HomeMy WebLinkAbout20011394.tiff RESOLUTION
RE: APPROVE NOTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR INTENSIVE FAMILY
THERAPY - SHORT TERM IFT (GAP) AND MEDIATED FAMILY CONFLICT
RESOLUTION AND AUTHORIZE CHAIR TO SIGN -ACKERMAN AND ASSOCIATES,
P.C.
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to
Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of
administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and
WHEREAS, the Board has been presented with a Notification of Financial Assistance
Award for Intensive Family Therapy- Short Term IFT (GAP) and Mediated Family Conflict
Resolution between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County
Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the Department of Social Services, and Ackerman
and Associates, P.C., commencing June 1, 2001, and ending May 31, 2002, with further terms
and conditions being as stated in said award, and
WHEREAS, after review, the Board deems it advisable to approve said award, a copy of
which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of
Weld County, Colorado, ex-officio Board of Social Services, that the Notification of Financial
Assistance Award for Intensive Family Therapy - Short Term IFT (GAP) and Mediated Family
Conflict Resolution between the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board
of County Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the Department of Social Services, and
Ackerman and Associates, P.C., be, and hereby is, approved.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the Chair be, and hereby is, authorized
to sign said award.
The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted
by the following vote on the 30th day of May, A.D., 2001.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WELD� CO TY, COLORADO
51
ATTEST: i J �/ ? �►4 �. /d D.GLC/
1861 ('_�t•� �' . J eile, Ch ir
Weld County Clerk to the oa itI -144
® var Glenn Vaal rro- em
BY: //� •
Deputy Clerk to the Board�� '
Willi�Jerk
OV D FORM: 6
David E. Long
Jôuney \ M
Robert D. Masden
2001-1394
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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
PO BOX A
' GREELEY,CO 80632
WEBSITE:www.co.weid.co.us
Administration and Public Assistance(970)352-1551
O Child Support(970)352-6933
COLORADO
MEMORANDUM
TO: M. J. Geile, Chair Date: May 23, 2001
Board of County Commissioners
FR: Judy Griego, Director C,C
Weld County Departme of cial rvi es
RE: PY 2001-2002 Notification of Financial Assistance Awards (NOFAA) under Core
Services Funds-Ackerman& Associates, P.C.
Enclosed for Board approval are the PY 2001-2002 Notifications of Financial Assistance
Awards (NOFAA) for Families, Youth, and Children Commission (FYC) Core Services
Funds, which are for the period of June 1, 2001,through May 31, 2002.
The Families, Youth and Children Commission (FYC)reviewed proposals under a
Request for Proposal process and are recommending approval of these bids.
Ackerman and Associates, P.C.
A. Option B, Home Based Intensive: A maximum of 84,families for an average of
three hours per week of in-home services for a 20-week period The average
length of stay will be 60 hours. Rate is$99.50/hour per unit of service.
B. Intensive Family Therapy:
1. Mediated Family Conflict Resolution and Short-term Intensive Family
Therapy-Goal Achievement Program(GAP): A maximum of 14 families
per month. Average capacity is five,families per month (60 per year).
Maximum stay is 20 hours over a five-month period. The program has a
capacity of providing Bicultural-bilingual services to 15 families per year.
Rate is$99.50/hour.
Page 1 of 2
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MEMORANDUM TO M.J. GEILE, CHAIR
WELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
RE: CORE SERVICE NOFAA PY 2001-2002
2. Family Group Decision Making: A maximum of four families per month
(48 per year) involving the nuclear family,professionals involved in the
case, and individual members of the extended,family. Rate is$2,000 per
family group conference.
C. Sex Abuse Treatment: Projected maximum total per year is estimated at 36
families, the average monthly capacity is three families, the maximum stay is 46
sessions over a 12-month period. Group treatment is provided at an equivalent of
five individual hour-long sessions. Rate is$99.50/hour.
D. Foster Parent Consultation: Group training for a maximum of 12 participants with
an average of four participants per group. Average stay is 12.5 hours. Telephone
consultations for crisis management are available for a maximum of one-half
hour per call. This program anticipates serving 60 family units. Rate is $90 an
hour. Group rate per client is$45/hour.
If you have any questions, please telephone me at extension 6510.
of
Page 2 of 2
Weld County Department of Social Services
Notification of Financial Assistance Award
for Families,Youth and Children Commission (Core)Funds
Type of Action Contract Award No
X Initial Award FY01-PAC-17000
Revision (RFP-FYC-01008)
Contract Award Period Name and Address of Contractor
Beginning 06/01/2001 and Ackerman and Associates P.C.
Ending 05/31/2002 Intensive Family Therapy-Short Term IFT(GAP)and
Mediated Family Conflict Resolution
1750 25th Avenue Suite 101
Greeley, CO 80634
Computation of Awards Description
Unit of Service The issuance of the Notification of Financial Assistance
Improve both individual and family functioning Award is based upon your Request for Proposal(RFP).
through in-home and in-office services. The The RFP specifies the scope of services and conditions
program has a capacity of 14 families per month. of award. Except where it is in conflict with this
Maximum capacity is 5 families per month, for a NOFAA in which case the NOFAA governs, the RFP
total of 60 families per year.Bicultural-bilingual upon which this award is based is an integral part of the
service capacity is 15 families per year. Maximum action.
stay is 20 hours face-to-face meetings per month
over a five-month period.The techniques of Special conditions
Mediated Family Conflict Resolution may be 1) Reimbursement for the Unit of Services will be based
brought into this program. This restructures the on an hourly rate per child or per family.
Mediated Family Conflict Resolution from being 2) The hourly rate will be paid for only direct face to face
a free-standing program and incorporates it within contact with the child and/or family, as evidenced by
the Goal Achievement Program(GAP)without client-signed verification form, and as specified in the
eliminating the service for families. unit of cost computation.
3) Unit of service costs cannot exceed the monthly and
Cost Per Unit of Service yearly cost per child and/or family.
Hourly Rate Per $925.0 4) Payment will only be remitted on cases with, and
Unit of Service Based on Approved Plan referrals made by the Weld County Department of
Social Services.
5) Requests for payment must be an original submitted to
Enclosures: the Weld County Department of Social Services by the
X Signed RFP:Exhibit A end of the 25th calendar day following the end of the
_X_Supplemental Narrative to RFP: Exhibit B month of service. The provider must submit requests
_X Recommendation(s) for payment on forms approved by Weld County
_ Department of Social Services.
Conditions of Approval
Appn: Program ffrcial:
By pee/ By a ��{V 04O
M. J. G ire, Chair Judy . Grie , Dire or
Board of Weld County Commissioners Weld ounty Department of Social Services
Date: OS -30 --26O/ Date: 5/23/01
err)/- /394/
Signed RFP: Exhibit A
Ackerman & Associates
RFP: 01008-Combined Mediated Family Conflict Resolution &
Goal Achievement Program (G.A.P.)
c._ t •
•
INVITATION TO BID ftcJ.Yerr-w-L g
ro
DATE:February 28, 2001 BID NO: RFP-FYC-01008 D of
RETURN BID TO: Pat Persichino, Director of General Services
915 10th Street, P.O. Box 758, Greeley, CO 80632
SUMMARY
Request for Proposal (RFP-FYC-01008) for:Family Preservation Program Inte* ive a ,
Program Family Issue's Cash Fund or Family
Preservation Program Funds
Deadline: March 23, 2001, Friday, 10:00 a.m.
The Placement Alternatives Commission, an advisory commission to the Weld County Department of Social
Services, announces that competing applications will be accepted for approved vendors pursuant to the Board
of Weld County Commissioners authority under the Statewide Family Preservation Program (C.R.S. 26-5.5-
101) and Emergency Assistance for Families with Children at Imminent Risk of Out-of-Home Placement
(C.R.S. 26-5.3-101). The Placement Alternatives Commission wishes to approve services targeted to run
from June 1, 2001, through May 31, 2002, at specific rates for different types of service, the County will
authorize approved vendors and rates for services only. The Intensive Family Therapy Program must provide
for therapeutic intervention through one or more qualified family therapists, typically with all family
members, to improve family communication, function, and relationships. This program announcement
consists of five parts, as follows:
PART A...Administrative Information PART D...Bidder Response Format
PART B...Background, Overview and Goals PART E...Bid Evaluation Process
PART C...Statement of Work
Delivery Date March 19,2001
(After receipt of order) T BE SIGNED IN INK
Joyce Shohet Ackerman Ed.D.
TYPED OR PRINTED SIGNATURE
VENDOR Arkprman and Accoriatat p.0. as_-Sa A
(Name) an written Signature By Authorized
Officer or Agent of Vender
ADDRESS 1750 25th Avenue TITLE President, Licensed Psychologist
rreptey Cn RnR14 DATE Marrh to 20n1
PHONE# 970 353-3373
The above bid is subject to Terms and Conditions as attached hereto and incorporated.
Page 1 of 32
t -
RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A
INTENSIVE FAMILY THERAPY PROGRAM BID PROPOSAL
FAMILY PRESERVATION PROGRAM
2001-2002 BID PROPOSAL APPLICATION
PROGRAM FUNDS YEAR 2001-2002
BID#RFP-FYC-01008
NAME OF AGENCY: Ackerman and Associates P.C.
