadlines.

PROCUREMENT OF SERVICES Procurement of services will be in accordance with state and federal laws, and Department of Children and Families contract stipulations with BFP. PROPOSAL APPLICATION DEADLINE Applications for this proposal will be accepted by BFP, 760 North Drive, Suite E, Melbourne, FL 32934, no later than June 1, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. Proposals should be submitted to the attention of: Amy Moseley, Contract Manager. No changes, modifications or additions to the submitted proposals will be allowed once submitted (no electronic submissions will be accepted). Applicants must submit one (1) unbound original and seven (7) copies of the proposal; each copy must be bound by a single large clip. BFP reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or to waive minor irregularities when to do so would be in the best interest of BFP. A minor irregularity is defined as a variation from the request for proposal terms and a condition which does not affect the price of the proposal or give the prospective Applicant an advantage or benefit not enjoyed by other prospective Applicants or does not adversely impact the interest of the agency. CONTRACTS All eligible Applicants who are successfully awarded BFP funds will be required to contractually commit to the Florida Department of Children and Families, and BFP program guidelines, and to conform to all local, state, and federal rules and regulations pertaining to child welfare programs and services for the activity(ies) to be undertaken. AWARDS BFP intends to award 1 Brevard County contract as a result of this RFP. As the best interest of BFP may require, the right is reserved to make award(s) to the most responsible applicant, by individual items, group of items, all or none, or a combination thereof; on a geographical basis and/or on a countywide basis with one or more providers; to reject any and all proposals or waive any minor irregularly or technicality in bids received. Applicant(s) are cautioned to make no assumptions unless their proposal has been evaluated as being responsive and qualified. All awards made as a result of this proposal shall conform to applicable laws of the State of Florida. BFP reserves the right to cancel an awarded proposal should full funding be
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unavailable, a contract be unable to be executed successfully within 30 days, or upon due cause, i. e. provider misrepresentation, negligence, non-performance, etc. via written notice of which electronic (email) is acceptable. The anticipated start date for this contract is July 1, 2011, however the agency selected will be responsible for submission and execution of a transition plan to ensure continuity of care. BFP will negotiate contract(s) with the successful vendor(s). There will be no start-up funding associated with this procurement. OFFICIAL CONTACT PERSON This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by Community Based Care of Brevard. The sole point of contact for information concerning procedures for responding to this RFP is: Amy Moseley, Contract Manager Brevard Family Partnership 760 North Drive, Suite E, Melbourne, FL 32934 321-752-4650 x 2063 amy.moseley@brevardfp.org Material changes, if any, to the scope of services of bidding procedures will only be transmitted by written addenda and posted on the BFP website at www.brevardfp.org. NOTICES All notices, decisions, intended decisions and responses to inquiries will be communicated through electronic posting at the following website: http://www.brevardfp.org/home/pages/ProcurementsandAwards.cfm It is the prospective Respondents exclusive responsibility to access any and all updates posted. LIMITATIONS ON CONTACTING BFP Respondents are advised to limit their contact regarding this RFP to the sole contact person listed above. With reference to this RFP, no representations, other than those distributed by the contact person in writing, are binding on BFP and Respondents are cautioned that oral responses by BFP are not binding upon it. INQUIRIES Inquiries must be submitted in writing to BFP on or before the date specified in the Timeline. Responses to all inquiries which involve clarification and/or changes to this RFP will be made available to interested parties via electronic posting on the BFP website in the order in which they were received. No questions related to this RFP will be accepted after the time specified in the Timeline. Only written inquiries will be accepted, email is acceptable.

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TIMELINE: SCHEULE OF EVENTS AND DEADLINES EVENT Request for Proposal released Last Day to Submit Inquiries Posting of QnAs Responses DATE AND TIME* May 17, 2011 May 27, 2011 Ongoing postings to the QnA document on the Procurements section of the BFP website during the open period for inquiries. June 1, 2011 2:00p.m. June 6, 2011

Sealed Proposals due to BFP Anticipated Posting of Intended Award

*The dates and times listed are subject to change as deemed necessary by BFP.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST The award hereunder is subject to provisions of Federal Regulations, State Statutes and County Ordinance. All Applicants must disclose with their proposal the name of any officer, director, or agent who is also an employee of BFP or member of the board of directors. Further, all Applicants must disclose the name of any BFP employee or member of the reviewing board of directors who owns, directly or indirectly, any interest in the Applicants firm or any of its branches.

LOBBYING STATEMENT Firms and their agents are hereby placed on notice the BFP staff or reviewing board of directors shall not be contacted (with the exception of designated contact person) about this Proposal. Public meetings and public deliberations are the only acceptable forum for the discussion of merits of products/services requested by the Request for Proposal; and written correspondence in regard to proposals may be submitted to the BFP official contact person. Failure to adhere to these requirements could result in action to disqualify your firm from consideration of award. FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION (FAX) Proposals which are received by FAX are not acceptable and will be rejected. ADDITION, DELETION OR MODIFICATION OF PROPOSAL BFP reserves the right at its sole discretion to increase, decrease, or delete any portion of this proposal at any time without cause.

