Minnesota Department of Health
Request for Proposals
Safe Harbor / No Wrong Door
Regional Navigator Grants
&
American Indian Navigator
June 2, 2014 – June 30, 2015
Published: March 28, 2014
Due: May 12, 2014
www.health.state.mn.us/injury/topic/safeharbor/
1
Table of Contents
Introduction
Timeline
Background Information
Goals
Eligibility Requirements
Regions and Intended Population
Duration of Funding
Available Funding
Funding Restrictions
3
3
4
4
4
5
5
5
Scope of Work
Tasks/Deliverables
Evaluation Requirements/Outcomes
Administrative and Financial
Financial Reconciliation
6
6
8
8
Application Instructions
Project Narrative
Application Requirements and Review Process
Review Process
9
11
12
Appendices
State and Federal Data Privacy Statute Numbers
Project Work Plan
Community Collaboration and Partnerships Form
Budget Justification
Budget Summary
MDH Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire
2
13
14
18
20
22
23
Timeline
Application period begins ……………………………… March 28, 2014
Applications due….. …………………………………… May 12, 2014
Notice to Applicants … ………………………………… May 26, 2014
Work begins…………………………………………… June 9, 2014
Introduction
Background Information
Minnesota has, in the past, arrested and prosecuted youth for prostitution. This legal framework
views juveniles used in prostitution as criminals. Safe Harbor laws shift the paradigm for at risk
and sexually exploited youth, viewing them as crime victims rather than criminals. Specifically,
Safe Harbor laws are designed to exempt children from prostitution arrest and prosecution, train
law enforcement and community members on how to identify and assist victims, increase
penalties for traffickers and promote the development of a statewide system of care.
In 2011, Minnesota passed Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth legislation that
decriminalized prostitution offenses for youth under 18. In 2013, Minnesota authorized funds to
house sexually exploited youth; conduct statewide trainings that will help communities identify
and assist juveniles; and hire a statewide director and regional navigators as recommended in the
“No Wrong Door Report: A Comprehensive Approach to Safe Harbor for Minnesota’s Sexually
Exploited Youth.” The No Wrong Door report was created collaboratively by prosecutors, public
safety officials, public health professionals, child protection workers and service providers
outlining a statewide social service model for sexually exploited youth. This model is based on
the assumption that neither the child protection alone nor the juvenile justice systems are
designed or adequate to address the needs of sexually exploited youth. Certain values and
principles identified in the No Wrong Door report are foundational for both state level and
regional planning and implementation. These include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Sexually exploited youth are victims not offenders
Sexual exploitation can be prevented
Youth should not feel isolated or trapped while receiving services
Youth have a right to privacy and self-determination
Services will be based in positive youth development
Community members and professionals must be trained to identify sexual exploitation
Services must be responsive to the needs of individual youth
Services must be victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally inclusive and
No Wrong Door is a statewide program and will be tailored to regions’ needs and
resources.i
3
To accomplish the ninth principle, above, funds were authorized to the Minnesota Department of
Health (MDH) to provide grants to fund regional navigators across the state. Navigators will
serve as regional experts to coordinate victim-centered resources and services for sexually
exploited youth and serve as a central resource for community members, service providers, law
enforcement and youth themselves. No Wrong Door is a new initiative; therefore MDH
acknowledges regions, communities and potential grantees may not have all the services,
programs, partnerships and answers to end sexual exploitation. This program is intended to grow
and evolve with collective effort between MDH and all Safe Harbor grantees to develop
community responses and services to combat sexual exploitation. MDH has awarded four grants
for regional navigators and seeks applications for four additional navigators to complete
statewide coverage, including one specifically for American Indian populations.
Goals
MDH seeks proposals from eligible responders to develop and submit plans ensuring
communities collectively and effectively provide No Wrong Door to sexually exploited and
trafficked youth by addressing the following goals:
a. Improve community capacity to identify sexually exploited youth in Minnesota;
b. Ensure regional experts are located throughout the state serving as resources for
communities on youth services and sexual exploitation;
c. Increase services available and effectiveness of those services to sexually
exploited youth to enhance positive outcomes for youth; and
d. Enhance coordination and collaboration between systems (criminal justice, health
care, child protection and welfare, etc.) and professionals serving, interacting and
engaging youth.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible responders include governmental, non-governmental, and tribal agencies. Agencies and
community partners are encouraged to submit joint applications with one fiscal agent.
Regions and Intended Population
The intended population is sexually exploited youth, 17 and younger, residing in Minnesota.
MDH intends to fund up to four additional regional navigators in specific regions including one
American Indian navigator to achieve statewide coverage of Safe Harbor / No Wrong Door. The
three regions include Northwestern/Central Minnesota, Southeastern Minnesota, and the West
Metro and include the counties listed below.