_ADDRESS: 1750 25th Avenue Suite 101, Greeley, CO 80634
PHONE:f 970)353 - 3373 (fax 970 153-3374)
CONTACT PERSON: Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D. TITLE: President, Licensed Pcyrholnaist
DESCRIPTION OF FAMILY PRESERVATION PROGRAM CATEGORY: The Intensive Family Therapy Program must
urovide for theraueutithrough one qualified f mily therapistswith all family members to
improve family communication—functioning. and relationships
12-Month approximate Project Dates: _ 12-month contract with actual time lines of:
Start June 1.2001 Start
End May 31. 2002 End
TITLE OF PROJECT: Ackerman Goal Achievement Program
Joyce Shohet Ackerman Ed.D. 3/15/2001
Name and Signature of Person Preparing Document Date
Joyce Shohet Ackerman Ed.D. _ � �
►,aoao _=� ►�� - - �1C'l%SS . - l d
N e dS`ignature Chief Administrative Officer Applicant Agency Date
MANDATORY PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
For both new bids and renewal bids,please initial to indicate that the following required sections are included in this
Proposal for Bid.For renewal bids,please indicate which of the required sections have not changed from Program Fund
Year 2000-2001 to Program Fund Year 2001-2002.
Indicate No Change from FY 2000-2001 to 2001-2002
Project Description changed
_L_ Target/EligibilityPopulations no change
Types of services Provided no change
± Measurable Outcomes no change
x Service Objectives no chnage
( Workload Standards no change
A Staff Qualifications minor changes
Y. Unit of Service Rate Computation Pe chnage
Program Capacity per Month nn change
X Certificate ofInsurance
Page 26 of 32
RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A
Date of Meeting(s)with Social Services Division Supervisor: 0 I
Comments by SSD Supervisor: �J� . ` '� J t(
1
°t_
(it-4-1) (tUrd
Name and Signature of SSD Supervisor Date
Page 27 of 32
1 1
RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A
Program Category Intensive Family Therapy Program Bid Category
Project Title Ackerman Goal Arhievement Program
Vendor Ackerman and Associates P.C.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Please provide a one page brief description of the project.
II. TARGET/ELIGIBILITY POPULATIONS
Please provide a one page brief description of the proposed target/eligibility populations. At a
minimum your description must address:
A. Total number of clients to be served.
B. Total individual clients and the children's ages.
C. Total family units.
D. Sub-total of individuals who will receive bicultural/bilingual services.
E. Sub-total of individuals who will receive services in South Weld County.
F. Sub-total of individuals who will have access to 24 hour services.
G. The monthly maximum program capacity.
H. The monthly average capacity.
I. Average stay in the program (weeks).
J. Average hours per week in the program.
III. TYPE OF SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED
Please provide a two page description of the types of services to be provided. Please address if your
project will provide the service minimums as follows:
A. Comprehensive, diagnostic and treatment planning with the family and other service
providers.
B. Therapeutic intervention with flexibility to bring in other services,if needed.
C. Co-facilitated therapeutic services provided by one or more qualified family therapists.
D. Therapy that is designed to resolve conflicts and disagreement within the family, contributing
to child maltreatment,running away, and to the behavior constituting status offenses.
Also,provide your quantitative measures as they directly relate to each service. At a minimum,
include a number to be served in each service component.Describe your internal process to assure
that PAC resources will not supplant existing and available services in the community; e.g. mental
health capitation services,ADAD and professional services otherwise funded.
IV. MEASURABLE OUTCOMES
Please provide a two page description of your expected measurable outcomes of the project. Please
address the measurable outcomes for each area as described below:
Page 28 of 32
1
RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A
A. Children receiving services do not go into placement.
B. Families remain intact.
C. Reunification of children with families.
D. Improvements in parental competency,parent/child conflict management as determined or
measured by pre and post placement functional tests.
E. More cost efficient services through the Intensive Family Therapy Program than the
placement of the child.
F. Therapeutic outcomes include fundamental changes in the family functioning and dynamics.
Describe your quantitative measures: Also, describe the methods you will use to measure, evaluate,
and monitor each quantitative measure.
V. SERVICE OBJECTIVES
Please provide a one page description of your expected service objectives and quantitative measures.
Please address, at a minimum, the following ways the project will:
A. Improve Family Conflict Management-Mediation and counseling designed to resolve
conflicts and disagreement within the family contributing to child maltreatment,running away
and other offenses.
B. Improve Parental Competency-capacity of parents to maintain sound relationships with their
children and provide care,nutrition,hygiene, discipline,protection, instructions, and
supervision.
C. Improve Ability to Access Resources -services shall assist parents to work with other sources
in the community and ahead the local, state, and federal governments.
Describe the methods you will use to measure, evaluate, and monitor each service objective.
VI. WORKLOAD STANDARDS
Please provide a one page description of the project's work load standards and quantitative measures.
Please address, at a minimum, the following areas:
A. Number of hours per day,week or month.
B. Number of individuals providing the services.
C. Maximum caseload per worker. (Generally 12 families per worker. Eight to 10 families per
worker if the worker provides case management services to the families on the caseload.)
D. Modality of treatment
E. Total number of hours per day/week/month(Minimum average of two hours of service per
family per week.
F. Total number of individuals providing these services.
G. The maximum caseload per supervisor. (Minimum of 6 workers per supervisor.)
H. Insurance.
Page 29 of 32
1 r
RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A
WI. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS
Please provide a one page description of staff qualifications and address, at a minimum,the
following:
A. Will your staff, including supervisors,who are providing direct services have the minimum
qualifications in education and experience as defined in Staff Manual Volume VII, Section
7.303.17, and Section 7.000.6,Q, Colorado Department of Human Services. Describe.
B. Total number of staff, including supervisors, available for the project.
C. Will staff have expertise in family therapy as demonstrated by specialized training,workshops
and experience.
D. Will staff have a minimum of eight hours per year of continuing education; i.e. courses,
workshops, and/or review of literature to be documented by county.
E. Will staff have a minimum of one hour per week of clinical supervision provided by someone
with advanced skills in Intensive Family Therapy.
F. Will the clinical supervisor(s)be involved in regular training to keep current in state-of-the-art
counseling modalities and findings.
Page 30 of 32
RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A
VIII. COMPUTATION OF DIRECT SERVICE RATE
This form is to be used to provide detailed explanation of the hourly rate your
organization will charge the Core Services Program for the services offered in
this Request for Proposal. This rate may only be used to bill the Weld County
Department of Social Services for direct, face-to-face services provided to
clients referred for these services by the Department. Requests for payment based
on units of service such as telephone calls, no shows, travel time, mileage
reimbursement, preparation, documentation, and other costs not involving direct
face-to-face services will not be honored. Likewise, billings must be for hours
of direct service to the client, regardless of the number of staff involved in
providing those services. Therefore, it is imperative that this rate be
sufficient to cover all costs associated with this client, regardless of the
number of staff involved in providing these services.
(Explanations for these Lines are Provided on the Following Page)
Total Hours of Direct Service per Client a_ O Hours [Al
Total Clients to be Served 1i o Clients [B]
Total Hours of Direct Service for Year ( 9_OO Hours [C]
(Line [A] Multiplied by Line [B]
Cost per Hour of Direct Services $ g 7. 7 D Per Hour [D]
Total Direct Service Costs $ r7 / 61/0 [E]
(Line [C] Multiplied by Line [D] )
Administration Costs Allocable to Program $ �3 8to [F]
Overhead Costs Allocable to Program $ 2 3 Fe° [G]
Total Cost, Direct and Allocated, of Program$ / 19 9 O 0 [H]
Line [E] Plus Line [F] Plus Line [G] )
Anticipated Profits Contributed by this Program $ O [I]
Total Costs and Profits to be Covered by this Program(Line [H] Plus Line [I] ) $ / 1 /Gy 't O 6 [,7]
Total Hours of Direct Service for Year 1 a [K]
(Must Equal Line [C] )
Rate per Hour of Direct, Face-to-Face Service
to be Charged to Weld County Department of Qoj
Social Services $ / ( - '° [L]
Page 31 of 32
Project Description 2001-2002
The Goal Achievement Program
Overview:Ackerman and Associates P.C. proposed in 1996 to use a time limited,
solution focused therapy model. Its original purpose was to assist in the
implementation of Family Service Plan, court ordered care plans and to assist in
implementing the results of mediation. We called this the Goal Achievement Program
or GAP. We propose to continue this program in 2001- 2002. Our past program was
too time limited and its use was restricted to only a small number of cases.
Modifications made in 2000-2001 proposal presented last year better meet the needs
for a clearly time limited intensive treatment model for families resisting implementing
their treatment objectives. This proposal continues these improvements. Discussion
with social services has suggested that continuing a 20 hour intensive therapy model
based on the GAP concepts we have used over the past year has proved to be more
cost effective in helping to reduce use of more expensive longer term treatment
modalities such as home based treatment. Though our monthly reports, WCDSS will
be able to better plan for resources needed for individuals undergoing any further
treatment after the GAP program. We strive to clearly demarcate the specific situation
that brought the family into treatment with social services from more general areas for
psychological improvement in these families. The only new modification for 2001-
2002 is to bring the techniques of mediated family conflict resolution into the Gap
program as one technique that may be applied in this program. This restructures
Mediated Family Conflict Resolution from being a free standing program and
incorporates it within GAP without eliminating the service for families. The
inclusion into GAP of the mediated family conflict resolution model at six hours of
service provides another option for the GAP program to help clients define their
treatment goals.
The purpose of this highly structured time limited system is to enable family members
to implement their own care plans to succeed in avoiding out of home placement.
Families needing the GAP program are either imminently at risk of outplacement,
need to be reunified or face imminent reunification failure and have failed or are failing
to implement the behaviors required of them. The model provides up to 20 hours of
solution focused therapy over no more than a five month period. Further cost savings
are achieved through fee reduction for group services.
Purpose: The purpose of the time limited, solution focused therapy is to implement
the short term changes needed to either prevent placement of reunify the family.
