To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Probation Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Vanessa Fuchs, 707-565-2732
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Intensive Diversion Services for Youth
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Chief Probation Officer to execute a professional services agreement with Seneca Family of Agencies for a youth intensive diversion services program not to exceed $2,100,000 for an initial two and a half years with the allowance of three additional single-year extensions from January 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029.
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Executive Summary:
The Probation Department is requesting the Board approve a Professional Service Agreement with Seneca Family of Agencies for evidence-based youth diversion services, which will serve approximately 30 youth annually, reducing more intense court and more formal system involvement. The services will target youth who are low-risk to reoffend, with high-need for services.
Discussion:
Background: Research shows that youth at low risk to reoffend are best served outside the juvenile legal system. For more than ten years, Probation has been implementing evidence-based practices intended to divert low-risk youth, during which time the number of low-risk youth on probation has declined. Recently, however, there has been an increase in the number of youths referred to Probation and an increased need for intensive diversion services for high-needs youth at lower risk to reoffend.
In 2020, the Sonoma County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council recognized that some low-risk, high-needs youth were being pushed into the juvenile legal system to access a high level of service not available at the diversion level. For context, this service gap was initially identified through the 2019 Council of State Governments (CSG) Sonoma County Improving Outcomes for Youth (IOYouth) Initiative, a data-driven review to determine how well the Sonoma County juvenile justice policies and practices aligned with those shown to work in improving outcomes for youth. CSG recommended that Sonoma County “develop enhanced policies around the diversion of all youth that are low risk to reoffend and partner with other systems and providers to refer them to services.” Services to be provided under this contract will continue to fill in this service gap by ensuring that individualized, strengths-based, case management services remain available to qualifying youth and their families at the diversion level and do not require court or probation involvement to access.
Diversion services for youth with high levels of need at lower risk to reoffend is a key priority of the Probation Department. As the chart below shows, there was a large increase in youth referred to Probation for misdemeanors or felonies in Sonoma County in the first half of 2023, with Hispanic youth overrepresented in these cases and projected to far exceed 2022’s count. Thus, there remains an opportunity with intensive diversion services to further adhere to community corrections research principles and address racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile legal system.
Program Description: Given recent referral trends and the fact that the program was running at capacity after the initial impacts of the pandemic, Probation estimates that up to 30 youth annually will qualify into intensive diversion services. The program is designed to serve up to 8 youth at a time with youth enrolled in the order in which they were referred. Enrolled youth will receive intensive diversion services for three to six months in lieu of formal court processing.
Youth referred for these services are identified during Probation’s intake process as low or moderate risk to reoffend with high social, behavioral, and/or mental health needs. Depending on the offense that a youth is referred to Probation with, qualifying youth will either be referred directly to the diversion program by the probation intake team or after screening and approval by the district attorney’s office for offenses that are mandatory referrals to their department.
Youth diverted into intensive diversion services will not be assigned a probation officer, and service providers are primarily responsible for engaging youth and families in the service. Probation intake officers, however, will provide a referral and warm hand-off into services and be available for minimal consultation and support while youth complete the program.
Probation recognizes that a family’s traditions, values, and heritage are sources of strength, and that cultural identity can be a source of support. As such, Seneca will deliver services in a manner that reflects the family’s beliefs, values, culture, and identity.
Program Goals:
Goal 1: Strengthen the capacity of Sonoma County to address lower-risk, high-needs youth through intensive diversion services.
• Objective: Youth referred for intensive diversion services enroll in and complete the program.
• Objective: Intensive diversion services are delivered in a manner that reflects the family’s beliefs, values, culture, and identity.
Goal 2: Improve youth and family needs for lower-risk youth referred to Probation.
• Objective: Youth who receive intensive diversion services are assessed for presenting needs at enrollment and exit.
• Objective: Youth and families receive services that match their assessed needs.
• Objective: Parents/guardians receive services to build their skills and strategies to support their youth.