PART III - SPECIAL CONDITIONS

1. News Releases/Publicity: News releases, publicity releases, or advertisements relating to this contract or the tasks or projects associated with the project, when feasible, shall not be made without prior knowledge of BFP. Releases should identify the funding entity as well as the funding source.
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2. RFP Documents: Applicant shall examine the RFP carefully. Ignorance of the requirements will not relieve the Applicants from liability and obligations under the Contract. 3. Applicants Costs: BFP shall not be liable for any costs incurred by Applicants in responding to this RFP. 4. Insurance: The Applicant shall insure that either its insurance coverage or self-insurance program or its insurance of its contracted agents is adequate and sufficient to cover the activities performed under this Agreement, as the case may be as to the particular actions undertaken. The Applicants shall insure that the insurance requirements upon all contractors conform to and comply with all applicable local, state and/or federal requirements. 5. Contract Manager: BFP shall designate a Contract Manager whose duties shall be to: o liaison with the Applicant o coordination and approval of all work under the contract o assure consistency of quality of the Applicants performance o review for approval payment for all reimbursement requests o assure that the project is operating within federal, state and local regulations 6. Audits and Inspection of Records: At any time during normal business hours, the BFP staff, other County, State or Federal representatives, shall have access to all work sites and the Applicants records directly related to the contract. The Applicant shall permit BFP staff, other County, State or Federal representatives to audit and examine all invoices, contracts, and any other data relating to the expenditure of allocated funds. This time period minimally includes six (6) years after the project is closed and/or six (6) years after the end of the projects affordability period. The Applicant will ensure compliance with applicable established cost principles in OMB A-133 for Local Government or Non-Profit Agencies. 7. Other Laws, Rules and Regulations Which May Apply A. Chapter 409 Social Welfare-Social and Economic Assistance B. Chapter 39 Florida Statutes Proceedings Relating to Children C. Florida Administrative Code, 65C-12, 13, 14, and 15 D. BFP Fiscal Policies AP-430 and AP-465 E. Florida Public Records Act, Chapter 119 F.S. F. Florida Statutes, Chapter 112 - which deals with conflict of interest OMB Circular A133 G. Adoption and Safe Family Act (ASFA) performance standards H. Chapter 427 F.S. Part 1 Transportation Services and Rule 41-2 Florida Administrative Code transportation of children. I. Federal requirements of TANF, Title IV-B and Title IV-E State plans, Children and Family Operating Procedures 175-71, 175-93, 175-29, and 175-59. J. U.S.C. (Section 1324a)(Section 274A(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act employment of unauthorized aliens) K. 45 CFR Part 76 Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension L. American Disabilities Act of 1990 PL 101-336 M. 24 CFR Part 1 The regulations promulgated pursuant to Title VI of the 1984 Civil Rights Act. N. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 prohibits discrimination in employment.
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O. Age Discrimination Act of 1973. P. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Q. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 no discrimination against qualified handicapped individuals. R. Section 109 of Public Law 100-202 which restricts the awarding of public works contracts to firms from foreign countries with unfair trade practices. S. Davis-Bacon Requirements Labor Standards Requirements. 8. Additional Terms and Conditions BFP reserves the right to reject proposals containing any additional terms or conditions not specifically requested in the original conditions and specifications of this proposal.

