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Home My WebLink About20011395.tiff RESOLUTION RE: APPROVE NOTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AWARD FOR INTENSIVE FAMILY THERAPY FAMILY GROUP DECISION MAKING 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 Family Group Decision Making 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 Family Group Decision Making 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 ATTEST: , `�� E L a Dc%t/ 77 . J eile, CF19ir Weld County Clerk to ttefil. � / � �� lenn Vaa em BY: Deputy Clerk to the Boa ( ' N \ ' 'iv „4-'-- er �'�►� Willia . Jerke APP D AS ORM: .)/ 0,,,/, 5 (":)., `/ ThLvmy tier eyM '1' 41,--- Robert D. Masden 2001-1395 yOC c53 SS0028 111. 4 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES PO BOX A ' GREELEY,CO 90632 WEBSITE:www.co.weld.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 LL ' FR: Judy Griego, Director a 6 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 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-CORE 19000 Revision (RFP-FYC-01008) Contract Award Period Name and Address of Contractor Beginning 06/01/2001 and Ackerman and Associates P.C. Ending 05/31/2007 Intensive Family Therapy Family Group Decision Making 1750 25th Avenue, Suite 101 Greeley, CO 80631 Computation of Awards Description Unit of Service The issuance of the Notification of Financial Assistance Award is based upon your Request for Proposal(RFP) The Family Group Decision Making model and the Addendum RFP information. The RFP involves extensive planning with the nuclear specifies the scope of services and conditions of award. family of the index child, coordination with all Except where it is in conflict with this NOFAA in the professionals involved in the case, and which case the NOFAA governs,the RFP upon which consultation with individual members of the this award is based is an integral part of the action. extended family followed by a mediation style meeting with the professionals and extended Special conditions family. The program has a capacity of 4 families 1) Reimbursement for the Unit of Services will be based per month, (48 per year). on a designated per family group conference. 2) The designated rate will be paid for only direct face to Cost Per Unit of Service face contact with the child and/or family, as evidenced by client-signed verification form, as specified in the Rate Per Family Group $2.000.00 unit of cost computation. Based on Average Capacity. 3) Unit of service costs cannot exceed the designated rate and yearly cost per child and/or family. Enclosures: 4) Payment will only be remitted on cases open with, and referrals made by the Weld County Department of X Signed RFP:Exhibit A Social Services. _X_Supplemental Narrative to RFP: Exhibit B 5) Requests for payment must be an original submitted to _L Recommendation(s) the Weld County Department of Social Services by the Conditions of Approval end of 25th calendar day following the end of the month of service. The provider must submit requests for payment on forms approved by Weld County Department of Social Services. Approvals: Program Official: By By tat/ Judy Griei4,Direc r M. J. G ile, Chair Weld ounty Department of Social Services Board of Weld County Commissioners Date: 5J/23/0 Date: J5- 3O --2Oo) - &a9/-/3Rj 5 Signed RFP: Exhibit A Ackerman & Associates RFP: 01008-Family Group Decision Making 1- - INVITATION TO BID Fa-rn i ly 6raki .OQC j DATE:February 28, 2001 BID NO: RFP-FYC-01008 73t< I `C g- 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--Intensive Family Therapy 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 \oa � �+. l�Qv� . (After receipt of order) ,ST BE SIGNED IN INK Joyce Shohet Ackerman Ed.D. TYPED OR PRINTED SIGNATURE VENDOR Ackerman andAssociates P.C.(Name) fr\tcaL_ en Signature By Authorized Officer or Agent of Vender ADDRESS 1750 25th Avenue, Suite 101 TITLE President, Licemsed Psychologist Greeley, CO 80R3g DATE March 19, 2001 PHONE# 970-353-3373 The above bid is subject to Terms and Conditions as attached hereto and incorporated. Page 1 of 32 .4 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:( 970)3c3-3373 ( fay 970.-153-3374) CONTACT PERSON: Joyce Shohet Ackerman Ed.D. ITFLE:President, Licensed Psychologist DESCRIPTION OF FAMILY PRESERVATION PROGRAM CATEGORY: The Intensive Family Therapy Program must provide for therapeutic intervention through one or more qualified family therapists.typically with all fami y members. to 1nlprove family communication functioning and relationship. 12-Month approximate Project Dates: _ 12-month contract with actual rime lines of: Start June 1.2001 Start End May 31.2002 End TITLE OF PROJECT: Ackerman Family Group Decision Making Program Jnyca chnhat Arkarman, FA D. March 19, 2001 Name and Signature of Person Preparing Document Date Jo ce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D. �*{�s`� G! x ) _ March 19, 2001 N d Signature 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 i Target/Eligibility Populations ✓ / Types of services Provided V ✓ Measurable Outcomes ,✓ ✓ Service Objectives ✓ __,L Workload Standards ,/ ✓ Staff Qualifications ,/ ✓ Unit of Service Rate Computation ,/ ✓ Program Capacity per Month ✓ Certificate of Insurance Page 26 of 32 REP-FYC-01008 Attached A Date of Meeting(s)with Social Services Division Supervisor: a--4—/,/ if Comments by SSD Supervisor:: �G�(.d f 4 LM 1 ll.E" ill I V La i rii tS-Ek; zi trei r CPk l7LR �[ P ? 9 CI Okike_cl-- ,>PP IUJJ J L ii J-4 -01 Name and Signature of SSD Supervisor Date Page 27 of 32 RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A Program Category Intensive Fami y Therapy Program Bid Category Project Title Ackerman Family Grout) Decision Making 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. M. 