Clearly defined, achievable, structured behavioral changes are responsive to short
term therapy because they have a very clear focus and do not necessarily require
resolution of underlying personality factors to succeed. Although such long term
1
personality style change may well improve the health of the individual and the family,
achievement of long term change is not necessarily a prerequisite to reunification or
prevention of placement. As long as functionality of the family in relation to the safety of
the child can be restored and the child is protected within the umbrella of the child
protection statutes, the goals of the GAP program can be achieved.
The GAP program creates a time limited therapeutic environment for the family to
establish a process of change. The GAP program is the place where the
implementation of the goals set out for this family can be achieved if the family is
making poor progress in their own attempts to move forward. We anticipate four types
of referrals.
Area One - For Implementation of the Family Service Plan or a court ordered plan
A Family Service Plan is created for every family at Social Services. The FSP is
expected to assist them to change in a way that is in the best interests of the child,
avoids placement or achieves reunification. Unfortunately, the family level of
acceptance and implementation of the Family Service Plan is often less than ideal.
Those who fail to adequately implement their FSP are thus likely to remain a status
where out of home intervention is ongoing and appropriate. Families who are failing
to implement their family service plan are appropriate for GAP referral.
When the court has ordered a care plan for a family, there is likely a perception of
diminished control on the part of the parents. The court has told the family what to do.
This does not mean that the family has accepted what it must do. Nor does it mean
that the family has the psychological skills to achieve the goals the court has set. Even
when the family sincerely embraces the court's requirements, they may, at least
psychologically, only have a vague or general sense how to do it. Such families are
also appropriate for GAP referral when a few specific goals need to be achieved by a
small number of individuals.
Elimination of these psychological barriers can be achieved through solution focused
therapy by enhancing the level of control the family has in achieving the goals of the
plan. In families that are resisting intervention by social services and are about to
enter (or reenter) foster placement, short term therapy would focus on the
implementation of the care plan goals. A major objective of the therapy is to build a
sense of ownership in the solutions achieved. If foster placement is necessary, this
model should shorten the length of foster placement. The therapy of reunification
would focus on the implementation of goals that specify what behaviors need to be
achieved to reunify the family. If the family treatment proceeds rapidly, the cost of that
placement should be minimized.
Area two: Use of the Goal Achievement Program may reduce entry into more extensive
and expensive treatment. Use of GAP as a time limited plan to precede more
intensive therapy is a useful cost saving strategy. Some families may succeed in
2
treatment in this shorter term model if it is applied early in the process and thus have
need for less services over time in longer term programs such as Home Based or
Day Treatment. We anticipate those families can be identified by having a discrete
and well quantified set of goals they need to achieve to meet Social Services
requirements for the protection of the child.
Area Three: Family specific caseworker referrals. Other situations will occur in
relation to specific families and will become known to the caseworker who will refer to
GAP for short term treatment in relation to child protection. Some aspects of this may
include specific parental attitudes toward discipline, religious beliefs about corporal
punishment, short term issues related to discipline in the parents own upbringing or
other issues.
Area four Meditated family conflict resolution using a single mediator and completing
a specific mediation in a 6.5 hour period using the model described in prior bids is
incorporated into GAP as one technique that may be used within the up to twenty
hours of treatment
GAP may reduce the need for and renewals for more expensive forms of treatment.
Use of this time limited model may reduce the need for renewal for longer based and
more expensive programs such as Option B. The new rules for this contract cycle
require that all clients at the end of their program treatment will exit with clear
continuing objectives for treatment if further treatment is needed to protect the child.
GAP is a logical lower cost program for this situation to implement these remaining
psychological changes and life skills programs are appropriate for acquisition of
specific skills needed.
The GAP program will help the family define its role in how the plan will be
implemented. Since they must be the ones to change, a short term focused treatment
model will assist them to accept that requirement and to determine how this will work
in their particular case. GAP is intended as an early intervention tool either as the first
form of treatment when families establish goals or after a prior program has achieved
a partial success setting goals but these have not been effectively implemented.
The therapeutic role provided through the GAP program is first one of achieving
psychological acceptance of the care plan. What are the ways the family will decide to
change to meet the requirements of the Court or Social Services in the shortest
possible time? Finding the answers to this question is the overall purpose of the
short term therapy. From this point the family can return to direct caseworker
supervision. If they continue to fail to implement the plan they would be able to return
to GAP for more focused work on what they will do only if in the opinion of the
caseworker and the supervisor as well as the treating therapist this would be an
appropriate treatment protocol. Some should be able to step down to a life skill
support program for a specific area of difficulty.
3
Design: The time limited, solution focused therapy consists of up to twenty hours
of therapy in a period of five months. The structure of how the therapy is arranged
is variable. For purposes of the bid it is projected as weekly therapy over twenty
weeks. However, the providers can structure this time to be more concentrated if
needed, to use mediation or other techniques within this time limit. the addition of
mediation can help families who are "stuck" as to how to get started in that it can help
them design a way to meet the requirements of their case plan as opposed to just
agreeing to do it then not being able to.
The key design feature is to achieve implementation of the goals that are developed
for the family. Whether those goals were developed through mediation, the Family
Service Plan, the court ordered care plan or refined in the first few sessions of the
GAP referral, progress should be evident by the tenth hour of treatment. In addition to
monthly reports, a treatment summary will be prepared after the tenth session and
forwarded to social services. The treatment summary at the tenth session is the
basis for seeking a program renewal if it is deemed clinically appropriate. However,
we anticipate the need for renewal to be unlikely to be clinically appropriate in this
model of treatment.
The GAP program will seek to enhance the adoption by the participant of objectives
set forth by Social Services or the Courts by moving from an adversarial to a problem
solving/therapeutic model of interaction. The therapeutic needs of the diversity of
families requires some clinical flexibility on the part of the therapists in scheduling.
Scheduling also needs to be done considering other criteria, particularly cost
effectiveness. Families needing reunification will be on a faster track (if it is clinically
appropriate) since the judicious reduction of foster placement time is quite cost
effective. Delivery of services may be either in the family home or in the office setting.
As currently envisioned the program will be a combination of individual and family
sessions coupled with group treatment modalities for treating issues in common
across families - such as parenting skills, being a teen, women's issues,
assertiveness, communications. Group services are at a reduced fee of 50% of
individual/family sessions and are based on any number of the family participating in
the group for the same fee as one participant from the family. A group consists of
clients from two or more cases.
Other Considerations:
Since intensive inpatient treatment programs and more expensive Home Based
treatment programs have been a major source of the expenditure of Social Services
funds locally, including the GAP program as a less expensive goal focused short term
model is appropriate. The evaluation at the end of the fifteen to 20 hours will specify
any unresolved issues in cases where further treatment is needed.
There is no risk of the program running up excessive costs for any one family
4
because of the time limited session model. The program does not seek renewals for
a second round of treatment unless this is the lowest cost option appropriate for
achieving success as determined by the case worker and supervisor. The families
and the caseworker will evaluate if further treatment is needed at the end of the GAP
process by reviewing with the family progress at the completion of the GAP process.
Individuals needing further treatment after GAP may be placed in other programs in
the community if they are likely to eventually succeed. Those who graduate to a less
intense program may need a closely monitored follow up for specific life skill support.
If the caseworker determines they should return to the GAP program, this will only be
when there are a clearly achievable objectives to meet in a few additional sessions.
We structured this treatment approach to have a maximum cost of $1950 per family to
be cost effective and in some cases a more useful intermediate step before
placement in more costly treatment for appropriate referrals. Referrals have been
stable over the past several years at about one family per month for our initial shorter
term program, but should increase as this provides a lower cost option than home
based treatment in a manner that is not open ended or likely to become long term
psychotherapy.
The program is very easily measured because it will always have a clear starting point
for each family. The strategy to operationally adapt or individually tailor the
requirements of social services or the courts to the families specific needs or
dynamics will define the level of success achieved in complying with the goals of
therapy. Resolved and unresolved issues will be stated in the Family Implementation
Plan for each family and sent to the caseworker at the conclusion of up to 20
sessions of treatment.
Finally, this program appears to have filled a need for the Weld County Department of
Social Services on at least two levels. First, based on discussions we have had with
our supervisors, the GAP program appears to fill a gap that truly exists in the
continuum of care for families that meet the PAC criteria. Second, this is a lower cost
intervention design which may be cost efficient in avoiding more expensive
alternatives to placement.
Target/Eligibility Populations
A Total number of clients to be served in this twelve month program has been
calculated as follows. Five families per month times twelve months equals sixty
families per year. If we assume a family size of five, two adults and three children,
then the total client pool to be served is 300 individuals. That number includes at
least 60 individuals who face either imminent outplacement or need reunification.
These calculations make an assumption of a relatively even distribution between the
three groups. We have the capacity to serve more than this number if demand for the
services is there.
5
B. Distribution of clients. Total number of clients we will serve is approximately 300
as calculated above. We would expect approximately 120 of these would be adult
members of the family and approximately 180 would be minors. We estimate that
they would be distributed across the age range from 1 to 17. The older children would
most likely be teenagers in conflict with their family most often concerning issues
related to their maturation into adults. The younger group will consist of children of no
particularly predictable age whose parents are in conflict usually in relation to
instability in the marriage, neglect or abuse. Neglect or abuse may be present in
either group.
C. Families Served. We anticipate serving sixty family units. This estimate reflects the
changes in the program to better meet the needs of Social Services and the increase
in demand for the program over the last year.
D. Sub total who will receive biculturaVbilingual services. We anticipate we can
serve twenty-five percent ( 15 families) or more of the total referred in a bilingual
manner. All of the staff have extensive cross cultural experience.
