System of Care Family, Youth, and
Cultural Linguistic Competency
Component
Request for Qualifications
Issuing Office:
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
ON BEHALF OF
THE BEAVER COUNTY
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
OFFICE
1040 Eighth Avenue
Beaver Falls, PA 15010
Request for
Beaver County Behavioral Health (BCBH)
System of Care Family, Youth and
Cultural Linguistic Competency Component
I.
Introduction
A.
Overview
Beaver County Behavioral Health (BCBH) is seeking an organization to administer the
staffing for one component of Beaver County’s System of Care initiative known as BCSCORES. This includes hiring and managing the following positions: Family
Coordinator, Youth Coordinator, Cultural and Linguistic Competence Coordinator, and
System Navigator.
BC-SCORES is a System of Care initiative. A System of Care is a coordinated network
of community-based services and supports that are organized to meet the challenges of
children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families. Families and
youth work in partnership with public and private organizations to design mental health
services and supports that are effective, that build on the strengths of individuals, and that
address each person's cultural and linguistic needs. A System of Care helps children,
youth and families function better at home, in school, in the community and throughout
life.
Systems of Care is not a program — it is a philosophy of how care should be delivered.
Systems of Care is an approach to services that recognizes the importance of family,
youth, school and natural community supports, and seeks to promote the full potential of
every child and youth by addressing their physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural and
social needs.1
The successful applicant will contract with BCBH. The initial contract will run for a
period of up to 15 months and reimbursement will be on a program-funded basis.
Funding will come from the BCBH’s System of Care Federal grant, which runs through
September 2011. Throughout the contract, the successful applicant will be required to
report encounters to BCBH, provide matching funds for this Federal grant and work with
BCBH to develop a sustainability plan.
B.
Important Dates
Important dates in this process are as follows:
June 26, 2009
RFQ Released
July 2, 2009
2:00-3:30 pm
RFQ Question & Answer Session
(see next section for additional details)
1
www.systemofcare.samhsa.gov
II.
July 9, 2009
Letters of intent to respond to the RFQ due
July 30, 2009 noon
RFQ Responses Due
Week of August 10, 2009
Proposal review by the Evaluation Committee
Week of August 10, 2009
Final candidate interviews (if necessary)
Week of August 17, 2009
Selections and notification by Beaver County
Instructions
BCBH has asked Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc. (AHCI) to act as the facilitator and
coordinator of this RFQ process. An AHCI representative, Kelly Primus, will serve as
the RFQ project officer. Contact with any of the staff at BCBH concerning this RFQ,
unless occurring at the Q&A session or through the RFQ project officer, are grounds for
disqualification. Funneling all questions through the RFQ project officer, who will
disseminate all questions and answers to candidates that submit letters of intent, ensures
that all interested parties will receive the same information.
A.
RFP Question & Answer Session
Beaver County plans to hold a Question and Answer session on July 2, 2009 from 2:00
pm to 3:30 pm at the Beaver County Behavioral Health office, 1060 Eighth Avenue, 2nd
floor, Beaver Falls, PA 15010.
Please note:

Candidates are asked to limit attendance to two (2) people from your
organization.
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Candidates need to RSVP to the RFQ project officer, Kelly Primus, with the
names of the people planning to attend by close of business on June 30, 2009.
Kelly can be contacted at kprimus@ahci.org.

Questions for consideration at the RFP Q&A Session should be submitted to
Kelly Primus by the close of business on June 30, 2009. Questions should be
submitted in writing by email (kprimus@ahci.org) or fax (412-325-1111).
Additional questions will also be accepted at the Q&A session.
B.
Letter of Intent
All candidates interested in submitting a proposal to provide System of Care Family,
Youth and Cultural Linguistic Competency Component are required to submit a letter of
intent. Letters must be received by Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc. by July 9, 2009. The
letter of intent should include, at minimum, the following:
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Name of the organization/s.
Affirmation that the organization intends to submit a proposal.
Name, address, telephone number, and email address of the contact person for the
proposal.
Only proposals from candidates that have submitted letters of intent by the due date will
be considered.
Letters of intent should be submitted to Kelly Primus at Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
office. The office is located at:
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
Gateway 4
444 Liberty Avenue, Suite 240
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
C.
Proposal Submission
Proposals must be limited to 25 pages of text, plus any relevant attachments. The
proposal narrative should be double-sided, with a font size of 12, and line spacing of at
least 1.5.
