1.1. Client Eligibility Criteria 1) Eligible clients include: a) Children who are placed in the foster care or juvenile justice system under the care and supervision of MDHHS. b) Children who qualify for respite services through medical subsidy post adoption or guardianship placement. c) Children who are receiving services through their Community Mental Health for Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) and have been assessed as needing respite services. 2) Determination of Eligibility a) Case eligibility will be determined by MDHHS. 1.2. Referral Process Use the referral process below or enter an appropriate referral process. 1) MDHHS county office or Placement Agency Foster Care (PAFC) serving families in the region will refer all eligible respite cases to the Contractor. 2) The Contractor must evaluate all referrals from the department or PAFCs to determine if a respite home is available within two business days for non-emergency referrals. Referrals for emergency respite utilization must be evaluated within two hours for potential respite options. 1.3. Geographic Area The Contractor must provide services described herein in the following geographic area: See Attachment B – Regions to be Served. 1.4. Location of Facilities The Contractor must provide services described herein at the following location(s): Obtain this from section III of the RFP, or from the contractor. If not required, delete all language in the section, including the section title, and replace with Reserved. Client homes, locations mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and client, and community recruitment settings. 1.5. Credentials Identify minimum, specific qualifications, such as degrees, training, etc. of staff providing direct services, and, if applicable, any positions overseeing those staff. Obtain this information from section II of the RFP, or from the program office/contract administrator. The Contractor must assure that appropriately credentialed or trained staff under its control, including Contractor employees and/or subcontractors, must perform functions under this Contract. 1) Staff who have ongoing contact with children and parents must meet licensing rule 400.12206 Staff Qualifications. 2) Any staff engaged in licensing certification of families must have a bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field and meet licensing rule 400.12305 Certification Training. 3) All program staff must participate in training and technical assistance as deemed appropriate by MDHHS. Further details on Licensing Rules for Child Placing Agencies can be found here: Licensing Rules for Child Placing Agencies, Pub-11 (michigan.gov) 1.6. Services to be Provided Obtain this information from section II of the RFP, or from the program office/contract administrator. Service #1 of 5: Recruitment of Respite Families The Contractor must: i) Work in collaboration with MDHHS, Children’s Services Administration program office to recruit foster families to meet the need for respite services in the region to be served. Foster families must be willing and able to provide respite services to other caregivers within their region and willing to take respite placements on an emergency basis. ii) Recruit families to meet the need for respite in the region. Consider the following child characteristics and program types when determining recruitment targets for the region. (1) Age (2) Race (3) Sex, Including Gender Identity (4) Sexual Orientation (5) Mental Health Needs (6) Behavioral Health needs (7) Developmental Needs (8) Physical Health Needs (9) Program Type (i.e., Community Mental Health (CMH), Prevention, Foster Care, Adoption, Juvenile Justice) iii) Establish and measure progress towards the achievement of respite home recruitment goals based on the minimum number of respite beds required in the region and matching the assessed respite needs for the region established by: (1) Participating in the annual Adoptive and Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention planning meetings for counties served by the region. (2) Hosting quarterly meetings with Child Placing Agencies (CPA) and MDHHS juvenile justice staff served in the region to determine if needs have changed or need to be adjusted. (3) Hosting focus groups every six months with foster, adoptive, and relative caregivers to determine if current goals and capacity of the program are meeting the needs of these caregivers. iv) Develop a recruitment plan in collaboration with the CPA’s and juvenile justice staff served in the region. Recruitment ideas include but are not limited to identification of existing foster homes that are on the verge of closing their license or have not had a placement in over a year that may be willing and able to serve as a respite only foster family, reaching out to pre-adopt homes, collaborating with foster care navigators/Regional Resource Team Recruiters, and meeting with MDHHS offices, CMHs, and CPAs to raise program awareness. If necessary, facilitate the license transfer to the CPA holding the respite program for the region. v) Respond to prospective respite foster home inquires referred by the Regional Resource Teams, MDHHS Program office and/or CPA’s. vi) Participate in technical assistance provided by MDHHS, Children’s Services Administration program office to develop new or enhanced recruitment strategies that may be needed. Volume of Service i) Clients – The estimated number of unduplicated eligible clients to be served during the period of this Contract will be: See Attachment B – Regions to be Served ii) Unit Definition(s): One unit equals one hour providing Recruitment of Respite Families services as defined in Service #1 of 5: Recruitment of Respite Families, which includes travel time. There is no reimbursement for mileage. Services may be tracked in 15-minute increments until a billable hour is achieved. A unit definition states how the service will be measured and documented. The unit of service must be clear, measurable, and capable of being documented. For unit rate contracts the unit definition and rate establish the basis on which the contractor will bill and be paid by MDHHS. iii) No maximum number of units will be established in this Contract except that total payments must not exceed the Contract amount. 2) Service #2 of 5: Family Support a) The Contractor must: Develop, plan, and convene quarterly caregiver community-based outings or activities open to all foster, adoptive, and relative caregivers in the region with the purpose of caregivers meeting and developing relationships with respite providers licensed by this program. Activities must be at minimum one hour in length. Develop and coordinate monthly support group meetings for respite providers in the region. Support group meetings must be at minimum one hour in length. Ensure caregivers receive appropriate respite funding in accordance with rates established in the foster care manual for respite services. Volume of Service i) Clients – The estimated number of unduplicated eligible clients to be served during the period of this Contract will be: See Attachment B – Regions to be Served. ii) Unit Definition(s): One unit equals one support group or one community-based activity.A unit definition states how the service will be measured and documented. The unit of service must be clear, measurable, and capable of being documented. For unit rate contracts the unit definition and rate establish the basis on which the contractor will bill and be paid by MDHHS. iii) No maximum number of units will be established in this Contract except that total payments must not exceed the Contract amount. Service #3 of 5: Initial Licensing Certification The Contractor must: i) Conduct licensing services to prospective and current respite caregivers in collaboration with MDHHS offices served by the region. Licensure requirements must be compliant with CPA rules. ii) Submit required licensing documentation to the Division of Child Welfare Licensing (DCWL) for new respite providers within 180 days of inquiry. Make and document all efforts to license homes as quickly as possible. Efforts may include but are not limited to: (1) In-home orientation (2) Assisting with gathering necessary documentation (3) One-on-one GROW training or use of other approved training resources if the caregiver is unable to attend group GROW training.