We have a member of the staff, Emily Jaramillo-Bansberg, M.A., Licensed
Professional Counselor , who is fluent in Spanish. She is also Hispanic. She has
specific training in solution focused therapy and specializes in working with children,
teenagers and families. Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D. has spent several years
working in American Indian reservation populations. Larry Kerrigan, Ph.D., has more
than twenty years experience as a therapist in Greeley working with the Hispanic
population through the Weld Mental Health Center and Susan Bromley, Psy.D., is both
a social worker and a psychologist with extensive experience training students in
cross cultural sensitivity. Where there is a very young child, Sherri Malloy (Gonzales),
Ph.D., who has bicultural experience at the Boulder Mental Health Center can use a
brief play therapy session to demonstrate to the parents the impact of the family
disruption of the younger children. Nicole Wamygora, M.A., L.P.C., Karen Bender, M.A.,
L.P.C. and Cassie Yackley M.S., L.P.C. also have clinical experience with bicultural
families.
E. We can provide services in South County in the home or at another site if this is
not feasible if Social Services can provide a site to do such work. Services are also
available at our Greeley offices.
F. Accessibility. On weekdays, all providers of Ackerman and Associates are
accessible through our office secretary and through cell phones and pagers. After
hours we maintain a 24 hour answering service and pager system. On weekends,
this 24 hour access reaches the provider on call who is always a licensed Mental
Health provider.
G. Maximum per month. The program maximum is fourteen families per month.
6
H. The monthly average capacity is five families per month.
I. The average stay in the program is expected to be 20 hours over a five month
period. The maximum stay is 20 hours over a five month period. Scheduling would be
flexible and would attempt to maximize effective treatment in terms of achieving the
best avoidance of placement or the most efficient return from placement. Group
treatment would be used at a rate of one half of the proposed rate of this bid so each
hour of group treatment would be equivalent to one half hour of individual treatment.
Types of Services Provided
We propose to provide up to a maximum of 20 hours of short term solution focused
treatment. We would use a flexible scheduling model which would allow the therapist
clinical judgment in meeting the needs of the family and maximizing the cost
effectiveness of the treatment.
During the first two sessions, specific goals will be identified and shared with the
caseworker. Development of the Family Implementation Report would begin at the
first session and progress will be documented by the last session of the GAP
program.
For all families, the last session will be the summation and evaluation session to
review the Family Implementation Report. (For those families that terminate without
notification, the therapist will write an end of treatment summary which will serve as a
summation and therapeutic recommendations to the caseworker.) The final session
explicitly summarizes for the family what they have achieved and what they need to
continue to work on. It also creates a structured record in the same format for all
families so the program can be evaluated on how well it succeeded in helping
implement specific changes that correlate with accelerated reunification or are
associated with avoiding placement.
In terms of the criteria for the PAC process:
A Comprehensiveness: Solution focused therapy does not attempt to provide a
comprehensive assessment or diagnosis of the family in a traditional
psychotherapeutic model. It focuses the family on rapidly achievable solutions to the
problems related to either their mediation contract, their Family Service Plan or their
court ordered care plan. We would require that the referred families have their Family
Service Plans and their court ordered plans as applicable shared with the program at
the time of referral.
B. Access to other services: The purpose of short term therapy is to explicitly solve
problems and lower barriers to achievement of the care plan. If the solution to a
7
concern involves the referral to other services the caseworker will be notified at or
before the conclusion of treatment and that service can be arranged for the family if
they have not done so themselves.
C. Consultation: Because there will be eight providers of short term focused therapy
in the same group, each provider will have the opportunity to consult with other
providers in Ackerman and Associates of similar services. We will use a consultation
mechanism which preserves client anonymity. The therapy sessions will be
conducted by a single provider.
D. Conflict Resolution: This GAP process is amenable to conflict resolution
assuming conflict reduction is one of the goals that needs to be achieved by the
family. Cognitive behavioral and other techniques are used to clarify issues in dispute
which cause psychological distress. From that point strategies are developed to
resolve those issues. The creation of an outcome document (The Family
Implementation Report) documents the points of action taken in relation to improving
the family functioning in relation to the conflict (issue of child protection) that brought
them into the Social Services system. Mediated family conflict resolution techniques
established through several years of use as successful in this population are now
incorporated into this model as well.
Measurable outcomes are of two varieties. One type is termed formative outcomes
and the other type is called summative outcomes. Formative outcomes measure how
the program is proceeding while the treatment takes place. Summative outcomes are
the results of the treatment.
In terms of formative measures we have the following...
1. Did the family follow through with the referral from their caseworker?
2. Did the family attend the sessions that were scheduled?
3. Did the family need all possible hours allowed?
4. Did the family complete the FAMILY's IMPLEMENTATION REPORT portion
of the program or was it completed by the therapist?
We expect a 95% follow through for contacting us. This data will be based on a
comparison of referral documents received compared to the record of appointments
of the family. We expect 95% to attend a first session, 95% to attend a second or
further session. We expect that 90% will complete five or more sessions. We expect
80% to complete the process to the point that the therapist deems complete within the
20 session limitation..
Summative outcomes
A The child receiving services does not go into placement. At the final session (or in
8
the therapists summary) the length of time between the referral to the end of treatment
will be recorded. We expect 85% of the index children referred to avoid placement.
B. Families remain intact. Physically intact means the child remained or returned to
the parents residence as specified in the treatment plans. We expect 70% of the
families referred to remain physically intact and an additional 20% to remain
psychologically intact (placed with a relative) as a result of this model. In our
experience psychological intactness is usually accompanied by less formal care
relationships than foster care such as living with other relatives who were previously
not willing to assist.
C. Reunification of children with their families. Short term GAP therapy should be
very amenable for the reunification of families because the family will have a Family
Service Plan, a court ordered plan or a specific goal designed with the caseworker.
The nature of the therapy will keep these goals focused before the family. We would
expect reunification therapy to be more intense in terms of being done over a shorter
time frame. We would measure the length of time between initiation of short term
therapy and the reunification in these cases. We expect that 70% of the families will
be reunified by this process.
D. Improvement in parental competency and parent child conflict management are
expected to occur in all families who complete treatment. The persistence of these
changes can be measured by self report or later follow up if funded. The areas for
further measurement at a later time would be derived from the Family's
Implementation Report. Parental competency questions will be linked to the treatment
plans. Did the families achieve the behaviors needed to meet the goals of the
treatment plan during the therapy process?
E. Cost effectiveness. The program is expected to be cost effective.
The cost of this program is projected at a maximum of $1990 per family for 20
treatment hours. On an average 15 hours of treatment would cost $1492.50. Cost per
individual or family treatment hour would be $99.50. Cost for group treatment would
be $49.75 per session hour regardless of the number of family members attending.
Use of group time would not extend the twenty hour maximum as the maximum cost
is capped at $1990 per case. Of course, treatment time may prove to be shorter than
the projected 15 - 20 hour average.
Further, if any patients can use this program as an alternative to either inpatient or day
treatment programs or home based programs by using our intensive outpatient
approach, cost effectiveness increases substantially as a lower cost program is
replacing a higher priced program to achieve the same result. Also use of this
program for finishing treatment after another program rather than a full renewal to
another more expensive program would be cost effective.
9
F. Does this program produce fundamental change in family dynamics? The
process of solution focused therapy has the family define the behavioral goals for
itself early in the process. At the last session these goals will be listed and the family
will report 1) if that goal has been met and 2) if they think the change is likely to last
for more than two months from that date. Item two provides a benchmark for
evaluation of ongoing behavioral change. While the program is not focused on
fundamental change it does provide a model for successful problem solving and
learned problem solving skills interpersonal and negotiation skills are important as
tools for producing fundamental change in the family.
Service objectives
We have the following service objectives:
A Improvement of family conflict management. The goals of family conflict
management and preventing conflict which places the child imminently at risk are
expected to be one of the goals most families will need to work on during the GAP
program.
B. Improved parental competency in PAC sponsored programs seems to center on
each parent developing more age appropriate and family system appropriate
strategies to prevent situations from reoccurring that again need Social Services
intervention. In dealing with conflicts with their child especially with teenagers, the
areas of discipline, protection, instruction and supervision often need examination
and practice to attain sustainable solutions. With younger children, the therapy gives
the parents the opportunity to implement and better define the roles each parent
expects of the other. Those parental behavioral goals specified in the referral from the
caseworker to the GAP program will be the ones worked on. Thus we help achieve
goals that increase parental competency.
C. The ability of the family to access resources is a strength of the short term
therapy model. Short term therapy has one of its origins in programs designed to
assist employees which is called the employee assistance plan or EAP model. EAP
services specialize in directing people to the resources they need to solve a specific
problem, using a very focused approach. The services recommended are determined
by the explicit problems presented and what has caused those problems.
Determination of additional services needed is a standard portion of short-term
therapy. This needs to take place within the framework of the referral. It is necessary
to balance the need for immediate solutions, to protect the child, with the desire for
optimal improvement in trying to solve all current and future issues for the family.
Usually in the first session, goals are clarified. In the subsequent sessions
resources are specified that are needed to help reach those goals.
The methods used to document the service objectives will be a comparison of the
10
stated goals of the treatment plan with the summative evaluation completed in the last
session. For the project we will report on the type of goals and how well they were
achieved using this short term treatment model, the numbers of children who were
reunited or avoided placement, and the other summative criteria listed under
measurable objectives.
Workload Standards
A. The program has a capacity of 14 families per month. We anticipate an average
of five. This is approximately a average of 50 hours of face to face meetings per
month. At each meeting, one therapist is present. This represents 600 hours of
therapist time per year. The maximum is 1680 therapist hours per year.
