To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Probation Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Kilee Willson, (707) 565-6240
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Treatment Services for Youth Adjudicated for Sex Offenses
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Chief Probation Officer to enter into a professional services agreement with Blue Rock Institute dba San Francisco Forensic Institute (SFFI) for treatment to youth who have committed sexual offenses for the term of August 15, 2022 through August 15, 2025 in an amount not to exceed $300,000 annually.
end
Executive Summary:
The Probation Department requests Board approval to execute a Professional Services Agreement with San Francisco Forensic Institute (SFFI) to provide treatment services for youth who have committed sex offenses. These services will primarily be provided to youth who are serving commitments to the Sonoma County Juvenile Hall for their offenses.
SB 823, known as DJJ (Division of Juvenile Justice) Realignment, was signed into law in September 2020. This law directs the phased closure of state-run youth detention facilities, with a commitment of annual funding to counties to serve impacted youth who would have historically been committed to DJJ for serious or violent felonies. While the closure of DJJ represents an overall system improvement, the challenge for many jurisdictions throughout the state, including Sonoma County, is providing the appropriate treatment and services to youth who have committed serious and violent sex offenses. Additionally, as a result of DJJ Realignment Sonoma County has entered into several agreements to house and treat youth from northern California and the Bay Area who do not have access to local treatment options within their jurisdictions.
As such, Probation is seeking to contract with SFFI to provide a juvenile sex offender treatment program for three years (through August 15, 2025) in an amount of up to $300,000 annually.
Discussion:
The Department provided a comprehensive report to the Board regarding SB823 and DJJ Realignment, including the local plan for developing meaningful treatment for former DJJ youth and their families on May 25, 2021.
The SB823 Plan includes the following:
The Sonoma County Probation Department will provide comprehensive treatment related to mental/behavioral health, trauma needs and sex offender specific treatment.
The Sonoma County Probation Department currently refers youth to community-based individual and group sex offender treatment, and will transition these services into Juvenile Hall as well with additional services for the resident’s family and any victims within the home. Sonoma County has historically served most sex offenders within the community and through home removal via placement/out of home care; commitments to Juvenile Hall or DJJ for sex offenses are infrequent. On average, residential juvenile sex offender treatment is between 18 to 24 months in length.
Mental health and trauma services will remain available to all residents housed in Juvenile Hall regardless of commitment status and in compliance with statute and Title 15 regulations. The Sonoma County Probation Department will expand the current service array and introduce evidence-based services targeting these need areas, in order to help build youth resilience, stability, and rehabilitation.
In response to SB823, Sonoma County agreed to house and treat out-of-county youth from other Northern California counties and currently holds contracts in place with the counties of: Contra Costa, Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, and Santa Cruz. Those contracts allow for the housing of out-of-county youth in a secure environment supported by Sonoma County program to address their treatment needs, which includes specialty services to youth who committed sexual offenses.
In May 2022 Probation issued a request for proposals (RFP) titled Treatment Services for Youth and Adults Adjudicated for Sex Offenses with proposals due June 16, 2022 for the provision of sex offender treatment to youth serving commitments within the Sonoma County Juvenile Hall and for adults and juveniles under community supervision who have been ordered to complete this treatment. Purchasing supported a proposal deadline extension, yet no proposals were submitted for these critical services. Hence, the RFP was considered ‘failed’ negating the need for a waiver per Purchasing, and after discussion with Purchasing, Probation opened dialog with its former provider, SFFI.
With an increase of in-custody youth awaiting treatment, Department leadership contacted SFFI based on Sonoma County’s services experience with this highly qualified organization who provided community-based juvenile sex offender treatment from July 2016 through August of 2018. During this service period, Probation was unable to refer enough youth to make the services financially viable for SFFI to perform, and the contract was terminated by the vendor. Since then, much has changed in regards to the population demographics of in-custody youth, in large part due to SB823 and the viability of telehealth options to provide mental health services. Fortunately, SFFI agreed to engage in contract negotiations. The rates and services agreed upon are structured differently than the prior agreement from over 7 years ago, but in line with industry standards and expected costs for such critical services; the former agreement was for community based services compared to in-custody treatment as are now urgently needed.
This agreement will provide treatment services for in-custody youth and their families; as well as re-entry services for the youth and their families in anticipation of his or her return to the community. The youth range in age from 12 to 25 years, and annually the Department projects that approximately 15-20 youth and their families may participate in the treatment program.
Services shall be provided both virtually and in-person for youth committed to Juvenile Hall. Probation will provide office space and equipment for SFFI at the Juvenile Justice Center, and the Probation Camp located in Forestville. The nature of service delivery to in-custody youth requires providers perform same inside a secure facility. Unlike group-type services, treatment for sex offenses must be done with a high level of confidentiality necessitating a private treatment office within the locked facility. This arrangement is consistent with all mental health treatment provided in-custody. In-person office usage by SFFI will be minimal and at no cost to the provider. Services will primarily be provided virtually, with in-person treatment scheduled once per month.
Consultant must assertively and effectively engage youth and families from diverse backgrounds, employing culturally competent and culturally sensitive strategies, including provision of services and client-facing forms in Spanish. If youth and their families require that services be delivered in their preferred language, the Consultant will provide staffing to meet these needs at no additional cost to the county at no additional cost. Services will be delivered at a date and time agreed upon by assigned Probation and Consultant staff either virtually or in-person at Juvenile Hall and/or Probation Camp campus.
Additionally, supporting the County’s adoption of Results Based Accountability (RBA) for contracted services, SFFI has agreed to develop and carry out an RBA Plan, to establish performance measures, data collection methods, and population-level results under the agreement.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
07-20-2021: Board approved Out of County Youth contracts
05-25-2021: Board approved Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant annual Plan
06-14-2016: Board approved PSA with SFFI
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The cost to provide these critical mental health services are included in the Juvenile Hall FY 22-23 Adopted Budget. The DJJ SB 823 Realignment allocation will offset these service costs. Additionally, the out of county rates adopted by the Board on May 25, 2021, includes the cost to provide sex offender treatment as part of the agreed upon rate of $300 per day.
|
Staffing Impacts: N/A |
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|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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|
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|
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
SFFI Juvenile Sex Offender Professional Service Agreement 081525
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
SFFI contract approved by the Board 06/14/2016.