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 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 RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A VII. 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 Hours [A] Total Clients to be Served G o Clients [B] Total Hours of Direct Service for Year f5 , D Hours [C] (Line [A] Multiplied by Line [B] Cost per Hour of Direct Services $ ! o Per Hour [D] Total Direct Service Costs $ / a_ O O O [E) (Line [C] Multiplied by Line [D] ) Administration Costs Allocable to Program $ d-4 000 [F] Overhead Costs Allocable to Program $ ! "Ci [G] 7 / Total Cost, Direct and Allocated, of Program$ 020 000 [H] Line [E] Plus Line [F] Plus Line [G] ) Anticipated Profits Contributed by this Program $ © [I] Total Costs and Profits to be Covered n ,, // by this Program(Line [H] Plus Line [I] ) $ !�1 £200 [J] Total Hours of Direct Service for Year /5 O O [K] (Must Equal Line [C] ) Rate per Hour of Direct, Face-to-Face Service to be Charged to Weld County Department of p� social Services $ 0 O. Ub [L] Page 31 of 32 RFP-FYC-01008 Attached A Day Treatment Programs Only: Direct Service House Per Client Per Month [M] Monthly Direct Service Rate $ [N] [A] This is an estimate of the total hours of direct, face-to-face service each client will receive from the time he or she enters the program until completing the program. [B] This is an estimate of the number of clients who will be served during the period from June 1, 2001, through May 31, 2002. [D] This represents the average hourly salary and benefits that your organization pays its direct service providers plus any costs which are directly attributable to the face-to-face session with the client. [F] This represents the salary and benefits of direct service, supervisory, and clerical personnel which are not incurred in providing direct, face-to-face service to the client, but can be allocated to this program for time spent on the program for activities such as travel, phone conversations, "no-shows, " discussions with involved parties, meeting preparation, and report completion. [G] This represents the Agency Overhead costs, such as Rent, Utilities, Supplies, Postage, Travel Reimbursement, Telephone Charges, Equipment, and Data Processing which are not incurred in providing direct, face-to-face service to the client, but can be allocated to this program for time spent on the program for activities such as travel, phone conversations, "no-shows, " discussions with involved parties, meeting preparation, and report completion. [H] This represents the Grand Total Costs directly attributable or allocable to this program. It should be a reasonable assumption that if you decided to discontinue this program, your agency would realize a reduction in costs approximately equal to this amount. [I] This represents the total amount of profit your firm expects to realize as a result of operating this program. Any difference between Lines [H] and [J] must be substantiated by an amount indicated on this line. [L] This is the actual direct, face-to-face hourly service rate at which you will be requesting payment for the services provided under the conditions of this Request for Proposal. [M] To be completed by prospective providers of the Day Treatment Program only, this line represents the estimated number of hours per month your organization will provide direct, face-to-face services per client. [N] To be completed by prospective providers of the Day Treatment Program services only, this line represents the actual direct, face-to-face monthly service rate at which you will be requesting payment for the services provided under the conditions of this Request for Proposal. Calculated by multiplying Line [L] by Line [M] . Page 32 of 32 Project Description 2001-2002 Family Group Decision Making Overview: Ackerman and Associates P.C. began its program of Family Group Decision Making on February 1, 1998 for families undergoing expedited permanency planning. For other families that met PAC eligibility criteria, we began offering these services on June 1, 1998. This is an application to continue these services in 2001 -2002. We will continue to use formats and procedures developed for the contract that began on February 1 , 1998. The Family Group Decision Making model involves extensive planning with the nuclear family of the index child. Following this coordination among all professionals involved in the case occurs. Consultation with individual members of the extended families is followed by a structured meeting. The meeting format has been adapted from the Scandinavian model family group meeting format and other formats. The result of the meeting with the professionals and the extended family unit nearly always produces a plan for placement of the child which can be considered by Social services and the courts for its acceptability in each specific case. Early use of the family group decision model assists in contingency planning and allows a plan to be in place if the parental rights need to be terminated due to treatment failure. Criteria for participation in the Family Group Decision Making process will uniformly be: 1. that the family has been court ordered to participate in this process. 2 at least one child of this extended family (the index child) will be placed or is already placed in foster care. The program has been very successful and highly regarded by participants, WCDSS and the 19th Judicial District, based upon its operation over the last three years and the completion of approximately seventy conferences. The purpose of the Family Group Decision Making model is to engage the family (in its broadest configuration of the extended family), and to have them determine their recommendations for the placement of the child. The plan presented by the family is intended to meet the full requirements of the child protection statutes. Evaluation and acceptance of the plan is the province of the Department of Social Services and the Courts. 