Ten (10) copies of the response to this Request for Qualifications, including one unbound
copy and one CD/disc copy, will be due at the Allegheny HealthChoices Inc. (AHCI)
office no later than noon on July 30, 2009. The AHCI office is located at:
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
Gateway 4
444 Liberty Avenue, Suite 240
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
The County will disqualify any and all proposals received after this date and time.
A transmittal letter must accompany the proposal signed by an individual authorized to
represent and negotiate on behalf of the bidder.
It is BCBH’s policy to solicit proposals with a bona fide intention to execute a contract.
This policy notwithstanding, any proposal shall be submitted with the following
expressed understanding:
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This Request for Qualifications is not subject to the competitive bidding process
and any contract entered into as a result of any proposal will not be based on the
concept of the “lowest cost applicant.” Furthermore, BCBH has the right to reject
any and all proposals.
BCBH may modify the selection process or the scope of the project or of the
required responses.
All costs of developing proposals and any subsequent expenses relating to
contract negotiations are entirely the responsibility of the applicant and may not
be charged to BCBH.
D.
Rejection of Proposals
The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this
RFQ, and to negotiate separately with competing applicants. If all proposals are
unacceptable, the County reserves the right to reject the proposals and to issue a new
RFQ. The County reserves the right to reject a proposal at any time during the process.
III.
Scope of Work
The following information is provided as a guide for potential candidates in developing
proposals for the System of Care Family, Youth and Cultural Linguistic Competency
Component. Additional detail on this initiative is available in Attachment A.
**Please note that BCBH is open to collaborative ventures between community
organizations/agencies. For example, a traditional service provider and a faith or
community based natural support organization might submit a joint proposal or several
natural supports might partner for this venture. One agency needs to be the lead and
identified as the entity to contract with BCBH.
A.
Target Population
The BC SCORES System of Care initiative targets youth ages 10 to 21 years. To be
eligible, a youth must:
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Be a resident of Beaver County;
Be between the age of 10 and 21;
Have a mental health or a co-occurring mental health and substance abuse
diagnosis;
Have some involvement with the justice system or;
Be experiencing disciplinary problems in school.
BCBH currently has 150 culturally diverse youth (under 21 years) enrolled in BC
SCORES System of Care. The goal is to eventually serve 300 youth and their families.
B.
System of Care Guiding Principles
The System of Care concept developed through the federal Child and Adolescent Service
System Program (CASSP) in the 1980's is based upon the core values that the system of
care should be child-centered and family-focused and that it should be community-based.
In addition, the following set of guiding principles, articulated in the CASSP monograph,
A System of Care for Children and Youth with Severe Emotional Disturbance, by
Stroul and Friedman (1986, 1994), represent a clear philosophy about the way in which
services should be delivered to youngsters and their families. Children and adolescents
with serious emotional disturbances and their families should:
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Have access to a comprehensive array of services that address the child’s
physical, emotional, social, and educational needs.
Receive individualized services in accordance with the unique needs and potential
of each child and guided by an individualized service plan.
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Receive services within the least restrictive, most normative, environment that is
clinically appropriate.
Receive services that are integrated, with linkages between child-caring agencies
and programs and mechanisms for planning, developing and coordinating
services.
Be provided with care management or a similar mechanism to ensure that multiple
services are delivered in a coordinated and therapeutic manner and that they can
move through the system of services in accordance with their changing needs.
Be able to participate in family/professional partnerships in all aspects of the
planning, implementation, delivery management, and evaluation of the service
delivery system responsible for serving their children.
Be provided with early identification and intervention by the system of care in
order to enhance the likelihood of positive outcomes.
Be ensured of a smooth transition to adulthood and to the adult service system.
Have their rights protected and effective advocacy efforts promoted.
Receive culturally competent/appropriate services, which are sensitive and
responsive to cultural and gender differences and special needs and are provided
without regard to race, religion, national origin, sex, physical disability, sexual
orientation, or other characteristics.
BCBH has implementing a System of Care model since 2005. This model is known
locally as Beaver County’s System of Care: Optimizing Resources, Education and
Supports or BC-SCORES.
BC-SCORES is not one specific program or service. It is an attempt to enhance services
and supports for Beaver County youth in the target population and for their families.
The BC-SCORES System of Care is working to:
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C.
Assure family and youth have a voice in designing the services and supports they
need.
Decrease the stigma around mental health and substance use treatment.
