Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Family Services Division (FSD), (herein referred as DCF) is seeking to establish service agreements with an organization that can provide Prevention and Stabilization Services for Youth and Families (PSSYF) to serve one or more of eleven local DCF Districts. Services of this agreement will be statewide, with the exception of the Middlebury District. Respondents may apply to serve any one or more of the following catchment areas: Barre; Bennington; Brattleboro; Burlington; Hartford; Newport; Morrisville; Rutland; St Albans; St Johnsbury; Springfield. The Contractor will assist youth with supports toward developing well-being, education and employment, permanent connections, and stable living environments as they transition to adulthood. The Contractor will provide services to at-risk youth and their families which include but are not limited to: emergency crisis response, assessment and case planning, case management, family preservation services, and access to healthcare throughout the local DCF District. SERVICE DESCRIPTION: 1. The Contractor is responsible for fiscal and programmatic oversight to ensure access to standard services in the local DCF district, reporting on a regional basis, and associated outcomes as outlined in this agreement. The State will allocate contract funds to the Contractor based on regional population and DCF District needs and demands. 2. The Contractor will, in coordination with the local DCF district, assist youth with supports toward developing stable living environments, well-being, education and employment, healthy and safe relationships, and permanent connections as they transition to adulthood. The Contractor will provide services to youth and young-adults at-risk of child welfare/juvenile justice systems-involvement, family instability, housing insecurity, poverty, or other negative health outcomes. 3. Develop a Plan of Care for the child and family which shall be approved by a licensed practitioner of the healing arts within 30 days of first contact with the child and/or family; 4. Provide a licensed practitioner of the healing arts (e.g., licensed medical doctor, licensed psychologist/ psychiatrist). The licensed practitioner of the healing arts shall oversee the Plan of Care. The licensed practitioner of the healing arts shall review and update all Plans of Care at least every six months. This review shall include the signature of the reviewer and the date of the review. The licensed practitioner of the healing arts shall continue to be available to consult with the treatment team, making additional treatment referrals as needed; 5. Provide services to the child and family, as indicated by the Plan of Care, which may include the following: • Emergency Crisis Response: the contractor shall maintain a 24-hour/7-day/week crisis response system. Many youth and families enter services through this system and the system is often used by ongoing clients on weekends and after regular office hours. On-call staff go to police stations, hospitals, and other sites as necessary to respond to crisis. Crisis calls sometimes result in placement of youth in temporary shelter homes. The Contractor will ensure that youth or families in crises are served within a 24-48-hour period. Emergency services may be provided at the location of the youth or family, home, office, police station, school, hospital or other location as deemed appropriate by the youth and their family. • Assessment and Case Planning: the contractor shall conduct assessments to determine initial diagnosis, develop Plans of Care that address immediate and long-term needs, and initiate referrals to other or additional services as needed. • Case Management: the contractor shall provide case managers, who shall interact frequently with the youth and the family by phone or in person on issues related to the Plan of Care. Case managers shall also interact with school staff, courts, doctors, housing providers, and other service providers as needed and permitted by youth and their families. Case managers will make appropriate referrals to other service providers as needed.