Northwestern/Central Region
Kittson, Roseau, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington, Red Lake, Beltrami, Polk, Norman,
Mahnomen, Clearwater, Clay, Becker, Hubbard, Wadena, Cass, Crow Wing, Aitkin, Morrison,
Mille Lacs, Benton, and Kanabec.
4
Southeastern Region
Rice, Goodhue, Wabasha, Steele, Dodge, Olmsted, Winona, Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore, and
Houston.
West Metro Region
Sherburne, Wright, Hennepin, Carver and Scott.
With large geographic regions to serve and limited resources, MDH strongly advises cities
within regions to partner with and work together to develop responses to serve sexually exploited
youth and educate communities and professionals on this problem.
American Indian Navigator
While all navigators are expected to be culturally competent in accessing appropriate services for
specific cultural needs, MDH seeks one navigator to exclusively serve Minnesota’s American
Indian populations in a location or region of choice as a pilot project with potential to replicate in
other tribes or regions of the state. Preference will be given to applications proposing to work
with more than one tribe or reservation or organizations serving all American Indians but in one
geographic location, i.e., serving Northwestern Minnesota. MDH strongly advises a collective,
collaborative approach in the development of this proposal to most effectively and respectfully
provide services to our Native American youth.
Duration of Funding
Applicants may apply for the entire grant period of June 2, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
Available Funding
Approximately $365,000 is available for FY 2015. MDH anticipates funding up to four grantees
with amounts ranging from $70,000 to 110,000.
Funding Restrictions
Grant funds may be used to cover costs of personnel, supplies, grant-related travel, and other
grant-related costs. Grant funds may not be used for building alterations or renovations,
construction, fund raising activities, political education or lobbying. Matching funds are not
required.
5
Scope of Work
Tasks/Deliverables















Serve as regional expert and resource to professionals who need information on how to
work with sexually exploited youth and where to refer them.
Provide information to community members and the general public to learn more about
sexual exploitation of youth and how to prevent it.
Ensure training has been provided to regional stakeholders/professionals who interact
with youth to know the signs of trafficking and know how to refer youth to services.
Ensure adequate and effective outreach and services are available in region.
Engage public and stakeholders in primary prevention efforts.
Complete eligibility screening and needs assessments.
Provide initial case management by developing comprehensive, trauma-centered service
plans.
Make appropriate referrals to services for youth.
Ongoing case coordination (or case management if necessary); this could include intake,
referral to services, assistance with transportation, follow up with referrals and ongoing
support to youth if appropriate. Case management includes the construct of one who
develops a service plan and serves as a central point of contact for a range of service
providers and systems. The case manager or case coordinator can assess an individual’s
needs and identify and coordinate person-centered services on his / her behalf.
Participate in monthly conference calls with Safe Harbor Director/MDH and other
grantees.
Complete monthly status report.
Participate in data collection and the evaluation of the No Wrong Door project as
prescribed by MDH.
Provide input into the development of Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door protocols and
procedures.
Provide final report that includes numbers served, agencies trained, outcomes and
program successes and challenges.
Participate in quarterly Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force meetings (in person or
via webinar).
Evaluation Requirements/Outcomes
The evaluation, in part, of this program is a collaborative effort between MDH and the grantees.
Below is an outline of MDH and grantee duties.
The MDH, through its Safe Harbor Director will:
6




Hold monthly conference calls and annual meetings with grantees to facilitate
collaboration.
Provide grantees with support, technical assistance on Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door
program implementation, prevention efforts and grant requirements.
Synthesize navigator’s monthly reports and create master reports.
Develop, implement, and maintain procedures and mechanisms to collect, create, receive,
maintain, and disseminate data in compliance with all applicable state and federal
statutes, laws, rules and regulations.
o Data collection will include:
 Youth Demographics
 Number of clients served
 Number and types of services provided
 Referral sources
 Types of outreach/dissemination activities
 Number and disciplines of professionals trained
 Youth outcomes including but not limited to:
 Educational enrollment/attendance and accomplishments
 Increase in employment/job/life skills
 Increased awareness of community resources
 Increased self-esteem, positive mental health
 Increase in positive relationships with family (if appropriate) and
supportive groups or services
 Increased awareness of trauma and dynamics of sexually
exploitation
 Decrease in substance abuse
 Stable housing
 Attaining vital documents
 Enrollment in youth benefits
 Completion of goals, case management
 Improved physical health, sexual health and decreased pregnancy
rates
Grantees will:



Report on a monthly basis to MDH, in a format provided by MDH, including
information on trainings/technical assistance provided, monthly dissemination activities,
program development and program challenges.
Submit requested information into data collection mechanism provided by MDH at least
monthly to track items and outcomes as outlined above.