1 Purpose: The purpose of the the Family Group Decision Making conference is for the family members themselves to reach agreement on 1) the permanent placement of the child and 2) what is needed to resolve the problems that have caused this placement. The model was first developed in New Zealand as an alternative to having the courts decide child placement. Our model incorporates some adaptations which originated in Scandinavia which includes professionals in the meeting, offers a somewhat more structured approach to participant interactions and provides some psychological distance from Social Services for the participants. We have also increased physical security in the meeting process itself. Many of these adjustments have come through professional contacts with other FGDM programs. Joyce Shohet Ackerman Ed.D. is currently vice president of the American Family Group Conference Association and was one of its founding members. The main idea of the Family Group Decision Making process is that the extended family unit must take responsibility for solving its own problems. The interest of the state is the protection of the child. The family likely has substantial strengths that can be utilized through this model to assist in protecting the child. The Family Group Decision Making model may limit what may be perceived by some as government sponsored intrusion into the family. We believe we are successful as the providers for the expedited permanency planning contract and the past year's non expedited Family Group Decision Making contract based on: 1)our extensive training and success in mediation (particularly in relation to conflict resolution within families), and 2) our training in the Family Group Decision Making model 3) our training in related models and 4) extensive professional training in psychology and counseling and 5) our growing network of other FGDM programs we have professional interaction with. The model recognizes the need to involve parents and extended family members in the process of protecting and recommending permanent plans for their children. Details of how this process works are provided below. Design: The family group decision making process consists of 25 hours of billable services at a rate of $80.00 per hour, the same rate as in 2000- 2001 . This produces a case rate maximum for each of $2000. In previous contracts, we had a provision for increasing the fee for very large groups, but this was so rarely used that we dropped this from the our bid. Typically the Family Group Decision Making is based upon the following patterns of work. 2 1 . Once the referral is made to Ackerman and Associates, we contact the caseworker and identify the family history in terms of both mental health and medical needs. 2. An initial meeting takes place with the "nuclear" family, usually either or both the biological mother or father At this meeting the Family Group Decision Making model is explained and the family helps to identify the extended family members who will be contacted. 3. Family members are contacted. Also professionals involved in the case such as the guardian ad litem, attorneys, caseworker, medical and psychological providers are contacted. Ideally, all who are contacted will attend the FGDM meeting. Those who cannot will be represented based on their report to the FGDM presented by the team of conference facilitators. 4. The Family Group Decision Making conference takes place as follows: A.The first hour will be to establish the process and set the ground rules for how the process will occur. Two trained facilitators will be present at this stage. One will have the role to guide the process and reports for family members who could not be present. The other will represent the professionals who have gathered the information who are not present. The professionals will only be able to attend this first part of the Family Group Decision Making. It is the responsibility of the facilitators to then assist the family in finding the outcome likely to be acceptable in terms of adequate detail and specificity to likely insure the protection of the child. The number at this conference is the total number of individuals represented in person or by proxy through the facilitators. A typical conference will have less than 25 represented. The average conference in our experience has nine adult family members and five professionals who present. The two facilitators are not counted in this total. B. After the initial period of time and a period of time that allows the facilitators to assess that there is a functional group process for this task, the facilitators will leave the room but are available in the next room. This second part of the meeting is the private Family Group Decision Making conference. It is attended only by family members and no record is kept of its discussions. The reasoning for this is it is an undeniable truth that the family process will operate differently with outsiders present than it will in private. If the family needs mediation assistance or clarification of the previously discussed viewpoints the facilitator can be called back in. In our experience, this process varies in length with 3 different families. Where there is little connection with different kinship units of the extended family, in some cases the facilitators are needed throughout the process. C. When the family reaches a group decision, the plan is presented. The facilitators respond to seek clarification and to insure sufficient detail in the plan. D. On those aspects that are not clear, the family has the opportunity to rework the plan and