B and C. There are eight providers/four licensed psychologists, three professional
counselors and a bilingual master's level therapist completing liscensure who will
provide these services. All have specific training in short term solution focused care
treatment. All have work experience as providers who have used this model in
treatment.
D. The modality of treatment is a short term solution focused treatment.
E. Hours/month The total number of therapist hours is 140 per month or 1680 per
year.
F. Staff There are eight individual providers supported by two administrative
professionals in the practice.
G. Supervisor This contract would be supervised by Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D.,
who would monitor the project for compliance. Providers are individually licensed and
do not require clinical supervision except for one therapist who is being supervised by
a licensed psychologist in the practice.
H Insurance All providers carry one million/three million liability, Ackerman and
Associates carries an additional one million/three million liability policy on the group
and a general liability policy which meets the required criteria for this application is on
file with the county and is provided through Farmers Insurance.
Staff Qualifications
A. and B. Staff Qualifications Seven staff members are available for the project. They
exceed the minimum qualifications specified as documented below. The staff are:
Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D., Licensed Psychologist; Susan Bromley Psy. D.,
Licensed Psychologist (and Licensed Social Worker); Emily Jaramillo, M.A., L.P.C.;
Laurence P. Kerrigan, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist; Sherri Malloy Ph.D., Licensed
11
Psychologist ; Karen Bender, M.A., L.P.C. and Nicole Wamygora, M.A., L.P.C. and
Cassie Yackley M.S., L.P.C. All of these are solution-focused, therapy providers.
C. Training The staff has extensive training in family therapy and short term therapy as
documented by their extensive work experience. Collectively, seven of the eight
providers have held licenses in their field for a collective total of more than 50 years
with a range of 1-20 plus years, and an average length of liscensure of about 10
years. Resumes are available upon request.
D. Continuing education!As a part of their work in the private sector all providers in
this group maintain continuing education programs, more than the minimum eight
hours required. They participate in workshops and other activities. This proposal's
continuing education requirements coincide with the requirements of other
contractual arrangements and are being met on an ongoing basis by members of the
group.
E. Supervision All of the eight providers are independently licensed and not required
to have clinical supervision. All the staff have advanced skills in intensive family
therapy. The contract supervisor will monitor the specifications made in this proposal.
F. Supervisor continuing education The supervisor of the project is involved in
ongoing training to keep current with her profession through advanced workshops
and seminars. Ackerman and Associates, P.C., of which the supervisor is the
president, has more than ten years contracting experience for major managed care
companies as short-term, solution focused therapy providers in Weld County. By
contract, we have provided more than 1000 short-term therapy sessions per year, for
three of the last five years. Dr. Ackerman manages all short-term, solution focused
therapy contracts for Ackerman and Associates.
Unit of service rate computation
We are requesting to stay at the rate of$99.50 per hour for the GAP program. It
provides $59.70 for the therapist and overhead expenses of $39.80 per therapist hour.
This is the proportion of therapist fees to overhead that we have set for all programs of
Ackerman and Associates. Group services will be billed at one-half this rate and will
apply to any session where one or more members of the family are in group. No
additional fee will be charged for additional family members in group or
individual/family sessions. Group is defined as a session containing clients from
different cases. An individual/family session is any session with an individual, couple,
or family unit from the same case.
The overall profit margin for Ackerman and Associates, P.C., for 1999 was 2.9 % of
gross revenues. No profit was generated in FY 2000.
12
Budget Justification/Standards of responsibility for 2000-2001 bids
These rates are reasonable and customary for providers of the licensed doctoral
level and breadth of training assembled in this proposal. Our fees, we believe, are
justified by the documented success rate we have demonstrated in the application of
short-term, solution focused therapy techniques for prevention of placement.
PAC money is tracked through a computer data base system. The system allow us to
track payments by client and by source of payment. Any payment through PAC will be
tracked in this manner. No special issues are presently related to project audit to our
knowledge and a random project audit and yearly audit for WCDSS has shown no
discrepancies. Audits will be conducted on a yearly basis.
Ackerman and Associates, P.C. is a type S professional corporation and not a 501.c.3.
Modifications originally made to meet the bid requirements for 2000-2001 have been
continued as follows:
Standard of responsibility III D: The RFP reflects the precise number of sessions
needed to be effective, the number of sessions per week and the cost of each
session. For this program, these are fifteen to twenty individual/family sessions , one
session per week on average, and the cost of each session is $99.50 per individual
or family hour. Group sessions can be substituted for individual family sessions at
$49.75 per group hour. Two group hours is the equivalent of one individual/family
hour.
Standard of responsibility III E : The RFP must eliminate renewals or reduce the cost
of the renewal, should it need to be reinstated. The mechanism to reduce renewals is
that renewals will not be accepted except for specific short-term goal therapy. The
goal of this program is for less than one in ten families to need a renewal. A renewal
will have a maximum of ten hours of treatment provided. This will be done over an
additional five month period, once every other week, as a step down protocol. The only
reason for acceptance of a renewal is if the client did not completely meet the criteria
to return the child safely to the home. It is likely that a few additional hours of short-
term, solution focused treatment, will significantly increase the protection of the child.
Standard of responsibility III F: The RFP has a process for renewals sixty days ahead
of the program termination. This is the ten hour administrative review. If the client is
not making progress, transition to another program may be initiated at this time.
Standard of responsibility III G: The RFP reflects a maximum number of hours in three
stages of the program. We anticipate the average use of the program to be
approximately equal in the first year in each of these three areas on a family by family
basis. The first eight hours of therapy will occur in the first third of the time for that
family, the second six hours will occur in the second third of the treatment, and the last
13
six hours will occur in the last third of treatment. No family will complete treatment of
twenty hours in less than three months and no family will take longer than six months.
Families that need less than twenty hours of treatment will need less time
proportionately.
As this is a new rule and its implications are unclear at this time, we request a direct
meeting with Social Services, in a timely manner. If there is any concern in relation to
this standard of responsibility in the next fiscal year, we can remedy any potential
concerns if they arise.
Standard of responsibility Ill H: The RFP requirement for a letter regarding carry over
into the 2000 -2001 project period is acknowledged. No clients are anticipated for
carry over status at this time.
Standard of responsibility I is acknowledged. For the GAP program, the case
management plan will be developed with the family at their first meeting. A monthly
report will be provided. A final narrative will be provided, and all other aspects of the
bid process adhered to.
14
— Agent Policy Number
Ty of
, The,named insured is an individual unless otherwise stated: ❑ Partnershi ® Corp. Business OFFICE
❑ Joint Venture LJ Organization(Other than Partnership or Joint Venture)
2. Policy Period from 07/01/00 not prior to time applied for)
to 07/01/01 12:01 a.m.Standard Time.
If this policy replaces other coverages that end at noon standard time on the same day this policy begins, this policy will not take effect until the other
coverage ends. This policy will continue for successive policy periods as follows: If we elect to continue this insurance, we will renew this policy if
you pay the required renewal premium for each successive policy period subject to our premiums, rules and forms then in effect.
3. Insured location same as mailing address unless otherwise stated: 1750 25TH AVE SUITE 101
GREELEY CO 80631
4. Mortgage Holders
Loan#
Loan#
5. Premium$ 507.00 ❑ "X"if Mortgage Holder Pays
6. Policy Forms and Endorsements attached at inception: 25-2880 E4103-ED2 565310-ED2 S0700-ED3
E6036-ED1 E4168-ED1 E4004-ED1 E4216-ED1 E3026-ED1
7. We provide insurance only for those coverages indicated by a specific limit or by an Ea
COVERAGES LIMITS OF INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE
A-Building $ $250 applies unless other
SECTION 1 B-Business Personal Property $ 52,000 o tlon Indicated IA(an®
M10003500 US
C-Loss of Income(Not exceeding 12 consecutive months) ACTUAL LOSS SUSTAINED NONE
Property OPTIONAL COVERAGES
and Swimming Pool/Fences and Walkways $ Above deduc-$
Loss of IC Building Glass(Blanket) REPLACEMENT COST table applies $ 100
Income T Outdoor Sign Coverage $ 100 unless other $
Valuable Papers(In addition to$1000 Included.) $ option Inch- 3
cated.
9 Earthquake Damage See Coverages %
A,B,&C of the applicable ins. limit.
SECTION II D-Business Liability-Including Products and Completed LIMITS OF LIABILITY— --.
Operations. (Annual aggregate applies for all occurrences (Annual Aggregate)
during the policy period.) $ 1 ,000,000
Liability E-Fire Legal Liability$75,000 included unless other option Indicated by an
and 0$100,000❑$150,000 each occurrence(Subject to the annual aggreagate shown for Coy. 0)
Medicals F-Medical Payments to Others(Subject to the annual aggregate $5,000 each person
shown for Coverage 0.)
