COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

PROBATION DEPARTMENT

DATE:

November 30, 2009

BOARD MEETING DATE:

December15, 2009

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Stuart J. Forrest, Chief Probation Officer

SUBJECT:

Agreement with Youth and Family Enrichment Services

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution:

A) Waiving the Request for Proposal (RFP) process; and

B) Authorizing the President of the Board to execute an Agreement with Youth and Family Enrichment Services (YFES) to provide mental health services to girls at the Margaret J. Kemp Camp and in the GIRLS aftercare program for FY 2009-10, for the term July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010, in the amount of $250,000; and

C) Authorizing the Chief of Probation or his designee to execute contract amendments which modify the County’s maximum fiscal obligation by no more than $25,000 (in aggregate), and/or modify the contract term and/or services so long as the modified term or services is/are within the current or revised fiscal provisions.

BACKGROUND:

The Probation Department operates a cluster of services for delinquent girls under the heading of the GIRLS Program (Gaining Independence and Reclaiming Lives Successfully). The first phase of the program involves a commitment of 180 days to the Margaret J. Kemp Camp for Girls, a residential facility located in a non-secure area near the Youth Services Center. This phase involves intensive treatment for substance abuse, mental health issues, and trauma in the form of individual, group, and family counseling. In addition, girls receive decision making, cognitive skills, and independent living skills training, as well as mentoring, yoga/emotion regulation training, and art therapy. Following a stay at Camp Kemp, girls transition to the community and receive intensive probation supervision and treatment services. If they are successful, they graduate to the third phase of the program with a less-intensive level of supervision. Completion of all three phases of the GIRLS Program can take up to 18 months. To date, 138 girls have received services through Camp Kemp.

DISCUSSION:

This Agreement with YFES will provide a number of services to girls at Camp Kemp. In collaboration with the County Mental Health Department and the non-profit contractor Rape Trauma Services, YFES provides mental health assessment and individual psychological counseling, two of the backbones of the Camp program. In addition, YFES facilitates the Camp’s bi-weekly, 16-session intervention program for youth and their families, which concentrates on mending relationships, increasing communication, and empowering parents to be effective parents.

It is in the County’s best interest to waive the RFP process for FY 2009-10 since YFES was the specified provider for the mental health services under a previous grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) grant. Probation will be conducting an RFP for FY 10-11 services. This Agreement was delayed due to negotiations.

The contractor has assured compliance with the County’s Contractor Employee Jury Service Ordinance, as well as all other contract provisions that are required by County ordinance and administrative memoranda, including but not limited to insurance, hold harmless, non-discrimination and equal benefits. County Counsel has reviewed and approved the Resolution and Agreement as to form.

Approval of this Agreement contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Healthy Community by providing mental health, substance abuse, and family treatment services to adolescent females committed to Margaret J. Kemp Girls Camp (Camp Kemp), or temporarily residing at San Mateo County’s Juvenile Hall.

Performance Measure(s):

Measure

FY 2008-09
Actual

FY 2009-10
Projected

Percent of youth reporting any illegal drug use (in last 30 days) at six months following release from Camp.

4.4%

4.0%

FISCAL IMPACT:

The term of this Agreement is July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. The total obligation of this Agreement is $250,000 and is 100% funded through Youth Offender Block Grant (YOBG), funds and have been included in the FY 2009-10 Adopted Budget. There is no Net County Cost.