PART IV TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS/PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION BFP initiated Child Placing Agency (CPA) contracts with various agencies, beginning in July 2005 and currently there are four (4) agencies providing CPA services in Brevard County. However, in an effort to more efficiently serve the needs of the youth and foster parents in Brevard County, BFP is seeking to consolidate the functions of the various CPA agencies to increase efficiencies and reduce duplication that exists in the current model. In a consolidated model, BFP is looking for 1 agency to provide a full continuum of services to encompass all needed foster care levels (preferably through their agency, but consideration will be given to the option of a subcontract arrangement) and to provide all necessary supports (such as therapy, behavior management, tutoring, vocational skills training opportunities, supervised visitation, respite, transportation, separated sibling visits, bio parent mentoring, family team conferencing, normalcy, etc.) to the youth served, either preferably through Provider staff, but subcontracted services, third party funding, and other community resources will be permitted provided continuity of care is paramount and to ensure a seamless transition of those currently receiving services. The selected Provider shall be responsible for working collaboratively with other current CPA agencies to ensure smooth transition of the homes and services based on the activities and timeframes identified in the Transition Plan. Additionally, the CPA shall be responsible for the initial license, re licensure activities and day to day management and support of family foster homes. The CPA will be required to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to facilitate placement of children into their homes and to provide crisis intervention and placement stability for the children placed and their foster families. Family foster homes are licensed through the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), governed by Florida Administrative Code 65C-13 and 15. BFP reviews all licensure packets before submission to DCF to ensure compliance with licensing standards and protocols. Currently, homes can choose to receive specialized training to serve children beyond a traditional level of placement (Pathways). BFP offers two levels of enhanced foster care; (Connections and Passages) and Specialized Therapeutic Levels 1 and 2 are contracted through the Child Welfare Pre Paid Mental Health plan. Becoming a medical foster home is an option under the umbrella of Childrens Medical Services. The CPA shall be responsible for ongoing recruitment of new foster homes particularly in targeted areas of the County to ensure there are a sufficient number of beds to meet current capacity and utilization requirements of BFP and to ensure children are able to remain in their same school. Targeted recruitment efforts should be made to focus on needed geographical and other specialized areas as needed and identified by BFP.
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BFP will be looking for the CPA to educate their foster parents about the utilization needs of the children entering licensed care. Specialized therapeutic training should be available to experienced foster parents who desire additional certifications and credentials to serve diverse groups of children (other than traditional). BFP is seeking a CPA to license foster parents who can provide a continuum of care in various levels to cater to child specific needs rather than foster parents who are only interested in serving one level of care. BFP will also be requesting the CPA to train, encourage, and support foster parent mentoring of biological parents. Key components of mentoring include: Helping children prepare for visits Comforting, reassuring and talking with children following a visit Providing transportation to and from visits Allowing visits to take place in the home of the foster parent (when appropriate) Building birth parents confidence and supporting their efforts to change by accepting them and treating them with respect Modeling healthy parent-child interactions and teaching proper child care to birth parents Providing information and being an active part of the team (ex: attending Family Team Conferences) Monitoring visits (when appropriate) Training and encouraging birth parents Including the birth parents in family activities and outings

Additionally, the CPA shall be responsible for creating a culture of trauma informed care and adherence to the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) to promote recruitment and retention of quality foster parents and ensure foster parent alignment with the QPI Foster Parent guidelines. It is expected that the CPA will promote and align values and practices with that of the Quality Parenting Initiative and the BFP system of care values and guiding principles. The responding agency will be expected to deliver the aforementioned services preferably through an array of foster parents who are skilled and equipped to deliver this level of support to the children referred or alternately through capacity of Provider agency staff. Service Tasks While the following list is not exhaustive of all the requirements of Chapter 65C-13, F.A.C., the following are key requirements of the CPA: (1) Focus on support and utilization of foster homes. Efforts will be focused on the support of those foster homes to ensure quality of care to the children being served and retaining of quality foster parents. The CPA will also serve to reduce placement disruption by providing extensive support to recruited foster families, including crisis response. (2) The CPA will be required to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week to facilitate placement of children into their homes. Placements should be made to ensure compatibility with the childs cultural and religious orientation. (2) Provide a minimum of monthly contact with foster parents for the purpose of providing advocacy, encouragement and support.
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(3) Continual, on-going assessment of each family foster home to ensure compliance with licensing standards by staff trained in licensing standards making unscheduled and scheduled visits to the foster home on at least a quarterly basis. (4) Provide PRIDE training classes for newly recruited foster families. (5) Ensure each child has the opportunity to attend and participate in Independent Living activities, skills training, and youth advisory board meetings and conferences by encouraging, supporting, transporting, and integrating Independent Living goals into the childs life. (6) Ensure each child has access to normalized activities and the foster parents are a part of the Normalcy Planning process for those age appropriate. (6) Promote and require participation of family foster parents at Family Team Conference meetings and any other child specific related staffings and/or meetings that involve permanency related issues; if not available, the CPA representative assigned to the home will attend. (7) Provide a specific point of contact for review and follow-up on Foster Care Referrals received from the Florida Abuse Hotline Information System. (8) Provide needed supports to youth served (such as therapy, behavior management, tutoring, vocational skills training opportunities, supervised visitation, sibling visits, etc) to the youth served, either through Provider staff, subcontracted services, third party funding, or other community resources. (9) CPA may be responsible for adminstration of a standardized assessment tool for each client served, such as the CAFAS/CANS. This is TBD.

Professional Qualifications The provider must adhere to the staff qualifications in Chapter 65C-13 and 65C-15, F.A.C. (1) The agency director shall be responsible for the general management and administration of the agency. The director and agency staff responsible for supervision shall have a masters degree in social work or a related area of study from an accredited college or university and at least two years experience in human services or child welfare programs. A bachelors degree in social work or a related area of study from an accredited college or university and four years of experience in human services or child welfare programs may be substituted. (2) Agency staff responsible for performing casework/licensing services shall have a bachelors degree in social work or related area of study or a masters degree in social work or a related area of study from an accredited college or university. (3) CPA staff facilitating PRIDE training will be required to obtain State Certification as a Child Protection Professional and certified PRIDE leader. Specific requirements can be located in the BFP Network Training Plan regarding CPA Certification and is adopted herein.
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Staff Training The agency shall have a written plan for the orientation, ongoing training and development of all staff. Agency supervisory and social work staff shall receive at least 15 hours of in-service training during each full year of employment. Activities related to supervision of the staff members routine tasks shall not be considered training activities for the purpose of this requirement.

