Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission is seeking an experienced Contractor to work with Transition Age Youth to enhance statewide and local level participation, voice, and empowerment through advocacy, education, and outreach efforts. The goal of this Request for Proposal is to ensure that Transition Age Youth have a major role in the development and implementation of statewide and local level mental health policies and programs, as well as access to quality services and supports. The Budget Act of 2022 allocated funds for competitive bid contracts to “support mental health advocacy” on behalf of specific communities. As directed by the Budget Act, the contract awarded pursuant to this RFP is to support the advocacy, education, and outreach needs of Transition Age Youth. These activities include informing, educating, and advocating before state and local administrative bodies regarding issue-based policies consistent with the Mental Health Services Act. For purposes of this RFP, Transition Age Youth include youth and young adults ages 16-25 that either have, or are at risk of developing, a serious mental health condition; this population may include children in the foster care/child welfare system and/or the juvenile justice system. TAY is used as an acronym throughout the RFP to indicate individuals who fall within this age group. However, it is acknowledged that a myriad of identities, experiences, socio-economic levels from many diverse racial and ethnic communities and cultures exist within the TAY population. TAY are particularly vulnerable to a variety of physical, behavioral, and social issues, due to difficulties that may arise when transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Approximately 2,618,415 TAY lived in California in 2021. This group faces special challenges in areas associated with development, physical and mental health, housing, education, career training, employment, life skills, and relationships. TAY who are or were placed in out of home care settings are more likely than youth in the general population to experience physical and mental health conditions, making this transition period more difficult. Furthermore, many youths in this age range are aging out of services provided by child-serving agencies and moving into adult services, which may be fragmented or developmentally inappropriate. TAY are at a high risk of experiencing behavioral health problems, and many mental illnesses present during this age range. This risk has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, developmental brain changes that increase their vulnerability to substance use disorders, and economic uncertainty. TAY with some mental health conditions are also at an increased risk of unemployment, low levels of education, and low rates of independent living. Early treatment can impact prognosis but is often delayed. For TAY in California, only 20% of young people with mental health challenges receive services. Managing a mental health or substance use disorder can be made even more difficult for TAY because of fragmented public health systems, confusing policies defining access, lack of clarity regarding the process for obtaining help, and informational barriers between child and adult systems with most state systems only serving youth until age 18.