Produce final report at the end of grant cycle as directed by Safe Harbor Director
7
Administrative and Financial
If awarded a grant you will be required to:





Sign and comply with requirements of standard grant agreement.
Provide most recent Certified Financial Audit or IRS 990 if your organization is not
legally required to have a financial audit.
Act in a fiscally-responsibly manner, including following standard accounting
procedures, charging MDH grant only for the approved activities, spending grant funds
responsibly, having accounting systems in place to track grant funded activities
separately from activities funded from other sources, and meeting auditing requirements.
Send us a monthly financial report (invoice). You will be paid for your actual
documented expenses on a reimbursement basis. This means you will pay for your grant
activity expenditures, report the expenditures to us and then we will pay you.
You will be responsible for keeping documentation to support all your expenditures
including: payroll records, receipts for expenses, and travel logs.
Financial Reconciliation
The State of Minnesota Policy 238.01
(http://www.admin.state.mn.us/documents/grants_policy_08-10.pdf) requires a financial
reconciliation of grantee expenditures be conducted at least once during the grant period on all
grants of $50,000 or more. The purpose of the financial reconciliation is to ensure grant
programs are in compliance with all state and federal laws and that expenses claimed are
documented. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease staff will provide the grantee information
related to the Financial Reconciliation prior to the review.
8
Application Instructions
Project Narrative
Applicants should address the following in up to 10 pages typed in 12-point font, single spaced
with one-inch margins.
1. Cover page with executive summary containing
a. Applicant’s name
b. Statement of goals and key tasks/deliverables
c. Geographic region and population to be served
2. Organizational Capacity
a. Brief history of agency and current programs
b. Description of experience working with sexually exploited youth
c. Identify key personnel for this program and list their qualifications to work with
sexually exploited youth.
d. Explain how your organization incorporates survivor’s voices/input in your work
e. Overview of the capacity of the agency and how it is prepared to accomplish grant
objectives
3. Needs Statement
a. Evidence of sexual exploitation in the geographic area to be served
b. Analysis of the current response to the problem including resources available in
the region for serving sexually exploited youth and gaps in service
c. Planning process for the initiative and how the community was involved in
planning
4. Project Description
a. Overall goals and outcomes of the initiative and how they relate to the purpose of
the funding
b. Proposed region to be served by navigator
i. Describe the geographic area proposed to be served and intended
population
ii. Estimate how many exploited youth can be served annually
iii. Describe how intended populations are going to be identified through
outreach or other means
c. Trainings
i. Describe plan to disseminate Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door model in
specified region, specifically how regional navigator will ensure
professionals and community members are trained on issues surrounding
sexually exploitation including:
1. How to identify sexually exploited youth;
2. How to refer for services (i.e., referrals to navigators);
9
3. How, if appropriate, to provide services to sexually exploited
youth; and
4. How to incorporate sexual exploitation prevention strategies within
communities.
d. Collaborations
i. Describe members or partner agencies that will be engaged for:
1. Multidisciplinary teams. Members, at a minimum, should include
individuals from:
a. Law enforcement
b. Child Protection/Child Welfare
c. Juvenile criminal justice personnel (probation, prosecutors,
defense attorneys, etc.)
d. Medical professional (SANE nurses, clinics)
i. Public Health
e. Relevant service providers
f. Other relevant individuals from specific regions
2. How will your agency develop partnerships with American Indian
reservations and/or culturally specific agencies in your proposed
coverage area, if these partnerships do not exist?
3. Identify how sexually exploited youth (females, males, and
transgender) will receive services in your region and who will be
providing services (whether in-house or through partners). If
particular services currently do not exist in your region, please
identify a plan to develop services.
4. How will your agency ensure employees or partners are
appropriate to work with youth (with background checks or other
means)?
5. Describe your plans for referring individuals not eligible for
services for this program (labor trafficking, 18 years or older, etc.)
e. Define what victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally competent or
considerate services means to your agency and how these best practices will be
incorporated in your service delivery. (Please note, culturally competent doesn’t
necessarily mean your agency has to fulfill the cultural needs of a client but that
you know where to refer for cultural appropriate services).
f. Data Privacy and Confidentiality
i. Describe agency protocols to ensure client’s information remains
confidential and what data privacy statutes, if any, apply to your
organization. There are numerous state and federal data privacy statutes
dependent upon funding sources and what services and structure an
organization has. Applicable statutes are attached in the appendix of this
10
request for proposal for your reference; however, this list is not
exhaustive.
5. Budget
a. Narrative including personnel, payroll taxes and fringe, travel, training,
equipment, office expenses, program expenses and other expenses, limiting
administrative costs to 10 percent.
