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Consultant for Analysis of Residential System of Care for Children
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Request Date: 12/16/2019 1:52:30 PM
Open Date:
Closing Date: 1/17/2020 4:30 PM
Intent To Bid Deadline:
Est. Dollar Value: $0.00
RFQ Number: RFP54
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Dept. of Mental Health
280 State Drive
Waterbury,
VT
05671
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Bid Type:
Request for Proposal
Locations:
State-Wide
Keywords:
Social Services, Consultant Services, Health Care Services, Management Services
Bid Description:
STATE OF VERMONT
AGENCY OF HUMAN SERVICES
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RFP54
ISSUE DATE: Monday, December 16, 2019
RFP RESPONSES DUE BY: Friday, January 17, 2020
INTRODUCTION
In June 2015, the Agency of Human Services, in collaboration with the Agency of Education, held a dialogue to discuss the increased concern about the number of children and youth in residential placements. During this meeting, the participants reviewed the trend lines for residential placements, looked at the current system of care in Vermont and held small group discussions to understand opportunities to turn the curve by addressing the issue at all levels in the system of care.
Three main points were agreed upon during this meeting:
1. There is a shared concern about the increasing number of Vermont children and youth who are placed in residential programs, including out-of-state placements.
2. A problem was identified that needs resolution: our trend lines for residential and out-of-state residential are going in the wrong direction.
3. There is commitment to create more community-based treatment options.
Vermont uses in-state and out-of-state placements for youth needing residential care. This comes with advantages and disadvantages for youth, their families, and the system of care. Regardless of where the child is placed, their care is monitored by the AHS placing department and the respective state licensing entity. Vermont’s size itself creates challenges for setting up additional in-state programs. Vermont does not always have enough youth with the same presenting issues to achieve an economy of scale to sustain programming. It is not practical to build a treatment program without a sustainable population as staffing a program for one or two youth is very expensive.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMISSION
Please provide both an electronic and hard copy of the proposal on¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ January 17, 2020, to:
Jennifer Rowell, Department of Mental Health
280 State Drive, NOB 2 North
Waterbury, Vermont 05671-2010
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION
AHS strives to improve the health and well-being of Vermonters today and tomorrow and to protect those among us who are unable to protect themselves.
The Agency of Human Services (AHS) was created by the Vermont Legislature in 1969 to serve as the umbrella organization for all human service activities within state government. The Secretary’s Office strategically leads the Agency and its Departments in establishing and implementing Agency-wide and government-wide policies and practices.
The scope of AHS is profound. Through six member Departments and a network of community partners and providers, it implements and delivers all human service programs within the state. Each Department has a distinct area of focus and responsibility that contributes to the creation and sustenance of an entire system of human service supports. As a single entity, AHS builds a continuum of care that protects and supports vulnerable Vermonters; addresses individual, family and regional crises as they arise; develops and promotes whole population approaches to physical and behavioral health; works to build economic self-sufficiency; and keeps communities safe.
The Agency’s six member Departments include the:
1. Department for Children and Families (DCF): 1,078 staff positions; an operating budget of approximately $389 million dollars, directly serving 185,000 Vermonters
2. Department of Corrections (DOC): 1,055 staff positions; an operating budget of approximately $157 million dollars; directly serving 8,335 clients in community and 1,755 inmates in facilities
3. Department for Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL): 286 staff positions; an operating budget of approximately $453 million; directly serving 89,574 Vermonters
4. Department of Mental Health (DMH): 267 staff positions; operating budget of approximately $217 million; directly serving 34,074 Vermonters
5. Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA): 208 staff positions; operating budget of approximately $1.2 billion dollars; directly serving 230,602 Vermonters
6. Vermont Department of Health (VDH): 530 staff positions at VDH; an operating budget of approximately $153 million; serving all Vermonters
AHS services are delivered throughout Vermont by dedicated state staff, an extensive network of community partners, and private, non-profit agencies. DMH, DAIL, and DVHA operate almost exclusively within a community partner framework, relying on private entities for service delivery to their constituent populations. Conversely, although they may intersect with the private provider system, DCF, VDH, and DOC are primarily responsible for the delivery of services. DCF, VDH, DOC, and DAIL maintain a presence in all twelve AHS district offices.
SCOPE OF SERVICES REQUESTED
The Agency of Human Services (AHS) is interested in hiring a consultant to analyze our residential system of care and answer the following question:
What planning steps can Vermont take beginning in FY21, in an incremental manner, over the next five years to:
• increase community-based supports and services (wraparound supports for children in their biological or foster home, mobile response, therapeutic foster homes)
• increase the ability of families to care for their children while they receive the necessary therapeutic treatment; and
• provide necessary treatment within family like settings, thus decreasing the need to receive that treatment within a residential setting;
• ensure youth only reside within residential settings when treatment provided is necessary and prescribed and only for the duration of that need.