Limit of Liability
(Annual Aggregate)
❑Professional liability(see attached endorsement) $
®I-V COVERED DEDUCTIBLE
SECTION III Agreement I-Employee Dishonesty $5,000 NONE
Agreement II-Broad Form Money and Securities-Inside $1,000 $250
Agreement III-Broad Form Money and Securities-Outside $1,000 $250
Crime Agreement IV-Medical Payments $500 each person NONE
Agreement V-Forgery or Alterations $2,500 NONE
56-5308 2.92 END EDITION Countersigned r AFL I V.-X ,l/D � J
Authorized Represents ive
Attach to your policy with the same number shown on this endorsement. E4 1 03
•
2nd Edition
Named insured• DR JOYCE SHOHET ACKERMAN PC Agent Policy Number
Address• 1750 25TH AVE SUITE 101
GREELEY CO 80631 07-04-362 04576-38-07
• of the Company
designated in the
Insured Declarations
Location
(Same as above unless otherwise stated here)
Effective Date 07/31/96 Limit of Liability$ 1,000,000 each occurrence
$ 1,000,000 Annual Aggregate
ADDITIONAL INSURED ENDORSEMENT
(SPECIAL SENTINEL)
In consideration of the premium we agree with you to the following:
1. The insurance provided by this policy for bodily injury liability and property damage liability under Coverage
D—Business Liability insurance will also apply to the additional insured named below, but only with respect
to an occurrence arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of that part of the insured location
occupied by you.
2. This insurance does not apply to:
(a) Any occurrence which takes place after you cease to occupy the Insured location.
(b) Any structural alterations, new construction or demolition operations performed by or for any additional
insured named below.
3. The additional insured will not be construed or deemed to be a subscriber to the Company issuing this policy.
4. The additional insured will not be or become liable for any premium payments due upon this policy.
5. If this policy is terminated for any reason we will give 30 (THIRTY) days notice
in writing to the additional insured named below.
•
This endorsement is part of your policy. It supersedes and controls anything to the contrary. It is otherwise
subject to all other terms of the policy.
STATE OF COLORADO
Additional
AdC/0 WELD COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES DEPT
Insured
ATTN: JUDY GRIEGO
PO BOX A
• GREELEY CO 80632
Countersigned
Authorized Representative
FARMERS
0-, ,111III,L,1I�
4NUIIV -.
914103 2ND EDITION 6.95 1501 K.95 1501 = -�=T
•
MEMORANDUM OF INSURANCE Date Issued
05/24/2000
Insured This memorandum is issued as a
ACKERMAN AND ASSOCIATES PC matter of information only and confers
1750 25TH AVENUE no rights upon the holder. This
GREELEY Co 80631 memorandum does not amend, extend
or alter the coverages afforded by the
Certificate listed below.
Company Affording Coverage
Producer
Chicago Insurance Company
Kirke Van Orsdel
1776 West Lakes Parkway
West Des Moines, Iowa 50398 Covered Person (Status) Owner
x
Employee
JOYCE SHOHET ACKERMAN
This is to certify that the Certificate listed below has been issued to the insured named herein for the policy
period indicated, notwithstanding any requirement, term or condition of any contract or other document
with respect to which this memorandum may be issued or may pertain, the insurance afforded by the
Certificate described herein is subject to all the terms, exclusions and conditions of such Certificate. The
limits shown may have been reduced by paid claims.
Certificate
Type of Insurance Number Effective Date Expiration Date Limits
Professional Liability each incident S1,000,000
Claims-Made 45P-2032570 05/01/2000 05/01/2001 annual aggregate $3,000,000
Covered Person's Retroactive Date: 05/01/1992
Should the above described certificate be canceled Memorandum Holder
before the expiration date thereof, the issuing
company will endeavor to mail written notice to the
named Memorandum Holder, but failure to mail such GADRIAN
notice shall impose no obligation or liabilty of any PO BOX 172687
kind upon the company, its agents or representatives. DENVER CO 80217
Authorized Representative:
e eCtittrsa
6LR
•• Issue Date: 12/01/00
�` The Reciprocal PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY OCCURRENCE
��� Alliance INSURANCE POLICY FOR
Risk Retention Group PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS AND HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS
ACA Insurance Trust,Inc.
5999 Stevenson Avenue ACA UTsq �a
Policy Number: CL10073401 Administered by: Alexandria,VA 223043300
Tell Free:11004347.8647 x284 ...
ITEM DECLARATIONS INDIVIDUAL POLICY
1 NAMED INSURED: Norma Karen Bender
2. ADDRESS:
1104 Twin Peaks Circle
Longmont, CO 80503-2170
3. POLICY PERIOD: From: 02/04/01 To: 02/04/02
12:01 A.M. Standard Time at Location of Designated Premises
4 The insurance afforded is only with respect to such of the following types of insurance as indicated by specific premium charge or charges:
COVERAGE PREMIUM
A. PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY S 370 . 00
B. GENERAL LIABILITY S 0 . 00
TOTAL PREMIUM: S 370 . 00
5. LIMITS OF LIABILITY: $1 , 000 , 000 each Incident or each Occurrence $3 , 000 , 000 in the Aggregate
6. THE NAMED INSURED IS: Sole Proprietor(incl. Individual) Partnership
Corporation X Other(refer to Item 7 below)
7. BUSINESS OF THE NAMED INSURED: Self-Employed
(Rating Category) Counselor/Human Development Professional
8. This policy is made and accepted subject to the printed conditions of this policy together with the provisions,stipulations and
agreements contained in the following forms) or endorsement(s): CPL•0004.0199 CPL•0005-0199 CPL.0006-0199
NOTICE
THIS POLICY IS ISSUED BY YOUR RISK RETENTION GROUP. YOUR RISK RETENTION GROUP MAY NOT BE SUBJECT TO ALL OF THE
INSURANCE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF YOUR STATE. STATE INSURANCE INSOLVENCY GUARANTY FUNDS ARE NOT AVAILABLE
FOR YOUR RISK RETENTION GROUP.
CPL•0005•0199-00
Branch B/A Producer# Issue Date Renewal/Replacement No.
32 A 0002360 03/08/2001
RENEWAL
PSYCHOLOGISTS PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY
CLAIMS-MADE INSURANCE POLICY
PURCHASING GROUP POLICY NUMBER: 452-0002000
NOTICE: THIS IS A CLAIMS-MADE POLICY, PLEASE READ THE POLICY CAREFULLY.
'e_:r. DECLARATIONS CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 45P- 2050203
NAMED INSURED: SUSAN PLOCK BROMLEY PSYD
ADDRESS 1621 13TH AVENUE
N umber & Street, Town, GREELEY CO 80631
Count , State & Zip No.)
POLICY PERIOD: From 04/01/2001 To 04/01/2002
(12:01 A.M. Standard Time At Location Of Designated Premises)
COVERAGE: LIMITS OF LIABILITY
Professional Liability $1 ,000,000 PRL=\71C\i
$3,000,000 S802 . u6
each Incident Aggregate
BUSINESS OF THE INSURED: v gy
Ps cholo
THE NAMED INSURED IS:
( X ) Sole Proprietor (including Independent Contractors
) ( ) Partnership ( ) Corporation
This policy shall only apply to incidents which happen on or after: a) the policy effective
date shown on the eclarations; or b) the effective date of the earliet clais- ade policy
cnueddsby thent Company to which this policy is a renewal; or c) the date specified in any
emhereto.
04/05/1996
This policy is made and accepted subject to the printed conditions of this policy together v, tin
the provisions, stipulations and agreements contained in the following form(s) or enclorsemcet,.;
P' - 2008 ( 10/94 ) POE -8004 ( 5/88 ) PLE-2167 ( 07/00 ) PLE - 208 :
P0N - 2003 PLE -8035 ( 09/97 )
CHICAGO INSURANCE COMPANY
55 E. MONROE STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60603
REPRESENTATIVE: Agent or Broker: Kirke Van Orsdel
Office Address: 1776 West Lakes Parkway
Town and State: West Des Moines, IA. 50398
Toll-free Number: 1-800-852-9987• dVNi.
PLP-2u!2 (06/93) (Elec.)
PRIOR ACTS EXTENSION ENDORSEMENT
THIS ENDORSEMENT CHANGES THE POLICY. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.
In consideration of the premium charged for this policy, sub-paragraph B of Section I,
COVERAGE, is deleted in its entirety and replaced by:
B. At any time prior to the policy effective date shown on the Declarations if
(1) Such act or omission happens on or subsequent to the "prior acts
date" listed below; and
(2) No Insured knew or could have reasonably foreseen that such act or
omission might be expected to be the basis of a Claim or suit on the
effective date of this policy or the first claims-made policy issued by
the Company to which this policy is a renewal, whichever is earlier
Prior Acts Date: 04/05/ 1996
ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE POLICY REMAIN UNCHANGED.
= cre , ,m for this endorsement is included in the premium shown on Additional Premium $
- xc.a'anions unless a specific amount is shown here.
Return Premium $
E'.D0RSEMENT NO.: Effective:
04/01 /2001
a:racne_ tot and forms part of your evidence of insurance no.: 45P-2050203
Issued by: the Company named in the Declarations
Executive Offices: 55 E. Monroe Street
Chicago, Illinois 60603
SUSAN PLOCK BROMLEY PSYD
1L_ e ss,ec. Authorized Representative:
- - 2001 eOtiter.
--- --- :5 :_ `Eu 'r0r93) (Eiec)
MEMORANDUM OF INSURANCE Date Issued
11/07/2000
Memorandum Holder This memorandum is issued as a matter
of information only and confers no
ACKERMAN & ASSOCIATES ATTN DONNA rights upon the holder . This
SUITE 101 memorandum does not amend, extend
1750 25 AVENUE or alter the coverages afforded by the
GREELEY CO 80634
Certificate listed below.
Producer Company Affording Coverage
Chicago Insurance Company
Seabury & Smith
1776 West Lakes Parkway Covered Person (Status) Owner
West Des Moines, Iowa 50398 EMILY L JARAMILL0-BANSBERG MA
Employee
This is to certify that the Certificate listed below has been issued to the insured named herein for the policy
period indicated, notwithstanding any requirement, term or condition of any contract or other document with
respect to which this memorandum may be issued or may pertain, the insurance afforded by the Certificate
described herein is subject to all the terms, exclusions and conditions of such Certificate. The limits shown
may have been reduced by paid claims.