BFP Levels of Care Traditionally, the child welfare system has been categorical in service provision and required a child to fail up into higher level placements. Seldom are children assessed accurately at the front door. For these reasons, each child will be evaluated through the administration of the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) and/or CANS Assessment tools. The following domains of the childs life will be assessed: School/Work, Community, Home, Behavior towards Others, Moods/Emotions, Thinking, Substance Abuse and Self Harmful Behavior. Each child will be evaluated at intake and on a quarterly basis. Any behavioral challenges that the child has experienced will be communicated to the primary Care Manager. Clinical issues will be incorporated into the care planning process. Each childs strengths and goals will be identified and new goals will be introduced progressively. The BFP System of Care has blended internal expanded placement alternatives with current Pre Paid Mental Health placement options to create a leveling system responsive to each childs individualized needs. Each placement level is characterized by a corresponding assessment score, plan of action, compensation for foster parent, placement review frequency, enhanced training requirements of foster parents in addition to licensure standards, criteria of child and finally requirements of Child Placing Agencies. The following family care levels are encompassed with the BFP system of care: Pathway Home (Traditional Foster Care) CAFAS Score: 0-80 Child has minimal or no impairments in daily living activities. Child requires some outpatient services and community coordination for support and reinforcement. Child is stable in current living environment. Foster Parent Requirements: One or two parent home, no restriction on employment and training in debriefing process and the impact of separation. Criteria for child: Child requires out of home care and there are not any relatives or non relatives within the childs support network that are either willing or able meets the standards of approved caregiver. Connections (Enhanced Foster Care) CAFAS Score 80-120 Child has some mild impairment that result in sporadic disobedience and uncooperativeness. Child is capable of being redirected and adhering to behavior and/or treatment plan. Child requires customized behavior and treatment plan.