present once more. E. At the end of the complete process a written document containing the plan is prepared for the court and signed by those present. F .The plan is a recommendation to the court from the extended family. The plan can then be accepted, modified or rejected by the court. G. WCDSS will need to follow the case for implementation compliance for the period of time ordered by the court. H. RESULTS: Over the last three years we have completed approximately 70 family group conferences. All but one or two have produced a written plan for WCDSS and the courts to consider. The average conference meeting lasts four to five hours. The preparations for the meeting have included in almost all cases discovery of additional relatives willing to adopt one or all of the children needing placement because of the anticipated loss of parental rights in the foreseeable future. 85-90% of cases have major components of their plans adopted by social services and the courts as best we can determine. A majority have their plans adopted in full with minor changes only. A paper presented at a national conference on FGDM last year by Joyce Ackerman identified components of perceived success in relation to the structure of the Family Group conference based on this model. Family members have been included across the US and in Mexico and in several cases international considerations for child placement were involved in the conferences. Use of telephone conference calling has limited costs. Use of secure facilities such as the jail conference room has allowed participation of incarcerated parents in the process and permitted parents who would have otherwise been unable to do so the ability to participate in the decision making about foster placement or family adoption of their own children. Target/Eligibility Populations 4 A. Total number of clients to be served in this twelve month program has been calculated as follows. Four families per month times twelve months equals forty eight families per year. If we assume a nuclear family size of five, two adults and three children, then the total client pool to be served is 240 individuals. If we add to this five extended family members for each parent this adds ten to the conference and 480 to the yearly total which is now 720. If we assume there are at least five professionals associated with a case this adds an additional 240 per year for a total of 960 people. This projects a typical family group conference as consisting of 20 people plus the two facilitators. Our average family group size last year was 14. This would be a projection of about 650-700 individuals at conferences if the four families per month were attained. Depending on the ages of the children they may or may not be present. The above calculation assumes we are dealing with a "single nuclear family pattern". This assumption has often proved invalid. Most families have been divorced and are blended families, some divorced more than once. Some will involve teens or adults who had children with different partners outside of the legal relationships of marriage and involve complexities as to who should be attending. Some will involve grandparents or often other more distant relatives who desire custody. B. Distribution of clients. Total number of clients we will serve is approximately 60 index children or more as calculated above. Our experience suggests that for the nuclear family we would expect approximately 120 of these would be adult members of the family and approximately 150 would be minors. The age distribution of the children would tend toward the very young children in expedited permanency planning and to older children in PAC referrals. A family group conference in a case of alleged criminal abuse that has not been adjudicated or of ongoing spouse abuse or incestual sexual abuse that has not been admitted to, needs to be considered on a case by case basis. It is not the purpose of the Family Group Decision Making process to determine guilt or innocence of any party in an alleged criminal act. If this can be understood by all parties in the family, the Family Group Decision Making conference can occur ( and several of this type have taken place). It is the purpose of the process to protect the child. No matter what has occurred in the family as to the allegations and the outcome of any criminal adjudication, the production of the family's recommendations as to the protection of the child is the primary purpose of the Family Group Decision Making process. We have learned that our initial guarded impression of a case's potential for 5 success in a family conflict resolution situation, based on the written record, has often proved to be pessimistic. It appears that where intensive family interaction is concerned as in Family Group Decision Making conferences, that an analysis of the written record alone often undervalues surprising problem solving strengths of even very dysfunctional families. C. Families Served. We would anticipate serving sixty family units. All the Family Group Decision Making Conferences will involve extended family members who might be considered a separate family unit. For simplicity, we count the referred family and all its extended family unit as one family unit. D. Sub total who will receive bicultural/bilingual services. We have a Hispanic member of the staff (Emily Jaramillo M.A. L.P.C.) who is fluent in Spanish. One of the facilitator's (Joyce Shohet Ackerman) doctoral work was on Hispanic patient's mental health treatment patterns compared to Anglo patients in Weld County. She also has four years of direct cross cultural experience with an American Indian population. We anticipate we can serve up to 100 percent of the total referred in a bicultural manner. We have been able to and will