Goal 3: Reduce the proportion of lower-risk youth in Sonoma County with formal (court) involvement in the juvenile legal system.
• Objective: Intensive diversion services are restorative and help youth understand the impact and consequences of their actions to victims, their family, and community.
History and Request for Proposals: In August 2019, Probation issued an RFP and subsequently entered a contract with Seneca for Youth Diversion with Case Management services utilizing a grant from the State of California Youth Reinvestment Grant program, administered by the Board of State Community Corrections (BSCC). The grant award and contract not-to-exceed amount were $1,000,000. The program was slow to start due to the pandemic but was at full capacity in diverting youth from formal juvenile justice involvement post-pandemic. A recent evaluation of Youth Diversion with Case Management by Resource Development Associates indicated some positive results for recidivism and needs reduction for youth who enrolled in and completed the program, however warned that the findings should be viewed cautiously due to the small sample size.
Use of BSCC grant funds was allowed only through February 2023, but Probation received Board approval to extend the Seneca contract through December 31, 2023, utilizing 2011 Realignment funds, as the overall program costs were well under budget due to the pandemic.
Given the promising outcomes and continued service need, Probation issued a new RFP in August 2023 for very similar diversion services based on the principles of Wraparound. The new program is called “intensive diversion services” to more clearly distinguish the level of service offered through this program compared to other diversion options already available. This version of the program also increases support for parents to implement positive parenting strategies at home with an assigned family partner for each youth.
Proposals were submitted by four organizations which were rated by Probation and Superior Court staff. Seneca scored the highest by all raters and is the recommended contractor to provide diversion services to Sonoma County youth.
Strategic Plan:
NA
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
December 13, 2022: The Board approved a one-year agreement with Seneca for Youth Diversion with Case Management Youth Diversion with Case Management.
December 17, 2019: The Board approved an agreement with Seneca for Program Services for Youth Diversion with Case Management.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY23-24 Adopted |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY25-26 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$333,333 |
$359,262 |
$370,039 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
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|
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Total Expenditures |
$333,333 |
$359,262 |
$370,039 |
|
Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$333,333 |
$359,262 |
$370,039 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$333,333 |
$359,262 |
$370,039 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Probation budgeted $333,333 in FY23-24 for youth diversion services with the current Seneca contract ending December 31, 2023, under the Youth Diversion with Case Management program. Probation anticipates $2,100,000 in expenditures for intensive diversion services from January 2024 through June 2029. Probation will utilize Juvenile Probation Activities funds, a subaccount of the 2011 Realignment Local Law Enforcement Services allocation, with expenditures budgeted in the Juvenile Supervision General Fund section 27012100, fully reimbursed using 2011 Realignment funds received in the Juvenile Probation Special Revenue Fund 27017700.
Year 1 (01/01/24-06/30/24) $176,976
Year 2 (07/01/24-06/30/25) ~$359,262
Year 3 (07/01/25-06/30/26) ~$370,039
Year 4 (07/01/26-06/30/27) ~$381,141
Year 5 (07/01/27-06/30/28) ~$392,575
Year 6 (07/01/28-06/30/29) ~$404,352
Total ~$2,084,345
The budget will be reevaluated each year prior to June 30th with the contract not-to-exceed amount fixed at $2,100,000 allowing for flexibility, cost of living increases, and unanticipated program expenses. Budget adjustments will be in accordance with Section 8. Extra or Changed Work, and/or per the Exhibit B Budget and Fee Schedule Rate Adjustments paragraphs for the Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The budgeted expense rates for both the former iteration of this program, Youth Diversion with Case Management, and the current program, Intensive Diversion Services, were developed in the same manner with actual cost reimbursement. Most of the contract costs are salaries and benefits, and over time, the rate of pay for Seneca staff has increased slightly, as have some of the operating expenses.
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Staffing Impacts: NA |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
NA
Attachments:
Seneca IDS 123126
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
NA