Increase the cultural responsiveness of services and supports delivered to
children, youth and families, and the sensitivity and appreciation for diversity and
cultural issues throughout the system of care.
Identify and work to address system gaps.
Increase the amount of natural community resources available to youth and
families.
Offer one coach or case manager as the single point of accountability – the one
person in the service system – whose responsibility it is to coordinate the services
and supports needed by a youth and family.
Staffing
To ultimately serve 300 children/youth and their families, the System of Care Family,
Youth and Cultural Linguistic Competency Component will be responsible for hiring and
managing the following staff:
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Family Coordinator – 1 FTE
Youth Coordinator – 1 FTE
Cultural and Linguistic Competence Coordinator - .5 FTE
System Navigator – 1 FTE
Additional detail on staffing is available in Attachment A.
This staffing pattern is a minimum requirement. Any applicant proposing additional
staffing/FTEs, other than staffing time for supervision of the positions referenced above,
is required to provide a rationale for such a proposal.
Staff is expected to be available to work non-traditional hours to better meet the needs
and accommodate the schedules of youth and families. This entails working evenings
and weekends, as necessary.
All staff also need valid driver’s licenses and access to regular, reliable transportation in
order to accomplish the tasks associated with their positions.
There had been people employed in several of the positions listed above. Their
employment ended in early June 2008. BCBH expects that the successful applicant will
consider the people previously employed as the Family Coordinator, Youth Coordinator,
and Cultural and Linguistic Competence Coordinator when hiring for this contract.
Additionally, the successful applicant will include representatives from the BC-SCORES
Council, in the interview process. The applicant will have the final hiring authority, but
BCBH expects the successful applicant to solicit and consider the Council’s
representatives’ feedback regarding interviews.
Family Coordinator: The Family Coordinator is responsible for the oversight,
monitoring and administration of family involvement in the BC-SCORES System of Care
so that families’ experiences and perspectives drive the planning, implementation, and
evaluation. The Family Coordinator is also responsible for working with existing familyrun organizations and supporting the development of new local family organizations,
which represent the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the target population. This
individual will work in partnership with professional agencies and partners across the
child serving agencies and ensuring access to peer support services for families receiving
services through the cooperative agreement.
The Family Coordinator needs to possess leadership skills, organizational and
administrative skills, strong oral and written communication skills, knowledge of family
organization development and implementation, programs, and public child serving
agencies. The Family Coordinator should be an individual who has had first hand
experience with a child serving system.
Youth Coordinator: The Youth Coordinator is responsible for developing activities to
represent the voice of youth who are in need of services or are involved with the BCSCORES System of Care. This position develops programs for young people to facilitate
their involvement in BC-SCORES, works to form an organized group of youth receiving
services and connects youth with existing natural community supports. The Youth
Coordinator is not responsible for mentoring all the youth involved with BC-SCORES,
but rather, identifying and working with youth in the system of care to take on those
leadership roles.
The Youth Coordinator advocates for youth receiving services and provides outreach to
youth in need of services. This position also works with community leaders and BCSCORES to identify community service projects for youth participating in BC-SCORES.
The Youth Coordinator does not have to be a youth, but needs to be someone who is
youth-oriented. Personal experience with child-serving systems (i.e., Children and Youth
Services (CYS), Juvenile Services Division (JSD), Behavioral Health (BH)), Drug &
Alcohol (D&A) is necessary.
Cultural and Linguistic Competency (CLC) Coordinator: In conjunction with the
BC-SCORES leadership, the CLC Coordinator provides leadership and coordination of
the development, implementation and monitoring of the Cultural and Linguistic
Competence Plan as a component of the overall strategic planning for the BC-SCORES,
including providing guidance towards achieving and maintaining cultural and linguistic
competence in policies, procedures, and service delivery.
The CLC Coordinator serves as a resource to the System of Care on cultural and
linguistic competence, organizational change and cross cultural practice, as well as a
bridge between the BC-SCORES System of Care and cultural communities, resources,
families and youth, providers, community agencies and other stakeholders.
The CLC Coordinator promotes language access and identification of resources, provides
guidance on the development and implementation of strategies to promote internal
accountability on cultural and linguistic competence, and works collaboratively with the
evaluation team to integrate CLC evaluation criteria and evaluation instruments related to
the assessment of CLC outcomes.
System Navigator: The System Navigator will often be the first person a family meets.