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Foster Parent Requirements; Meets criteria for Pathway Home and foster parents must be specially recruited and trained in intervention to meet childs needs. Ten hours of training is required that can include childhood development, discipline, limit setting, consequences, problem solving, relationship building, permanency planning, stress management, confidentiality and cultural competence. Criteria for child: Child has a serious emotional disturbance, is a victim of child abuse or neglect and required out of home care as determined via an investigation by DCF or contracted community based care agency. Passages (Enhanced Foster Care) CAFAS Score 120-160 Child has moderate impairments, may have some non compliant and inappropriate behavior, child demonstrates some difficulty complying with reasonable rules and expectations within the home, typically accepts and processes consequences for undesirable behavior. Foster Parent Requirements; Meets criteria for Connections and it is recommended that at least one parent must be available 24 hours per day to respond to crisis that may require that one of the foster parents not work outside the home. Two parent household is strongly recommended (a single parent will be given special consideration to parenting experience and availability of support network) and an additional 20 hours of training is required. Twenty hours of training can include children with serious emotional disturbances, trauma, removal and loss, mentoring of biological parents, behavior management, theories and skills. Criteria for child: Child has a serious emotional disturbance, child is a risk of hospitalization or child has been hospitalized, admitted to residential treatment center or crisis stabilization during the last two years, child has a history of abuse or neglect, child no longer meet the Medical Necessity Criteria for Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care Level 1 or Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care Level 2, history of self injurious behaviors, sexual acting out, Baker Acts, history of current maladaptive behaviors marked by elopement episodes, current or past use of illegal substances, current or past frequent need for Mobile Response Team intervention impaired self control, heightened aggression, lying, stealing, immaturity, failed placements due to behavior history or current DJJ involvement. Specialized Therapeutic Level 1 CAFAS Score 120-140 and Criteria for child: Magellan Behavioral Health Criteria states that Level 1 is for enrollees whom have a serious emotional disturbance, including a mental, emotional or behavior disorder as diagnosed by a psychiatrist or other licensed practitioner of the healing arts. Without specialized therapeutic foster care, the enrollee would require admission to a psychiatric hospital, the psychiatric unit or a general hospital, a crisis stabilization unit or a residential treatment center or has, within the last two years, been admitted to one of these settings. A history of delinquent acts and has a serious emotional disturbance. The enrollee may exhibit maladaptive behaviors such as destruction of property, aggression, running away, use of illegal substance, lying, stealing etc. The enrollee may display impaired self concept, emotional immaturity or extreme impulsiveness and immaturity impairs decision making and places the enrollee at risk in a non therapeutic community setting or there is a history of abuse and neglect and serious emotional disturbance. The enrollees emotional and behavioral patters are marked by self destructive acts, impaired self concept, heightened aggression, or sexual acting out. Additional signs of
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social and emotional maladjustment such as lying, stealing, eating disorders and emotional immaturity may also be identified. Individual may have also been determined through the Clinical Review Process that the enrollee cannot be adequately treated with less intensive services, been a victim of abuse or neglect and been determined by the Department of Children and Families, district Child Welfare and Community Based Care program office to require out of home care. Note that no more than two specialized or regular foster care children or children committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice may reside in a home being reimbursed for specialized therapeutic foster care services. Only in the case of placement of a sibling(s) of the therapeutic foster care child may the two child limit be exceeded and only when the specialized therapeutic foster home has the licensed capacity. The waiver must be approved by the office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Foster Parent Requirements: The specialized therapeutic foster parent(s) serves as the primary agent in the delivery of therapeutic services to the enrollee. Specialized therapeutic foster parents are specially recruited and trained in interventions designed to meet the individual needs of the enrollee. One of the following individuals must serve in the role of specialized therapeutic foster care clinical staff for each enrollee: Psychiatric Nurse, Clinical Social Worker, Mental Health Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, Mental Health Professional or Psychologist. Providers of specialized therapeutic foster care services must be certified by the Community Based Care program office and the Area Medicaid office or Juvenile Justice as a specialized therapeutic foster care services provider and be enrolled in Magellan as a specialized therapeutic foster care provider. Providers must be certified annually by the designated Substance Abuse and Mental Health office, the district Child Welfare and Community Based Care program office or Juvenile Justice and area Medicaid staff as meeting the specific qualifications to provide these specialized services. Certification will be withdrawn if the provider fails to continue to meet the specific qualifications to provide these specialized services. Specialized Therapeutic Level 2 CAFAS Score 160-180 and Criteria for child: Level 2 is for an enrollee who meets the criteria for Level 1 and who exhibits more severe maladaptive behaviors such as destruction of property, physical aggression toward people or animals, self inflicted injuries and suicide indications or gestures or an inability to perform activities of daily and community living due to psychiatric symptoms. The enrollee requires more intensive therapeutic interventions and the availability of highly trained specialized therapeutic foster parents. Specialized therapeutic foster care services may be used for crisis intervention for an enrollee for whom placement must occur immediately in order to stabilize a behavioral, emotional or psychiatric crisis. The enrollees must be in foster care or commitment status and meet Level 1 or Level 2 criteria. The Clinical Review process must be utilized to determine the level of specialized therapeutic foster care services required by the enrollee, and review each child/adolescent status to reauthorize services no less than every six months. A specialized therapeutic foster home may be used as a temporary crisis intervention placement for a maximum of 30 days. Any exception to the length of stay must be approved in writing through the Clinical Review Process. Note that no more than two specialized or regular foster care children or children committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice may reside in a home being reimbursed for specialized therapeutic foster care services. Only in the case of placement of a sibling(s) of
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the therapeutic foster care child may the two child limit be exceeded and only when the specialized therapeutic foster home has the licensed capacity. Foster Parent Requirements: The specialized therapeutic foster parent(s) serves as the primary agent in the delivery of therapeutic services to the enrollee. Specialized therapeutic foster parents are specially recruited and trained in interventions designed to meet the individual needs of the enrollee. One of the following individuals must serve in the role of specialized therapeutic foster care clinical staff for each enrollee: Psychiatric Nurse, Clinical Social Worker, Mental Health Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, Mental Health Professional or Psychologist. Providers of specialized therapeutic foster care services must be certified by the Community Based Care program office and the Area Medicaid office or Juvenile Justice as a specialized therapeutic foster care services provider and be enrolled in Magellan as a specialized therapeutic foster care provider. Providers must be certified annually by the designated Substance Abuse and Mental Health office, the district Child Welfare and Community Based Care program office or Juvenile Justice and area Medicaid staff as meeting the specific qualifications to provide these specialized services. Certification will be withdrawn if the provider fails to continue to meet the specific qualifications to provide these specialized services. The waiver must be approved by the office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Expected Performance Measures

(1) 100% of the children, served under this contract and placed in a family foster care
home, shall be provided a safe environment, free of incidents of abuse and/or neglect by the providers staff, volunteers, other shelter children, or visiting family members, as reported to, and accepted by, the Florida Abuse Hotline, with no indicated or verified findings of maltreatment through a child protective investigation during the term of the contract.

(2) 85% of children served under this contract will be satisfied with the services provided while in a family foster care placement. To determine satisfaction with services, all children five (5) years of age and older, who have resided in a placement for 30 days or more, will be provided a satisfaction survey by Provider on a Quarterly basis. The results of these surveys will be reported every quarter on the Quarterly Outcome Measures Report. (3) 90% of children will have no moves for the Quarter. (4) A minimum of 4
(four) recreational and cultural enrichment activities, that are appropriate for children based on age and developmental ability, will occur away from the providers foster home in a calendar month.