Certificate
Type of Insurance Number Effective Date Expiration Date Limits
Professional Liability each incident 1 ,000,000
or occurrence
Occurrence 8011-4003488 11/01/2000 11/01/2001 3,000,000
in the aggregate
General Liability each incident
or occurrence
Occurrence
in the aggregate
Snould the above described Certificate be canceled Insured
before the expiration date thereof, the issuing
company will endeavor to mail written notice to the
named Memorandum Holder, but failure to mail such EMILY L JARAMILLO-BANSBERG MA
notice shall impose no obligation or liabilty of any 183 50 AVENUE PLACE
kind upon the company, its agents or representatives. GREELEY CO 80634
Authorized Representative:
. 4.. e Airer►-,
u l\L.J1\ •JL LLLALal _.V
11/14/00 - A PSYCHOLOGISTS PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY POLICY
THIS IS A CLAIMS MADE POLICY-PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
*** RENEWAL ***
NOTICE. A LOWER LIMIT OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO JUDGEMENTS OR SETTLEMENTS WHEN THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS
OF SEXUAL. MISCONDUCT(SEE THE SPECIAL PROVISION "SEXUAL MISCONDUCT" IN THE POLICY). •
DECLARATIONS
POLICY NO. 801-0005006 ACCOUNT NO: CO-KERL175-0 0099745?
ITEM I. (a) NAME AND ADDRESS OF INSURED: ITEM I. (b)ADDITIONAL NAMED INSUREDS:
•
LAURENCE P . KERRIGAN,
PH . D.
1750 25TH AVE .
SUITE #101
GREELEY, CO 80631
TYPE OF ORG: INDIVIDUAL
ITEM 2 ADDITIONAL INSUREDS: ----
ITEM }. POLICY PERIOD: FROM: 12/01/00 TO: 12/01/01
12:01A.M. STANDARD TIME AT THE ADDRESS OF THE INSURED AS STATEL) Hc.b.L,�.
ITEM 1 LIMITS OF LIABILITY: (a)S 1 , 000, 000 EACH WRONGFUL ACT OR SERIES OFCO\TI\'L(;1 R?P I •
.
OR INTERRELATED WRONGFUL ACTS OR OC'CI I( T I
(b)S 5, 000 DEFENSE REIMBURSEMENT
(c)$ 3 , 000 , 000 AGGREGATE
1 5. PREMIUM SCHEDULE:
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER RATE ANNUAL PRPCIII
1ST PSYCHOLOGIST 1 1254 . 00 1 , 25 , C.,:
DEFENSE LIMIT
SURPLUS LINES TAX 1 37
. 02
INSPECTION FEE 1 2 . 51
ITEM 6 RETROACTIVE DATE: 12/01/91 TOTAL PREMIUM: 1 , 294 . 13
ITEM _. EXTENDED REPORTING PERIOD ----- ----
ADDITIONAL PREMIUM(if exercised):$ 2 , 265 . 24
ITE\1 S. POLICY FORMS AND ENDORSEMENTS ATTACHED TO THIS POLICY
222138 (7/95 ED. ) B22137
THIS IS NOT A BILL. PREMIUM HAS BEEN PAID. S
.4 UT RIZED COMPANY RI PRI I \ !
\PA221 ID 95) Amer,e Proles-annul ���na� )i l5rn, l •.,
Branch B/A Producer# Issue Date Renewal/Replacement No.
42 A 0002360 02/29/2000 RENEWAL
PSYCHOLOGISTS PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY
CLAIMS-MADE INSURANCE POLICY
PURCHASING GROUP POLICY NUMBER: 452-0002000
NOTICE: THIS IS A CLAIMS-MADE POLICY, PLEASE READ THE POLICY CAREFULLY.
Item DECLARATIONS CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 45P- 2055185
1. NAMED INSURED: SHERRI MALLOY PHD
ADDRESS 24 ALLES DRIVE
(Number & Street, Town, GREELEY CO 80631 ti
County, State & Zip No.)
2. POLICY PERIOD: From 04/01/2000 To 04/01/2001
(12:01 A.M. Standard Time At Location Of Designated Premises)
3. COVERAGE: LIMITS OF LIABILITY PREMIUM
Professional Liability $1 ,000,000 $3,000,000 $598.00
each Incident Aggregate
4. BUSINESS OF THE INSURED: Psychology
5. THE NAMED INSURED IS:
( X Sole Proprietor (including Independent Contractors) ( ) Partnership ( ) Corporation
( ) OTHER:
6. This policy shall only apply to incidents which happen on or after: a) the policy effective
date shown on the Declarations; or b) the effective date of the earliest claims-made policy
issued by the Company to which this policy is a renewal; or c) the date specified in any
endorsement hereto. 04/01/1998
7. This policy is made and accepted subject to the printed conditions of this policy together with
the provisions, stipulations and agreements contained in the following form(s) or endorsement(s):
PLJ-2008 ( 10/94 ) POE-8004 PLE-2167 PLE-2081
P0N-2003 PLE-8035 ( 09/97 )
CHICAGO INSURANCE COMPANY
55 E. MONROE STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60603
REPRESENTATIVE: Agent or Broker: Kirke Van Orsdel
Office Address: 1776 West Lakes Parkway
Town and State: West Des Moines, IA. 50398
Toll-free Number: 1-800-852-9987
INTERSTATE
INSURANCE •
GROUP
PLP-2012 (06/93) (Elec.)
"PLP.8003(7/94)(Ed. LASER)
EVEREST NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY
MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER'S
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY POLICY
DECLARATIONS
Renewal of No. 2200009922.991
NOTICE: A SUB-LIMIT OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO "CLAIMS" ARISING OUT OF
"SEXUAL MISCONDUCT".
POLICY NO, 2200009822-001
ITEM 1: NAME AND ADDRESS OF INSURED: SEND ALL INQUIRIES TO:
Nicole R Warnygora ROCKPORT INSURANCE ASSOCIATES
1800 Angelo Court PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR
Fort Collins, CO 80528 P O BOX 1809
ROCKPORT, TX 78381•'809
1-800.423.5344
ITEM 2: ADDITIONAL INSUREDS: NONE
ITEM 3: DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS: MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER(SI
ITEM 4: POLICY PERIOD: FROM 05/20/2000 TO 05/20/2001
12.0' am STANDARD TIME AT THE ADDRESS OF tHE 'NSORED AS STATED HEREIN
ITEM 5: LIMITS OF LIABILITY: $ 1,000,000 EACH WRONGFUL ACT OR EACH OCCURRENCE SU3JEC I -0 o
•
525,300 SUB-LIM.T OF LIABIL:TY FOR ALL 'WHORG‘UL ACTS"
INVOLVING "SEXUAL MISCONCUC
•
•
$ 3,000.000 AGGMEGATE
ITEM 6: PREMIUM SCHEDULE:
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER BAIL ANNUAL PREIKI1 Miff
CATEGORY M2 1 293.00
$ 263.00
TOTAL PREMIUM $ 263.00
ITEM 7 POLICY FORMS AND ENDORSEMENTS ATTACHED TO THIS POLICY:
190.00 0195, 189.00 0195, EEO 25 501 12 98, 193.00 0195
April 28, 2000
AUTHORIZED COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE
189.00 0195 0 Everest National Insurance Company, 1996
Issue Date: 09/08/00
<C� The Reciprocal PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY OCCURRENCE
Alliance INSURANCE POLICY FOR
Risk Retention Group PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS AND HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS
ACA Insurance Trust,Inc.
5999 Stevenson Avenue aC ii"ukUcL
TRUST
Number: CL124 94600 Administered by: Alexandria,VA 22304.3300 TRUST
Tot Free:1100147-6647 x284
ITEM DECLARATIONS INDIVIDUAL POLICY
NAMED INSURED: Cathleen Yackley
ADDRESS:
1020 Wabash Street #6-203
Fort Collins , CO 80526 -0000
POLICY PERIOD: From: 09/05/00 To: 09/05/01
12:01 A.M. Standard Time at Location of Designated Premises
g. The insurance afforded is only with respect to such of the following types of insurance as indicated by specific premium charge or charges:
COVERAGE PREMIUM
A. PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY $ 395 . 00
B. GENERAL LIABILITY $ 0 . 00
TOTAL PREMIUM: S 395 . 00
c LIMITS OF LIABILITY: $1 , 000 , 000 each Incident or each Occurrence $3 , 000 , 000 in the Aggregate
5 THE NAMED INSURED IS: Sole Proprietor(incl. Individual) Partnership
Corporation X Other (refer to Item 7 below)
7. BUSINESS OF THE NAMED INSURED: Self-Employed
(Rating Category) Counselor/Human Development Professional
E. This policy is made and accepted subject to the printed conditions of this policy together with the provisions,stipulations and
agreements contained in the following form(s)or endorsement(s): CPL 0004-0199 CPL.0005.0199 CPL 0006.0199
NOTICE
THIS POLICY IS ISSUED BY YOUR RISK RETENTION GROUP. YOUR RISK RETENTION GROUP MAY NOT BE SUBJECT TO ALL OF THE
INSURANCE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF YOUR STATE. STATE INSURANCE INSOLVENCY GUARANTY FUNDS ARE NOT AVAILABLE
FOR YOUR RISK RETENTION GROUP.