This person will provide an overview of the system of care and guide the family through
the intake enrolment process, while providing peer support. If the family and youth so
desire, the System Navigator can participate in whatever service planning process the
family chooses. The System Navigator remains a partner and an advocate for individual
families throughout the process. This person must have first hand experience with a child
serving system (i.e., CYS, JSD, BH, D&A).
Additionally, the System Navigator is responsible for:
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Establishing regular meetings with SOC partners to identify potential BCSCORES referrals
Contacting families who have expressed an interest in the SOC.
Providing outreach to family members of youth not receiving services;
Identifying families representing the target population to be involved in BCSCORES System of Care governance bodies, committees and all System of Care
activities.
Ensuring that families representing the target population have full access to
accurate, understandable, and complete information necessary to make choices for
improved planning for individual children and their families.
D. Stipends
Family and youth who participate in SOC meetings and are not reimbursed
through any other means receive a stipend. The successful applicant will need to
manage and administer grant funds to support family and youth participation in
the administration of BC-SCORES by paying stipends and expenses associated
with family and youth membership on the Council or subcommittees.
IV.
Information Required from Proposers
Candidates are required to submit information on the following:
Organizational Structure and Legal Issues
1.
Describe your organization’s structure and formation, i.e., corporation,
partnership, joint venture, etc. Also indicate if your organization is for-profit
or not-for-profit business.
2.
Provide evidence of your organization’s fiscal stability. A current audit is
preferred. (**If your agency is collaborating with another agency for this
initiative, please provide both organizations’ current audits.)
3.
Provide a listing of the type and location of any legal actions or investigations
in which your agency has been involved over the past five (5) years. List all
judgments and settlements in the last two (2) years.
4.
Provide detail on your organization’s track record for the past three (3) years
with regard to recruiting, retention and turnover. Include total number of staff
and the number/percent of staff that have left and been fired for each of the
past three years.
Background and Experience
1.
Describe your organization’s history. Include your organization’s mission and
vision, a list of your current Board of Directors (indicating any family
members/consumers who self-identify), a table of organization, and the
staffing and professional qualifications of key operations and administration
positions in your organization.
2.
Describe the continuum of services offered by your organization. Provide
information on how the addition of this initiative fits into this continuum and
with your organization’s mission and vision.
3.
Describe how strengths-based, recovery-focused, and Child and Adolescent
Service System Program (CASSP) and System of Care principles are evident
in your organization.
Describe your organization’s experience hiring family members who have
been involved with a child-serving system (i.e., CYS, JSD, BH, DA) and/or
adults who have used behavioral health services. Provide information on how
your organization supports staff in their work.
Describe your organization’s experience serving the population targeted for
BC-SCORES.
Describe how your organization will provide supervision for the positions
required for this initiative. Explain how your organization will provide
oversight and management of this process internally and in collaboration with
BCBH.
4.
5.
6.
Program Design
1.
To assess your understanding of the System of Care principles, describe how
your organization would respond to the following scenarios:
Case A
Kaya is a 16 year old African American female who lives with her grandmother.
Kaya is diagnosed with depression and has been receiving family therapy. She
attends an alternative school in the afternoons, where she is more successful than
in the traditional school setting. Kaya is currently experiencing a severe bout of
depression and is expressing suicidal thoughts. Kaya’s grandmother, Regina, is
reporting that it is very difficult to communicate with Kaya when she is that
depressed. Regina is also reporting that she is having difficulty handling some of
her own issues on top of being concerned for Kaya’s safety.
1.A.
Please describe how your agency would support Kaya and Regina in this
situation using System of Care principles.
Case B
Sheila is a 16 year old Hispanic female living with her mom, stepfather, and two
siblings. She is enrolled in BC-SCORES and has a diagnosis of Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Bipolar Disorder. Sheila has been on four
different medication combinations over the years and has not always taken her
medication as prescribed. Sheila really enjoys being a part of her local youth
group. At times her mood is such that she will often decide not to attend group
activities at the last moment when the group is there to pick her up. This is
becoming increasingly frustrating for the other members of the group.
1.B.
Please describe, in detail, who would and how you would address this with
Sheila and/or her family.
Case C
Eric is a 17 year old African-American male who is enrolled in BC-SCORES and
is residing with his biological mother. He visits fairly regularly with his father in a
nearby city. At the age of 13, Eric witnessed a murder and while fleeing from the
area, he fell and suffered from a minor head injury. Eric is also experiencing
behavior problems in school. Eric really enjoys playing basketball and is quite
skilled. However, due to the behavior problems he has been experiencing at
school, he is not currently allowed to participate on the school’s basketball team.