continue to provide bilingual services for any family who needs them. As to the final document for the court, it can be formulated in Spanish. However, an English translation of the document must also be prepared at that time if the family has bilingual members present. The reason for this is to avoid future disputes over translation. E. We can provide services in South County if Social Services can provide a site to do such work. Family Group conferences are always run in an evening to avoid disruption of family work schedules for the large number of relatives who need to attend. This may assist South County families in scheduling without interference with work schedules. F. Accessibility. On weekdays all providers of Ackerman and Associates are accessible through a 24 hour answering service and pager system. On weekends, this 24 hour access reaches the provider on call all of whom are Ackerman and Associates' providers. G. Maximum per month. The program maximum is five families per month. H. The monthly average capacity is four families per month. I. The average stay in the program is a maximum of eight to ten weeks This is 6 from the time of referral to the completion of the Family Group Decision Outcome : The Safety Plan for the Index child. Types of Services Provided We will provide the services described in the sections above called the Family Group Decision Making model. The basic assumptions that underlie this model are: 1 . The people who get most deeply impassioned about a particular case of child abuse are the parents and the relatives of the abused child. 2. The people who have the most investment in protecting the child are the parents and relatives. 3. The people who understand the family structure and how decisions get made are the members of the family. 4. Families hold information that social workers and other professionals cannot access. 5. Harnessing forces related to kinship cannot be done by exerting legal authority. 6. There are status structures within families that social workers and other professionals may never know about or fully understand. 7. There are myths, stories, legends and secrets within families that social workers may never know about. 8. Families make decisions behind closed doors regardless of what professionals do or do not do. In terms of the criteria for the PAC process: A. Comprehensiveness Family Group Decision Making does not attempt to provide a comprehensive assessment or diagnosis of the family in a traditional psychotherapeutic model. It does allow the family assisted by the facilitators to develop an offer to the court produced by the family that addresses the placement needs of the child. Like mediation from which it is derived, Family Group Decision Making brings "ownership" of the treatment plan because of the process through which it was developed. Further, it brings obligation to carry 7 through with the plans that have been formulated through a process with participation by all family members. B. Access to other services: The therapeutic interventions that the family specifies in the safety plan that they produce go back to the caseworker and to the Court. The family has flexibility to include in the agreement the services it perceives it needs to implement successfully the actions they specify. The caseworker can then match up these services with the goals stated. C. Team based Treatment: All Family Group Decision Making are co- facilitated at the formal meeting and all have a team of two therapists working with the family. This requires the team to have a detailed level of communication and is designed to keep the process operating on the projected expedited time line we have set forth. All providers are professionally trained mental health providers in their own categories of Psychology, Professional Counselor or therapist. Currently eight providers, including four psychologists, and four licensed professional counselors staff Ackerman and Associates. All the providers have extensive experience in family therapy as well as specialty skills that they bring to a conference. One hundred percent of the 60 families projected for 2001 - 2002 will be treated within a team model. D. Conflict Resolution: The Family Group Decision Making Model is designed specifically to resolve the needs of a child for protection within his or her extended family. In this model, the emphasis is on the word resolution. The extended family will sit together in what may likely be a unique experience. The purpose of this project is for the family to focus its combined effort to resolve a specific problem. The index child would not have come into the Social Services system if there was not underlying conflict or disorganization on the part of the index nuclear family. Decisions about how to keep the child out of that conflict will be developed by the extended family members. This is an excellent model for reduction of conflict and provision of resolution in a systematic way. Many people state strong support for family values as a slogan. As a society we have few mechanisms that really allow families as units to use their own value system to solve their own problems. This is indeed one such opportunity for families to do so. Measurable outcomes Measurable outcomes are of two varieties. One type is termed formative outcomes and the other type is called summative outcomes. Formative 8 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 nuclear family accept the Family Group Decision Making format and assist in setting up the conference? 2. Was contact successfully made with all specified parties and did those who could not attend provide sufficient information to the conference. 