CPL0005019900
AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
MADISON,WISCONSIN 53783.0001
COLORADO MOTOR VEHICLE
PROOF OF INSURANCE CARD
Policy No: 0869-0235-01-84-FPPA-CO
Eft Date: 11-3-2000 Exp Date: 5-3-2001
1999 PONT GAS VIN: 1G2NE52E3XM811960
Covereeee: BI-PD UM UIM COMP COLL PIP ERS
JARAMILLO, EMILY
183 50TH AVENUE PL
GREELEY CO 80634-4718
Agent: CHRISTINA GALINDO
Agent Phone: (970) 346-9356
COLORADO
INSURANCE CARD
INSURED KERRIGAN,LARRY P MUTL
D28-06B
POLICY NUMBER 2000882• VOLVT
YR 1988 MAKE HONDA EFFECTIVE
MODEL ACCORD OCT 28 20001 282001
VIN JHMCA5529JC7 ?334
AGENT RICK WALLACE
PHONE (970)356-82376.8237
1679.625
A BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY
P1 NO•FAULT
D COMPREIIENSIVE
O 100 DEDUCT COLLISION
H,U
SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE INFORMATION
O COLORADO
INSURANCE CARD
INSURED BROMLEY,JOHN MUTL
VOL
POLICY NUMBER 653 7520•F07:06C EFFECTIVE
YR 1984 MAKE VOLVO DEC 072000 TO JUN 072001
MODEL 240 VIN YV1AX$855E1583112
AGENT MARK LARSON
PHONE (870)356.8700
THE COVERAGE PROVIDED BY THE POLICY MEETS THE
MINIMUM LIABILITY UNITS PRESCRIBED BY LAW.
A BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY
P3 NO FAULT•PPO(SLOAN'S LAKE)
D 50 DEDUCT COMPREHENSIVE
G 100 DEDUCT COLLISION
H,R1,U
SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE INFORMATION
` USAA CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY
SI (A Stock Insurance Company) State 06 07 Veh POLICY NUMBER II
$AA® 9800 Fredericksburg Road San Antonio, Texas 78288 CO D29�29 h, 00211 02 59C 7103 5
COLORADO AUTO POLICY PO
LICY PERIOD: 112:01 •
,
( A.M. standard time)
RENEWAL DECLARATIONS EFFECTIVE OCT 17 1999 TO APR 17 2000
(ATTACH TO PREVIOUS POLICY ) OPERATORS
famed Insured and Address 01 SHERRI R MALLOY-GONZALEZ
07 DAVID M GONZALEZ
SHERRI R MALLOY-GONZALEZ
24 ALLES DR
GREELEY CO 80631 -6829
lescription of Vehicle Is)
Ore VEH USE • WORK/SCHOOL
ANNUAL Miles Deys
EN YEAR TRADE NAME MODEL BODY TYPE MILEAGE IOENTIF ICATION NUMBER SYMoily Week
)6 94 HONDA CIVIC LX SED 4D 10000 1HGEG8666RL030869 11 W 02 3
)7 99 TOYOTA SIENA LE/XLE WAG 4X2 5D 10000 4T3ZF13C9XU091812 15 P
P9OOHEEm/14"
Insurance IdentificationCard- COLORADO
California Casualty Name of Insurer:
a:xRN;A CASUALTY INDe try EXCHANGE PROGRESSIVE SPECIALTY INSURANCE COMPANY
PC. BOX 39701 P.O. BOX 31557
CCIDRALc SPRINGS CO 80949-9700 TAMPA, FL 33631-3557
COLCRAX
Name of Insured:v:DENcsxcs DP MOTOR VEHICLE LIABILITY INSURANCE
Effective Date:
E
ALAN H ACKERMAN 01/08/01
INSURED. 1800 AORp TODD & NICOLE
1800 ANGELA cT Listed Drivers:FORT COLLINS CO 80528 JOYCE S ACKERMAN
Expiration Date:
01/08/02
RACHEL ACKERMAN
EFFECTIVE DATE EXPIRATION DATE POLICY NUMBER
08/09/00 08/09/01 1022312594 -
•
YEAR MAKEI*AODEL VIN Pokey Number: AA 70109900-0
99 TOYOTA TACOMA XCB 4TAWN72N9XZ569122
CLAIMS 800-800-9410 SERVICE 800-800-9410 Year Make/Model Vehicle Identification Number
uo,ux aqo, 1992 HONDA 1HGCB7B77NA196218
a COLORADO NEW HAMPSHIRE
INSURANCE CA RDNBDRED YAGKLSike INSURANCE CARD
INSURED BENDER,BRICE J 8 N KAREN ,CATHLEEN& MUTL
MUTL POLICY NUMBER EMA80DO U0 VOL
POLICY NUMBER C054252•D74.08C VOL F11.29A EFFECTIVE
YR 2000 MAKE TOYOTA EFFECTIVE YR 1996 MAKE HONDA • DEC 112000 TO JUN1';2091
MODEL AVALON OCT 142000 TO APR 142001 MODEL CIVIC VIN 1 HGEJ8140TL022250
VIN 4T1BF28BeYU048576 AGENT RICH YACYSITYN
AGENT JEFF PFEIFFER PHONE (603)2243298 2018476
PHONE (303)6510111
MITIE COVERAGE NIMUM LIABILITY LIMITSD BY PRESCIE RIBEDICY MMEIETS THE
AB BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY
A BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE LiAaturV C MEDICAL PAYMENTS P1 NO•FAULT D 50 DEDUCT COMPREHENSIVE
D 500 DEDUCT COMPREHENSIVE 0 250 DEDUCT COLLISION
H,R1 SEE?REVERSE SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE INFORMATION
G 500 DEDUCT COLLISION •
R7,U
SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE INFORMATION
Supplemental Narrative to RFP:
Exhibit B
Recommendation(s)
RFP: 01008-Combined Mediated Family Conflict Resolution &
Goal Achievement Program (G.A.P.)
Ackerman & Associates
Ackerman and Associates, P.C.
1750 25th Avenue, Suite 101
Greeley, Colorado 80634
(970)353-3373
fax(970)353-3374
May 21, 2001
Frank Aaron
Weld County Department of Social Services
315 N. 11th Avenue
Greeley, Colorado 80631
Dear Frank:
This letter is our written response as required by your letter dated May 11, 2001.
FYC Recommendations:
1. RFP 01-060 Foster Parents Consultation
Acceptable
2. RFP 00008 # 1 FGDM
Most of these recommendations are not recommendations to us that we can act on; rather
they are WCDSS policy statements.
1. Concerning not ordering FGDM for every EPP case. It is our understanding the
FGDM was intended to help meet ASFA guidelines. We would like to know
what other mechanism is being used to involve the extended family in these
decisions.
2. No referrals will be made to Family Group Decision Making when a family
member has been identified. Again, this is a new policy statement by WCDSS.
The spirit of ASFA, as we have experienced it across the country, is to increase
extended family input and responsibility in the process of selecting the "best"
family member or non-family member for placement. How does the
identification of a family member by the department meet this criteria?
3. The focus of this service must be on tenable solutions for the children. A tenable
andpermanent plan will be developed to assure success for the children.
The purpose of FGDM is to have the family develop and propose a tenable solution.
It is the responsibility of the caseworker to define tenable prior to the meeting. It has
been the caseworker's responsibility to inform the contractor, what parameters are or
are not acceptable prior to the actual meeting. All caseworkers have done so. One
caseworker has revised her statement of what is acceptable after the meeting took
place. This created confusion and is not representative of the process. We do not
accept the implication that this statement reflects a common problem with the
process. We do accept this as a principle and it has always been our principle in how
we do FGDM with WCDSS.
4. Concerning bilingual availability. Agreed. We have already made arrangements
for a translator to be available, as needed. The historical context of why this
statement appears to have arisen relates to a single complicated case (already
referenced above) and is not representative of the activities of Ackerman and
Associates.
5, RFP 01008 GAP
Agreed. This is not different that what we proposed.
5. RFP 01010, Option B
A. Recommendation: this is consistent with our proposal intent.
B. Condition: The first three sentences assume we are working with
a 60-hour model. The fourth sentence contradicts this. We
request a meeting to clarify these conditions. It is difficult to
plan family therapy in these complex families without knowing
how much time will be available on a program basis. The
proposal requires an effective change in the family environment,
not treatment of symptoms.
C. Comment: We cannot assure additional staff availability,unless
we have consistent, ongoing relationships that provide stability
for such expansion and planning. We will attempt to obtain
additional bilingual services for the benefit of WCDSS and the
county.
6. RFP 00007, Sex Abuse Treatment.
We agree to utilize less than 15 hours in the assessment. Most cases have taken and
will continue to take less than 12 hours for this portion. As needed, for complicated
cases, (of which we had several), we need enough clinical time to appropriately
assess the case. We would like a mechanism to receive supervisor approval if an
extra hour or two is needed for complicated cases.
SUMMARY: Ackerman and Associates very much appreciates and enjoys the
opportunity to be a vendor for WCDSS and provide much needed quality services to
your clients. However, we wish to express our concern that the tone of this letter is
inappropriately negative. It is not, and has never been our intent to provide any
amount of service beyond the amount approved and/or the amount clinically
necessary. We are dealing with some severely dysfunctional families with high risks
of suicide, homicide, and sexual and physical abuse. Vendors, DSS and the county
need to support and work together to protect these children, families and the county.
The department, in order to have appropriate cost containment, has adopted an"HMO
type model" of oversight of the therapy process. While we agree with the need for
cost containment(i.e. we have asked for no increase in this year's budget over last
years), the county must have a mechanism to insure that the termination of the
therapeutic process and/or the regulation of the therapeutic process to achieve cost
containment does not put children or families at increased risk.
Respectfully,
\_13.1/4CS�m 1��Q
Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D.
Hello