Possible Questions for the Consultant to be used in this analysis:
1. What works to support children and youth within family like settings?
2. What services can replace the need for residential treatment and still provide necessary treatment for youth residing within their family, community, or some other family-like setting?
3. In reviewing Vermont’s data, consider the following:
a. What is the profile of the children/youth going to residential care?
b. What is the average length of stay by age group?
c. Are there any populations with enough commonality that we could serve them in Vermont with a smaller, Vermont run residential facility? Including but not limited to the following subsets of population:
i. Children/youth with developmental disabilities
ii. Youth who are adjudicated delinquent or charged with a delinquency
iii. Children/youth who were adopted
d. What is Vermont’s capability to gather data in way that allows comprehensive view of the system (across AHS and Agency of Education)?
4. Are there additional supports or services that our system of care needs to decrease the use of residential in Vermont?
5. In looking at the different supports, stabilization and crisis services provided in Vermont consider the following:
a. Is there any overlap of services that would benefit from integration?
b. How are the discrete services contracted through various agencies impacting outcomes for children and youth?
c. What is the most effective way to create a system of care that incorporates the needs of children and youth served by DAIL, DCF, and DMH?
6. From a financial standpoint:
a. What is the average cost per youth in residential (excluding outliers)?
b. What is allowable for spending by each department (e.g. room and board is being phased down from global commitment funds to general funds)?
c. What recommendations could be made to address the challenges with the current PNMI (Private Non-Medical Institutions) rate setting process that is in place for funding residential settings?
d. What mechanisms could be envisioned so the residential budgets for DAIL, DMH and DCF could be leveraged as one budget and therefore advocated for as a children’s budget?
7. Given the small number of children placed through DAIL in residential are there lessons to be learned from providers and stakeholders who work to create community-based programs for these children/youth?
8. What are the most promising evidence-based practices for children/youth in residential?
9. Are there systems issues (procedures and policies) that could be changed to make accessing the right level of care for children/youth more successful?
PROPOSAL FORMAT
Use standard 8.5” X 11” page size. Documents must be single-spaced and use not less than a twelve-point font. Pages must be numbered. The proposal should be comprehensive, yet concise. The proposal must follow the sequence of information requested in the “Bid Requirements” section below. State your organization’s name on each page of your program proposal/bid and on any other information you are submitting.
1. A brief description of the organization which includes its history, organization structure and size, and qualifications to provide the required services. The proposal should include a timeline for the work to be completed, including a budget.
2. A statement and discussion of the Proposer’s analysis of the RFP requirements. This should include.
• How the staff and services needed will provided
• Statement and discussion of anticipated major difficulties and problem areas (if any), together with potential or recommended approaches to their solution.
3. Acknowledgement of agreement with customary State and Agency terms and conditions contained in Attachments C-F.
Confidentiality. To the extent your bid contains information you consider to be proprietary and confidential, you must comply with the following requirements concerning the contents of your cover letter and the submission of a redacted copy of your bid (or affected portions thereof).
The successful response will become part of the contract file and will be a matter of public record, as will all other responses received. If the response includes material that is considered by the bidder to be proprietary and confidential under the State’s Public Records Act, 1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq., the bidder shall submit a cover letter that clearly identifies each page or section of the response that it believes is proprietary and confidential. The bidder shall also provide in their cover letter a written explanation for each marked section explaining why such material should be considered exempt from public disclosure in the event of a public records request, pursuant to 1 V.S.A. § 317(c), including the prospective harm to the competitive position of the bidder if the identified material were to be released. Additionally, the bidder must include a redacted copy of its response for portions that are considered proprietary and confidential. Redactions must be limited so that the reviewer may understand the nature of the information being withheld. It is typically inappropriate to redact entire pages, or to redact the titles/captions of tables and figures. Under no circumstances can the entire response be marked confidential, and the State reserves the right to disqualify responses so marked.
DELIVERY OF PROPOSALS
Proposals must be received no later than at 4:30 pm EST on January 17, 2020 at the following address:
Jennifer Rowell
280 State Drive, NOB 2 North
Waterbury, Vermont 05671-2010
Please provide both an electronic and hard copy of the proposal to: Jennifer.Rowell@vermont.gov
QUESTIONS CONCERNING RFP
Questions concerning this request for proposal should be directed to: Cheryle Wilcox, Cheryle.Wilcox@vermont.gov
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
AHS reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids. If a contractor is selected, representatives will be invited to negotiate a contract.
AHS will not pay any bidder costs associated with preparing or presenting any proposal in response to this RFP.
The contractor will agree to the State of Vermont usual contract and payment provisions. These specifications are posted with this RFP and include:
• Attachment C: Customary Provisions for Contracts and Grants
• Attachment E: Business Associate Agreement
• Attachment F: AHS Customary Contract Provision
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