COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Human Services Agency

DATE:

January 16, 2003

BOARD MEETING DATE:

January 28, 2003

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Maureen D. Borland, Director, Human Services Agency.

Yvonne Frazier, Administrator, Alcohol and Other Drug Services

SUBJECT:

Acceptance of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Grant

Recommendation

Adopt a resolution to:

1.

Accept a three-year grant from the DHHS for Juvenile Drug Court alcohol and drug treatment expansion services in the amount of $1,198,572 for the period 9/30/2002 through 9/29/2005; and

2.

Waive the Request for Proposals (RFP) process and authorize initiation of contracts with the service providers designated in the grant proposal.

Background

The Human Services Agency Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Services submitted an application to the DHHS Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) for a three-year grant to provide alcohol and drug assessment, referral, case management and treatment services to multi-recidivist girls entering Juvenile Drug Court (JDC) who are currently placed in facilities outside of San Mateo County. There is a strong linkage between mental health and substance abuse issues in engendering juvenile justice recidivism. In March 2002, the County AOD Services and the Commission on the Status of Women presented to the Board of Supervisors "Women and Adolescent Girls with Substance Abuse Problems in San Mateo County." In this report the need for providing services for girls in Juvenile Drug Court was identified.

County AOD Services submitted the grant application in collaboration with Probation, Mental Health Services and the Human Services Agency. Continued support came from the Juvenile Drug Court team i.e., Health Services Mental Health Division, The Court, Juvenile Probation, The Private Defender's Office, the District Attorney's Office, Child Welfare Services, and Gateway School.

Discussion

The project will expand services in two critical areas: assessment/case management and treatment services for girls with co-occurring disorders. The Probation Department will add one unclassified Deputy Probation Officer II to act as a case manager through a Salary Ordinance Amendment. An assessor from Alcohol and Drug Services will provide in-custody assessments, referrals and case management services to facilitate a successful transition from juvenile hall into treatment as well as improve success in completion of treatment programs. The existing wrap-around team, a partnership between the Mental Health Division, Juvenile Probation and the Human Services Agency, will case manage and provide ongoing linkage and referral to community-based services. Referrals made to the JDC team will be monitored by the JDC Judge for compliance with the JDC program. Asian American Recovery Services, Family and Community Enrichment Services and Youth and Family Assistance, the community-based programs identified in the grant application, will provide contracted treatment services.

The enhanced JDC treatment continuum is a two-year program. During the initial one to three months, girls will typically be in custody. At this time, there will be in-custody mental health/substance abuse treatment services with an educational assessment and intensive remediation at the Gateway School. In the next three to nine months substance abuse treatment providers will provide intensive dual diagnosis treatment. Girls will also participate in intensive education services, and/or an employment assessment. Additionally, Probation will provide intensive supervision. Over the final year, parents/caregivers will be provided family services/counseling. Job placement and on-going support will be available. Girls will participate in weekly dual diagnosis groups, have regular school plus individual tutoring and Probation will provide aftercare supervision. Although the JDC uses sanctions, it also provides rewards as the girls complete the stages of their treatment continuum.

Performance Measures

Evaluation of the three-year project will assess treatment effectiveness and treatment efficiency through use of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), urinalysis results, reduction in out-of-home placement data and CSAT's Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) measure. The University of California, San Francisco will conduct the project evaluation.

Objective

Operationalization of dependent variable

Participants in the Expanded JDC will show a reduction in juvenile offending and in the severity of offenses committed during the intervention and for the twelve months subsequent to the intervention. A baseline will be determined at the end of the first twelve months of implementation.

·

Count of new referrals

·

Count of new felonies

Participants in the Expanded JDC will show a reduction in out-of-home placements. A baseline will be determined at the end of the first twelve months of implementation.

·

Count of new placement episodes

·

Sum of placement days

·

Total costs of placements

Participants in the Expanded JDC will show reduced substance abuse over the period of their participation in the program. A baseline will be determined at the end of the first twelve months of implementation.

·

Positive urine tests

90% of participants in the Expanded JDC will show an improvement in the overall ASI score and in a majority of the subscales of the ASI upon follow-up.

·

ASI assessment

80% of participants in the Expanded JDC will show an improvement in lifeskills as measured by an improvement in overall Child & Family Assessment Scale (CAFAS) score and an improvement in the majority of CAFAS subscales upon follow-up.

·

CAFAS assessments

Vision Alignment

These grant-funded services are consistent with the commitment to: Ensure basic health and safety for all and goal number 8: Help vulnerable people - the aged, disabled, mentally ill, at-risk youth and others - achieve a better quality for life. The services contribute to this commitment and goal by providing individuals involved in the JDC grant-funded services with the skills and knowledge necessary to live alcohol and drug free lives, which in turn contributes to the health and safety of the communities in San Mateo County.

Fiscal Impact

The three-year grant period is September 30, 2002 through September 29, 2005. Funding for grant year one is $399,992, year two is $400,000, and year three is $398,580 for a total of $1,198,572. Funding for these services are included in the FY2002/03 budget process. There are no new Net County Costs associated with this grant.