(5) 100% of school-age children served under this contract who are placed in a family foster care home will be enrolled in school within seventy-two (72) hours of the date of admission unless the child(ren) cannot be enrolled in school due to mitigating circumstances. (6) 95% of children served under this contract who are placed in a provider family foster care home and are in need of a Child Health Check Up/EPSDT examination will have the examination completed within seventy-two (72) hours from the date of admission.
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(7) 100% of all licensing renewal packets will be submitted (30) days in advance of the
licensing expiration.

(8) 90% of children admitted into a provider family foster home longer than ninety (90) days will demonstrate an overall improvement or stability in CAFAS score.
(9) 100% of children placed in a provider family foster home will have all immunizations up-to-date. (This measure only includes children whose length of stay is longer than ninety (90) days). (10) 100% of children placed in a provider family foster home will have a dental appointment scheduled within thirty (30) days of admission. (This measure only includes children who have no documented dental appointment within the last six months upon admission). (11) 100% of children placed in a provider family foster home will been seen by a dentist at least every six (6) months. (12) 100% of children placed in a provider family foster home will have regular child health check-ups as mandated by the Florida Medicaid periodicity schedule. (13) _TBD_% of initial placements will be maintained in their same school (This measure to be tracked for the first 6 months to establish a baseline target for future implementation. (14) 20 new homes will be recruited in targeted areas of need during FY 2011-2012 as identified in partnership with BFP.

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2. SELECTION AND SCORING CRITERIA It is the intent of BFP to select Qualified Applicant(s) that can best achieve the identified needs to provide quality service provision. BFP will convene a review team to evaluate and rank all proposals that have been deemed eligible. Applicant(s) which do not provide a complete application package will be determined ineligible for further consideration. The following RFP evaluation sheet will be used: Rating Scale Summary Points Respondent has not responded to or has poorly responded to the criterion No value 0 1 2 3
demonstrating a lack of understanding of the criterion addressed in the proposal. Respondent has demonstrated little or no direct capability or has not adequately addressed the criterion in the proposal. Respondent has demonstrated average capability and a good approach to the criterion in the proposal. Respondent has demonstrated above average capability and approach to the criterion in the proposal. Sub-total Score: Maximum Score: Minimal Average Above Average

Evaluator Rating Summary: Organizational Capacity: Respondents organizational, supervisory, and staff qualifications and experiences providing child placing agency services to children and families. Need to specifically identify the number and types of positions to be utilized to fulfill the terms of this contract and names/qualification of staff to be used, if known. Program Design Narrative: Does Respondent provide a clear plan for how they will conduct targeted recruitment for homes that will accept sibling groups, teens with co-occuring disorders, and homes in the needed geographical areas as well as homes that can provide a continuum of levels as previously described in this proposal? Program Design Narrative: Does Respondent provide a clear plan for providing needed support services to clients served (such as therapy, behavior management, tutoring, vocational skills training opportunities, supervised visitation, etc) to the youth served, preferably through Provider agency staff, and/or subcontracted services, third party funding, or other community resources. If utilizing a subcontracted service model, explain how continuity of care will be provided to the clients.

Comments

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Program Design Narrative: Does Respondent provide a clear plan to conduct placement activities to ensure children are matched with families of similar ethnic, cultural, and/or religious backgrounds; and are able to be maintained in the same school placement? Program Design Narrative: Does Respondent provide a clear plan to ensure compliance with the objectives of the Quality Parenting Initiative? Current & Past Performance: Describe your Agencies current continuum (number of homes and level of the home) and your past efforts to license new homes to correspond with needed levels based on BFP capacity needs (detailed on page 3 of this proposal, # of youth in care by level). Describe your Agencies recruitment efforts during FY2010/2011, to include number of new homes licensed and identify the types (levels) of the homes licensed. If your agency does not currently offer all of the levels, does the proposal state your plan to ensure all levels are represented? Current Performance: Describe your Agencies current performance in regards to initial and relicensing file submission. Need to report FY10/11 performance as reported by the DCF licensing office. Performance should be reported as the total number and percent of timely submissions (both initial and re-licensing) and the total number and percent of complete (as determined and reported by DCF) packets (both initial and re-licensing). Cost Proposal: Has the Respondent proposed an efficient line item budget outlining costs as defined in Section III.3.Cost Proposal, page 22? Cost Proposal: Has the Respondent proposed a clear plan to provide innovations, capacity building, and reinvestment of any surplus revenue for enhancing the continuum of services? Project Presentation: Is proposal complete, properly organized, and well presented? Total:

3 30
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Scoring will not be used as a sole determination of awarding funds to project(s). BFP considers awards based on the following: 1. Information as presented in the application; and 2. Perceived value to the community, and/or competitiveness or duplication compared to other currently proposed projects; and 3. Expenditure goals and deadlines of individual funding sources; and 4. Which proposal(s), in the opinion of the Review Committee, will best serve the community need and address the community based care strategies. The BFP Review Committee may require additional information and Applicants agree to furnish such information, up to and including Respondent presentations. BFP reserves the right to award the contract to that qualified applicant who will best serve the interests of the BFP. BFP reserves the right, based upon its deliberations and in its opinion, to accept or reject any or all proposals. BFP reserves the right to waive minor irregularities or variations, which are not mandated by DCF to the specifications and bidding process. BFP will fund the organization(s) which, in its opinion, best serve the community, based on the above criteria and consideration of the BFP Review Committee recommendation. BFP reserves the right to initiate contract negotiations with the most qualified applicant(s), with more than one applicant at a time and need not negotiate with all qualified applicants. If a contract cannot be negotiated with any of the ranked applicants who responded to this Request for Proposal, BFP shall have the right to issue a new Request for Proposal or to otherwise seek additional qualified applicants. 3. APPEALS Any Applicant who is allegedly aggrieved in connection with the solicitation, pending award, or denial must file a formal written protest with Community Based Care of Brevard (BFP) within 5 business days of the posting of the award. The formal written protest shall reference the Name of the Solicitation, and Closing Date of the RFP, and shall state with particularity the facts and laws upon which the protest is based, including full details of adverse affects and the relief sought. Upon receipt of an appeal, the BFP Chief Compliance & Utilization Officer will convene an Appeals Committee to consist of a minimum of three BFP staff including the Chief Compliance & Utilization Officer. The Appeals Committee will review appeals within 10 business days of the appeal. The BFP Attorney or designee may be requested to attend. The BFP Chief Compliance & Utilization Officer records the meeting and provides any information as the committee may request. The purpose of an appeals hearing is to provide an opportunity to: (1) review the basis of the protest, (2) evaluate the facts and merits of the protest, and (3) if possible, to reach a resolution of the protest that is acceptable to the affected parties. The decision of the Appeals Committee will be delivered to the Applicant via certified mail, return receipt. In the event the matter is not resolved with the Applicants acceptance of the BFP Appeals Committee decision, the BFP Chief Compliance & Utilization Officer will present the recommended award including the details of the protest and the BFP Appeals Committee recommendation to the BFP CEO and Board Chair or their designee, as a final means of administrative remedy within 15 work days of the BFP Appeals Committee decision.

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PART V - CONSIDERATION FOR AWARD

For New Applicants: An Administrative RFQ must be submitted with the applicants proposal to be considered eligible for an award. An RFQ is available on the BFP website under the Procurements section: www.BFPrevard.org

CRITERIA CHECKLIST All of the items listed below must be included (per category) or the submitted proposal package is incomplete. No incomplete proposal will be considered for funding.

Proposal submitted on or before June 1, 2011 , 2:00 p.m. deadline Proposal Section I - V, completed and signed Cost Proposal

PART VI - REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL

All proposals must be submitted as specified with the proposal pages required. To be considered, the proposal must respond to all parts of the RFP and information not clearly defined as a response to application requirements or in the proper order or section may not be scored. All proposals shall become the property of the Community Based Care of Brevard program. All proposals must be submitted to BFP, 760 North Drive, Suite E, Melbourne, FL 32934 on or prior to June 1, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. The proposal shall be signed by a representative who is authorized to contractually bind the Applicant. One (1) original and (7) seven copies of the proposals must be submitted prior to the required deadline. Each copy must be bound by a single large clip. No other binding will be accepted. Applications must be printed on 8 x 11 paper only, using no less than 11 pitch font In Arial or Times New Roman with one inch page margins. All proposals must have a Table of Contents to include Section page numbers submitted in the following order: Section I Section II Section III Section IV Project Application Form Proposal Signature Page Description of Project Attachments

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BREVARD FAMILY PARTNERSHIP

SECTION I. PROJECT APPLICATION FORM The name provided here must be identical to that in the Articles of Incorporation or in the official document identifying the applicant as a unit of state or local government. Address, city, state, and zip code must be provided. A contact persons name, title, and telephone number also must be furnished.
Applicant __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Project Name Dollar Amount Requested Parent Organization Contact Person & Title City, State, Zip Code Email Telephone/FAX Number Name of Board of Directors Chairperson Tax ID # __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

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SECTION II. PROPOSAL SIGNATURE PAGE

The undersigned hereby agrees to furnish the following article(s) or services at the price(s) and terms stated subject to all instructions, conditions, specifications, addenda, legal advertisement, and conditions contained in the RFP. I have read all attachments including the specifications and fully understand what is required. By submitting this signed proposal, I will accept a contract if approved by BREVARD FAMILY PARTNERSHIP and such acceptance covers all terms, conditions, and specifications of this proposal.

