ATTACHMENT A
STATE OF DELAWARE
DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES FOR CHILDREN YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES
DIVISION OF CHILD MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER (F.A.C.T.) PROJECT
CONTRACT FOR PARENT/FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK FOR CHILD MENTAL HEALTH
BACKGROUND: Under the Federally funded Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents with Serious Emotional Disturbances grant (CMHI grant), Delaware’s Division of Child Mental Health Services (DCMHS), continues implementation of a statewide SYSTEMS OF CARE in providing mental health services and supports to a specified population of children and adolescents through the Families and Communities Together (F.A.C.T.) Project. This is a system change project in partnership with the Delaware’s Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, Department of Education, Department of Health and Social Services/Division of Developmental Disabilities Services and families of children with serious emotional disturbances.
The F.A.C.T. Project supports the enhancement and continued development of a service delivery system that is coordinated and comprehensive, community-based, individualized, culturally competent, family-centered and focused on strength-based service planning. Services through the project are intended to be community based and provide individualized, intensive service packages to the target population using a wraparound approach. Family involvement and participation is critical to the success of this approach and to the success of the development of a system of care in Delaware.
To successfully implement systems of care, one of the primary goals of the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) program and Delaware’s Families and Communities Together (F.A.C.T.) Project is to ensure full family-professional partnership in: (1) the planning, development, implementation, management and evaluation of the local service system; and (2) the care and treatment of children and adolescents.
The Federal Guidance for Applicants for the Child Mental Health Initiative Program requires each grant project to establish a partnership with a local parent/family support organization or create a parent/family support network for children’s mental health within the project site. Since Delaware does not have such a parent/family organization committed to issues of children’s mental health, the F. A. C. T. Project is contracting with Children & Families First to assist local families to establish of such an organization that supports systems of care. Through the partnership with and involvement of The Contractor in the Project, the value of families and professionals working together as partners and allies will be put into practice through the establishment of a family organization.
SCOPE OF SERVICES: The purpose of this contract is to establish, manage and sustain a family organization committed to children’s mental health that provides ongoing support, education and advocacy and promotes the development of Delaware’s system of care. The CONTRACTOR, as an established organization with experience in advocacy for children and with experience in children’s mental health arena shall guide and mentor parents and families across Delaware to build the new family support organization for children’s mental health, which will be self-sustaining and support the development of Delaware’s system of care. The focus of their work with families is to establish family voice and leadership in the field of children’s mental health. The CONTRACTOR shall collaborate with the national Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, an organization with a strong track record of providing technical assistance and consultation to states and organizations to develop family support organizations for children’s mental health. Collaboration with families enrolled in the F.A.C.T. project, as well as with a group of Delaware families who have begun grass-roots efforts to organize a family support organization is required under this CONTRACT. For issues of sustainability, it is anticipated that the family organization will become a chapter of the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health in order to benefit from the ongoing support and technical assistance of that national organization.
The core values and principles of Systems of Care guide the work of the project and its partners. Incorporation of these practice standards in the work for and with children and families ensures quality and uniformity across all components of the project. The contractor shall ensure the values and principles guide the work of the family organization. The core values and principles of Systems of Care are listed below:
· System of Care Values:
o Child-centered and family-focused with the needs of the child and family dictating the types and mix of services provided
o Community-based services, integrated with intensive care management
o Cultural competency, with services that are responsive to the cultural, racial and ethnic differences of the population served.
· Guiding Principles
o Comprehensive service array to meet individual child and family’s needs
o Individualized service planning
o Least restrictive, most normative setting which is clinically appropriate
o Families and surrogate families should be full participants in all aspects of the planning and delivery of services
o Intensive care management to ensure coordination and integration of services
o Prevention and early identification and intervention for children with emotional disturbances
o Smooth transitions to adult services at age 18
o Rights of children and their families should be protected and effective advocacy for children with emotional disturbances should be promoted
In collaboration with all parties involved with the Families and Communities Together (F.A.C.T.) Project, the CONTRACTOR will focus efforts to increase family involvement, participation and partnership through the development of a family organization. Parent/family involvement is critical to the success of this project and will occur at all levels from policy development to individual child service planning. Systems of Care provide for family participation in all aspects of planning, service delivery and evaluation:
· full family participation, partnering as members of the Interagency Child Service Team to develop, implement and monitor the service plan and progress of the child.
· involvement in family support network and advocacy
· system implementation and oversight as members of the governance body
· participation in planning and work group committees including evaluation, service development, sustainability and social marketing/communication efforts.
· partnering in the evaluation where it is expected that families will be involved not only providing feedback on service/care but may also participate in obtaining feedback and interpreting the data as part of the evaluation efforts.
Under this CONTRACT, Children & Families First is responsible for, but not limited to, the development of a statewide family support organization with outreach to the target population/families, family training and recruitment, inclusion and retention of parents and families in organization development and sustaining activities, coordinating activities for children and families served through the Project including both recognition and therapeutic family oriented activities and the promotion of the positive impact that Systems of Care have on children and families of Delaware.