6. Required Documents
a. Up to five letters of Support from supporting agencies or partners
b. Project Work Plan Form
c. Community Collaboration and Partnerships Form
d. Budget Justification Form
e. Budget Summary Form
f. MDH Accounting and Financial Capability Questionnaire
Application Requirements and Review Process
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
Applications must be written in at least 12-point font with one-inch margins with
maximum of 10 pages for sections 2 through 4; sections 1, 5 and 6 do not count in the
page total.
Number all pages consecutively.
Submit one signed unbound original and one unbound copy of the complete application.
Application must meet deadline requirements. Late applications will not be reviewed.
Applications must be complete and signed where noted.
Faxed or emailed application will not be accepted.
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
The deadline for submission of proposals is May 12, 2014. To meet the deadline, proposals
must:
 Be hand delivered to the address below before 4:30p.m., May 12, 2014 or
 Arrive by mail, Fed Ex, or courier by 4:30p.m., May 12, 2014.
The complete application (one original unbound and one unbound copy) should be sent to:
Street Address (hand or courier delivery)
Lauren Ryan
Minnesota Department of Health
Injury and Violence Prevention Unit
Golden Rule Building
85 East Seventh Place, Suite 220
Saint Paul, MN 55101
US Postal Service mailing Address
Lauren Ryan
Minnesota Department of Health
Injury and Violence Prevention Unit
P.O. Box 64882
Saint Paul, MN 55164-0882
*Hand delivered proposals must be dropped
off at the 2nd floor reception desk of the
Golden Rule Building – Suite 220.
11
Late applications, applications lost in transit by courier, faxed or emailed applications will not be
reviewed.
Submitting a Safe Harbor/ No Wrong Door application does not guarantee funding. Applications
must meet all requirements listed in this packet, organizations must meet all eligibility
requirements, and proposals must meet the criteria and requirements listed in this application.
For questions regarding this RFP, please contact Lauren Ryan, Minnesota Department of Health
at 651-201-5412 or lauren.ryan@state.mn.us
Review Process
Applications will be reviewed by teams that include experts in the anti-trafficking and related
fields, and representatives from state agencies. Only complete applications, that meet the
eligibility and applications requirements, received on or before May 12, 2014 will be reviewed
by a grant review committee. Reviewers will determine which applications best meet the criteria
and receive the highest points as outlined below and should be recommended for funding.
Organizational Experience and capacity
25 points
Needs Statement
10 points
Project Description
25 points
Work Plan
30 points
Budget
5 points
Collaborations and Partnerships
5 points
_____________________________________________________________________
Total
100 points
We anticipate grant award decisions will be made in May 2014. Applicants will be notified by
letter whether their grant proposal was funded. MDH reserves the right to negotiate changes to
budgets submitted.
Grant agreements will be entered into with those entities that are awarded grant funds. The
anticipated effective date of the agreement is June 2014 to June 30, 2015. No work on grant
activities may begin until a fully executed grant agreement is in place.
12
MDH reserves the right to cancel this solicitation if it is considered to be in the best interest of
the State. The State reserves the right to negotiate modifications to the application or reject any
and all applications received as a result of the Request for Proposals.
i
No Wrong Door: A Comprehensive Approach to Safe Harbor for Minnesota’s Sexually Exploited Youth,
Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs (2013)
State and Federal Data Privacy Statute Numbers
State Laws
Purpose/Intended Use of Data Collected: Minn. Stat. 13.04
Informed Consent re: Data Collected: Minn. Stat. 13.05
Data Protection for Victims of Violence: Minn. Stat. 5B.07
Domestic Abuse Data: Minn. Stat. 13.82
Sexual Assault Data: Minn. Stat. 13.822
Sexual Assault Counselor Privilege: Minn. Stat. 595.02 subd. 1(k)
Domestic Abuse Advocates Privilege: Minn. Stat. 595.02 subd. 1(l)
RN/Psychologist/Social Worker Privilege: Minn. Stat. 595.02 subd. 1(g)
Victim Identity Records: Minn. Stat. 611A.32
Data held by MN Center for Crime Victim Services grantees: Minn. Stat. 611A.46
Disclosure of Health Records: Minn. Stat. 144.293
Disclosure of Mental Health Records: Minn. Stat. 144.294
Minor’s Ability to Waive Parental Access to Private Data: Minn. Stat. 120.0500(b)
Minor Consent to Medical/Mental Health Services: Minn. Stat. 144.343 et seq.
Classification of Data: Minn. Stat. 611A.46
Domestic Abuse or Sexual Attack Programs: Minn. Stat. 13.823
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act: Minn. Stat. 256K
Law enforcement data—13.82 (several sections related to juveniles).
Court services data—13.84.
Juvenile court data—260B and 260C
Federal Laws
Violence Against Women Act
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
Victim Compensation and Assistance Program (Victims of Crime Act)
Housing and Urban Development
Homeless Management Information Systems
*Note, this list is only for your reference is and not exhaustive.
13