3. Did the family produce a plan to prevent placement or achieve reunification or set up a relative placement that was acceptable to social services and to the court ? This data will be extracted from the case file. Summative outcomes After the Family Group Decision Making meeting, the caseworker follows the family for assurance that the courts recommendations are being implemented. On a quarterly basis after the completion of the Family Group Decision Making conference, the status of the family can be measured by social services at that time point. The following four areas should be assessed at about six months after the Family Group Decision Making meeting by the caseworker. A. Did the child receiving services not go into placement? B. Did the families remain intact?. C. Was there reunification of children with their families?. Did this take place within the nuclear family or within the extended family? D. Has there been an improvement in parental competency and parent child conflict management? Additional questions related to A-D above might include. Was a termination hearing avoided or modified through the use of the FGDM process? Did the index child find a placement in the extended family? Is this the case for siblings of the index child as well? Was a family proposed plan adopted in whole or in part by the court? has the proposed plan been effective over time? E. Cost effectiveness is very high. The FGDM process also offers the possibility to collect data from the case worker in the form of an estimate of what the length of time this family would have been in placement if there had been no 9 • Family Group Decision Making. Based on this estimate and using the rate per month for foster placement costs compared to the cost of our program the projected savings from avoiding foster placement could be estimated. For most of these families where there is a placement within the extended family, the vast majority in our experience to date, the cost of foster care will end for the county. Most families that reach this stage will be kept out of many months ( or years) of placement if an acceptable plan can be formulated that will decrease resistance to extended family placement. F. Does this program produce fundamental change in family dynamics? Let's define fundamental changes as those changes that persist for two months after the conference. It would be possible to measure the caseworker's perception of the family in relation to this question. At six months after the conference is completed we expect to see basic change in family dynamics but these will be hard to quantify. Certainly, there are substantial changes in the operating structure of the extended family in relation to the index children of the cases conducted to date. Please note that we have not budgeted for ongoing evaluation of this project and suggested evaluations would need to be conducted separately from this proposed work. Service objectives We have the following service objectives: A. Improvement of family conflict management. Family Group Decision Making is specifically designed to resolve conflicts that either precipitated the likely imminent placement of the child or which prevent the reunification of the child with the family. The model teaches the family how to use its own strengths to resolve problems. The Family Group Decision Making process provides a demonstration to the family that even very serious long standing difficulties can be worked out through this modification of the conflict resolution process. B. Improved parental competency In this treatment model Family Group Decision Making should assist the parents in the nuclear family in identifying sources of support and guidance in their own extended family. The help that may be provided by strengthening such a link could include modeling appropriate child rearing strategies of other relatives in areas of discipline, protection, instruction and supervision. The Family Group Decision Making conference can clarify how other members of the family have handled child rearing practices and age appropriate expectations different members of the family had for their own 10 children. Some of these parents are having their rights terminated and a relative of the index child will assume the parenting responsibilities. In these cases it is not a question of an improvement in competency for the biological parent. Rather the family is selecting a more competent relative to assume the nurturing roles the biological parent has failed to provide. C. The ability of the family to access resources is enhanced by the Family Group Decision Making process. The need for a specific service should become apparent as the family develops the strategy to resolve the immediate conflict. When that need is written down as a component of the offer for resolution, it can be followed up by the courts and the caseworker. The strength of the Family Group Decision Making process is the identification by the family of the resources they need to gain access to. Families that need further assistance in implementing the goals that are set can be referred to the GAP program or other resources to assist in implementation such as life skills programs. The methods used to ascertain if the service objectives have been met would be through a report by the caseworker at six months after the completion of the Family Group Decision Making conference. Workload Standards A. The program has a capacity of five families per month. This is approximately one hundred twenty five hours of therapist time per month. There are three full time therapists available for this program. The program will occupy about 20% of these three therapists time. Note that there is a need to continue to allow an exemption for this program in terms of the Face to Face rule usually within the PAC programs. While there are approximately 10 hours of face to face work there