The CONTRACTOR will deliver professional services in the following areas:
1. Provide 1 (one) FTE Coordinator with experience working with families and children’s mental health to guide, support development of the statewide family support network for children’s mental health and mentor leadership of the new organization. Mentoring will include technical assistance to the leaders of the new family support organization in identifying and obtaining grants or other resources to help the organization to become self-sustaining. The Coordinator will recruit, hire and train the parent partners in each county, oversee the work under the Contract and act as liaison with the Division of Child Mental Health Services, Families and Community Together (F.A.C.T.) Project, community groups, national project partners, and the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.
2. Collaborate with the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health and local Delaware Families in the development of a statewide parent/family support organization that advocates for services and supports for children’s mental health that supports a systems of care approach in Delaware.
3. Hire, train and support the equivalent of 3 (three) FTE Parent Partners with one equivalent to work and be sited in each of the three counties in Delaware. Parent Partners will work directly with children and their families enrolled in the project, conduct outreach to new families, conduct support groups for family members, provide information and training to family members to enhance their capabilities in areas including advocacy for children’s mental health, provision of support to others, parent training, advocacy and increasing family member involvement in all areas of the F.A.C.T. project as well as in involvement in their own child’s treatment and service planning. Preference for hire will be given to families currently active with the project or involved in the grassroots development of a family support organization. Current family members shall fill fifty percent of the positions.
Direct work with families enrolled in the project may include, but is not limited to, participation in child and family team meetings; offering of family support on an individual and group basis; education to parents on how to negotiate the child serving systems. This includes the negotiation of concerns and problem resolution by helping the family to find constructive and effective ways to articulate their wishes, needs and desires. Family advocacy will increase the capacity of families throughout Delaware to access needed services and articulate family needs thus reducing frustration and enhancing services for children and families.
Family education and support will increase the capacity of F.A.C.T. Project family members and families across the state of Delaware to cope with the struggles associated with having mental illness, school, home and community problems.
4. Outreach to parents and family member to:
a. Inform parents and family members statewide about the development of a new family support organization for children’s mental health and recruit interested family members to join the organization. Outreach will be to family members of the target population and also to other families of children with mental health issues.
b. Inform parents and family members of children with serious emotional disturbances about local resource to support their child and family to cope with the mental health challenges.
5. Facilitate Family Support Groups with regularly scheduled meetings in each county. These support group meetings are for parents and families coping with the challenges of raising a child with mental heath needs. Meetings will be held on a monthly basis in each county. A minimum of 30 family support meetings will be conducted during this contract year. Family support groups will be community-based to maximize family member participation. The groups will serve to educate, support and empower families of children with a variety of mental health related issues to stay involved in their child’s treatment, assist parent/family members to actively participate and partner with professionals in service planning, care management and advocacy, to offer information and assistance in transportation, behavioral health and wellness information, self care information and family-to-family support. As parents and families become experienced in the system, they may mentor new parents/families in understanding and navigating the system and in advocating for children’s mental health.
6. Conduct parent/family education activities and training in areas such as systems of care core values and principles, the Delaware F.A.C.T Project and children’s mental health, collaboration, negotiation and group facilitation skills with the expected outcome of developing greater independence and self-determination skills for families of the target population and other families with children with mental health issues. Family input and preference will drive the need for training and support. Conduct one statewide conference for families to focus on and promote the principles of systems of care and the F.A.C.T. project. By January 2004 will submit plans for a statewide annual family conference to focus on and promote the principles of systems. This statewide conference will be held in May 2004.
7. Coordinate and support family member participation on a variety of committees related to the F.A.C.T. Project, including but not limited to the Governing Advisory Council, the Social Marketing Committee, the Evaluation Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Division of Child Mental Health’s Community Advisory Council. The CONTRACTOR shall coordinate parent and family member representation, participation and ongoing involvement in system planning and implementation activities as follows:
a. By October 31, 2003, in collaboration with the F.A.C.T. Project Director, the CONTRACTOR will identify, appoint and prepare additional parents and family members as committee members to participate as full partners and advisors to the project.
b. By October 31, 2003, the CONTRACTOR will facilitate the addition of parent members to the Governing Advisory Body. At least three family members, ideally one from each county plus alternates, will be added as participants.
c. Will provide support to parents and family members already participating on committees and the Division of Child Mental Health Community Advisory Council.
8. Administer stipends ($75.00 for full day and $38.00 for half-day participation) for parents/family members who participate in formal committee meetings such as those mentioned above as well as for participation in other forums (e.g. federal grant evaluation site visits) and national conferences.
9. Participate in quarterly grant community meetings and technical assistance opportunities as required by the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program/Child Mental Health Initiative and participate in the annual Federation of Families for Child Mental Health meetings (Washington, D.C.). The CONTRACTOR shall also administer all aspect of travel for family members to attend quarterly grant community meetings, technical assistance opportunities and national conferences.
10. Develop or purchase written materials such as training manuals and parent/family brochures and handbooks for support groups and general distribution to families participating in the F.A.C.T. project and other children’s mental health-related audiences.
11. Develop and distribute a quarterly newsletter featuring F.A.C.T. Project highlights and activities as one means of communicating information to stakeholders and families who are or may be involved with the project. (F.A.C.T. Project Director will provide distribution list for first newsletter.) First newsletter will be completed and distributed by December 2003.