Recently he entered the behavioral health system and was diagnosed with Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Both of Eric’s parents are concerned about
him and fear he may become involved with the legal system if he continues to act
out in school. His parents are also concerned about possible experimentation with
alcohol and drugs.
1.C.
How could your organization provide support for Eric and his family?
Case D
Your agency is a partner in the System of Care/BC-SCORES and currently
employs John, whose 15 year old son Adam is enrolled in BC-SCORES. Also
living in the home are Adam’s younger siblings, Sean (age 13) and Vicki (age 3).
John is a dedicated worker who is very committed to the System of Care
principles and ensuring that this initiative is successful within Beaver County.
Adam has a co-occurring disorder diagnosis (mental health and substance abuse),
is on probation and requires a great deal of support. Currently Adam is in crisis
which is exhibited by his daily tantrums and other behavior which continually
puts himself and his family members at risk. John has been actively involved
with various agencies to coordinate support and services for Adam and his family.
John has made every effort to not allow the struggles he is experiencing at home
to impact his job performance.
1.D.
In what way, as John’s employer and a BC-SCORES System of Care partner
agency, do you support John?
2.
Describe your organization’s strategies for training staff. Include information
on building natural supports, recovery and resiliency, strengths-based planning,
SOC principles, mental health and co-occurring disorders, and various systems
such as behavioral health, CYS, and JSD. Please affirm your organization’s
willingness to participate in BC-SCORES trainings identified or recommended
by the BC-SCORES Council and/or BCBH.
Describe how you will coordinate this process with other services the youth
and/or his/her family access, including crisis services, mental health services,
drug and alcohol services, case management, natural supports, etc.
Describe how your organization will assess outcomes and the quality of this
process. Include who will be responsible for this assessment, what it will
3.
4.
5.
Cost
1.
2.
3.
4.
V.
entail, and program and individual outcomes that will be measured. Please
affirm your organization’s commitment to data collection for local and national
Systems of Care evaluation efforts.
Affirm that your organization, if awarded this contract, will give consideration
during the hiring process to the people previously employed as the Family
Coordinator, Youth Coordinator, and Cultural and Linguistic Competence
Coordinator, and that you will include the BC-SCORES Council
representatives in the interview process for the purpose of obtaining feedback
and input.
Provide a detailed budget of the first 12 months of operations to include all
start-up costs, as well as a projection for costs for this initiative after
implementation. The template provided in Attachment B is the required form
for the budgets. Also, include a narrative that details your assumptions for
these budgets.
BC-SCORES is funded through a Federal grant that requires match dollars ($2
local dollars for every $1 grant). Please explain any experience your
organization has with Federal grants and/or obtaining match. Detail how you
will gain in-kind or cash match for the positions and operating costs budgeted
for this initiative.
Affirm that your organization will provide budgets for staff in their various
roles if awarded the contract. Additionally, please detail how your
organization will provide training for staff on how to develop and manage such
budgets.
Affirm and demonstrate that your organization is capable of paying the
expenses of this initiative in advance of reimbursement by BCBH. Explain
how your organization will be able to manage this expectation from a fiscal
perspective.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated using the following process.
Allegheny HealthChoices, on behalf of Beaver County Behavioral Health, will convene
an Evaluation Committee that will include, at minimum, consumers, family members,
BCBH staff, and other behavioral health stakeholders. Selection of Evaluation
Committee members is at the sole discretion of BCBH. Every effort will be made to
ensure that the Evaluation Committee members are not biased toward a particular
candidate.
The following criteria will be used by the Evaluation Committee to review each proposal:

Organizational Structure and Legal Issues
15%
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Background and Experience
Program Design
Cost
25%
35%
25%
The proposals receiving the highest rating by the Evaluation Committee will be identified
and, if deemed necessary by Beaver County Behavioral Health, these candidates will be
invited to an interview. Candidates will be evaluated on their response to questions
posed by the Evaluation Committee. The interview format and questions posed will be at
the sole discretion of the County.
The Evaluation Committee will make a recommendation to Gerard Mike, Administrator,
of Beaver County Behavioral Health. Beaver County Behavioral Health is responsible
for the final selection of the candidate for this project.