Proposal submitted by: (please print) NAME:___________________________________ TITLE:__________________________

NAME OF AGENCY/ORGANIZATION_____________________________________________________ ADDRESS:__________________________________________________________________ CITY: ___________________________STATE: _______________ ZIP: _________________ ____________________________________________________ Signature of Authorized Representative _____________ Date

Addenda Acknowledgment - APPLICANT acknowledges that the following addenda have been received and are included in this proposal: ADDENDA NO. DATE ISSUED

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SECTION III - DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT PROGRAM NARRATIVE

Provide no more than a fifteen (15) page summary of the proposed project which must include but is not limited to information pertaining to: 1. Organizational Capacity a. b. A synopsis of the offerors organizational qualifications and experiences providing child placing agency services to children and families. A description of the number and types of positions to be utilized to fulfill the terms of this contract and names/qualifications of staff to be used, if known.

2. Program Design a. Describe how your agency will conduct targeted recruitment for homes that will accept sibling groups, teens with co-occuring disorders, and homes in the needed geographical areas as well as homes that can provide a continuum of levels as previously described in this proposal. Describe how your agency (and any community partnerships) will provide needed support services to clients served (such as therapy, behavior management, tutoring, vocational skills training opportunities, supervised visitation, etc.), either through Provider staff, subcontracted services, third party funding, or other community resources. If utilizing a subcontracted service model, explain how continuity of care will be provided to the clients. Describe your agency plan to conduct placement activities to ensure children are matched with families of similar ethnic, cultural, and/or religious backgrounds; and are able to be maintained in the same school placement. Describe your agency plan to ensure compliance with the objectives of the Quality Parenting Initiative.

b.

c.

d.

3. Current & Past Performance a. Describe your Agencies current continuum (number of homes and level of the home) and your past efforts to license new homes to correspond with needed levels based on BFP utilization needs (as detailed on page 3 of this proposal, # of youth in care by level). Describe your agencies recruitment efforts during FY2010/2011, to include the number of new homes licensed and identify the types (levels) of the homes licensed. If your agency does not currently offer all of the levels, please provide a description of how your agency will ensure all levels are represented. Describe your Agencies current performance in regards to initial and relicensing file submission. Need to report FY10/11 performance as reported by the DCF licensing office. Performance should be reported as the total number and percent of timely submissions (both initial and re-licensing) and the total number and percent of complete (as determined and reported by DCF stats) packets (both initial and relicensing).

b.

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4. Cost Proposal Indirect costs are limited to a maximum of 10%. BFP anticipates a maximum Fiscal Year 2012 (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012) dollar amount of $550,000.00, subject to the availability of funds, for the provision of services contained in this RFP. It is anticipated that this amount will be offset by the utilization of Provider staff within your agency with the ability to provide services and bill through Magellan. The cost proposal should include an annualized line item budget that contains the following AND a description of how your agency will provide innovations, capacity building, and reinvestment of any surplus revenue for enhancing the continuum of services: a. Financial Capability - describe how the Respondent will provide fiscal management of program, fiscal reporting and oversight; and how Respondent will access funds (i.e. through cash reserves, line of credit, etc.) for operating costs in the event advances from BFP are unavailable. Project Budget Detail The Respondent shall submit to BFP a detailed line item budget that describes allocation methodologies used by the provider to claim costs for this contract. This plan must also include the providers indirect allocation and rate methodology and a description of costs allocated to indirect. Sample Budget Justification: 1. Salaries and Wages Provide the following information for each position identified on the budget: a. Name b. Title c. Time Commitment d. Duties and responsibilities in relation to the program goals and objectives. 2. Fringe Benefits Indicate how fringe benefits are calculated as a % of salary dollars and include: FICA, Medicare, workers compensation, retirement, etc. In addition, provide detail of how health insurance and other benefits are calculated. 3. Operating Costs These costs must be directly attributable to the program operations, reasonable and consistent with similar organizations. Questions pertaining to budget categories may be addressed during negotiation. 4. Indirect Costs These are costs that are normally incurred for common or joint objectives and therefore cannot readily be identified specifically with a
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b.

c.

particular program activity. Where costs can be identified as benefiting program objectives they should be charged as direct costs, to the corresponding line item. Details of items included in indirect charges must be provided. Use of estimates is allowed as long as they are reconciled to actual charges once available. Indirect costs must be kept at or below 10%.

SECTION IV Attachments
The Applicant will place MOUs, letters of commitment, community support documentation, certifications and other pertinent information regarding the project proposal. Attachments should be clearly referred to or identified as a response to specific application requirements. Required Attachments a. b. An Organizational Chart/Staffing Pattern Job Descriptions for key project staff

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