are at least fifteen hours of direct data gathering and planning of the Family Group Decision Making structure that should be counted as direct service and not as indirect time in this model.The Family Group Decision Making model relies upon telephone contact and written or faxed follow up. There are a large number of the participants ( at least fifteen in the meeting on average). The need for telephone data gathering is also crucial for individuals of the extended family who live large distances away from Weld County. Telephone contacts have included California, Utah, Washington, New Mexico, Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, South Dakota, Florida and other states. Extensive contact around Colorado including the western slope and southern Colorado has occurred by phone. Work has also occurred by phone with Mexico. These costs are built into our administrative portions of the bid. Occasionally a conference call is used to include members of the family from long distances in the formal meeting. This is cost efficient as it reduces travel costs but we request that this item be passed 11 through as a reimbursement expense. We document the call through specific phone bills related to the conference meeting. B and C. There are eight providers/four psychologists, four licensed professional counselors, who staff Ackerman and Associates. Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D., who supervises this contract is certified as a mediator. This group will have conducted about 70 Family Group Decision Making conferences before June 1, 2001. D. The modality of treatment is the Family Group Decision Making model described under the design section. A disclosure for all participants in this process and other support documents are available upon request if the reviewers wish to inspect them. E. Hours /month The total number of therapist treatment hours is 25 per family. This totals to 100 hours per month for four families per month. A total of 1200 hours per year is projected. F. Staff There are seven individual providers supported by two office professionals in the practice. G. Supervisor This contract would be supervised by Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed. D. who would monitor the project for compliance. Staff Qualifications A. and B. Staff Qualifications Eight staff are available for the project. They exceed the minimum qualifications specified as documented below. The staff are: Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D., Licensed Psychologist and mediator; Laurence P. Kerrigan Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist; Emily Jaramillo, M.A., L.P.C., Karen Bender, M.A., L.P.C., Nicole Warnygora, M.A., L.P.C., Sherri Malloy, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist; and Susan Bromley, Psy. D., Licensed Psychologist and Cassie Yackley MS. L.P.C. We anticipate the key staff in this program to be Ackerman, Jaramillo, Malloy and Yackley with utilization of other providers either in specialized roles or in Family information gathering. C. Training The staff has extensive training in family therapy and mediation as documented by their extensive work experience. Collectively, the eight providers have held licenses in their field for a total of more than 50 years. Resumes are 12 available if desired. Specific training has been taken by Ackerman in the Family Group Decision Making model. In addition, we are the current contracted providers of Family Group Decision Making conferences for expedited permanency planning. We also have an additional two year of experience in non-expedited cases through last years contract. Dr. Ackerman has recently been active in professional discussions on Family Group Decision Making with the American Humane Society Family Group Decision Making staff on behalf of the American Family Group Conference Association as an officer of AFGCA. This is mentioned as documentation we are providing leadership in this field. 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. These continuing education requirements arise from other contractual arrangements. E. Supervision All providers are independently licensed and not required to have clinical supervision. All the staff have advanced skills in intensive family therapy. The supervisor, Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D. 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 and as a member of the Colorado Council of Mediators and the American Psychological Association and through presentation at an International meeting on FGDM in June of 2000 as well as professional activities in FGDM already described. Unit of service rate computation We have chosen to offer a rate of $80 per hour of total time per therapist, the same rate as for 2000-2001. As in prior proposals and with the consent of the county we have capped the amount we can bill for any conference. Our proposal for that cap for 2001- 2002 is $2000 regardless of the size of the conference or the length of work beyond 25 hours required. This is the same rate as last year. Conferences which are canceled or are very small and do not need to justify the full capped fee will be billed for time expended at $80 per hour. The rate of compensation is $48 per therapist per hour and $32 indirect cost per 13 hour for an hourly rate of $80. Our usual rate for services is $99.50 per hour. Note that the County through special action of the County Commissioners have removed the restriction for all contact being face to face for this unique program. The costs are calculated as based on actual time of interaction with family members either face to face or by telephone. This is necessary because of large distances by which the extended family is often separated and by the nature of this process itself. The costs of avoiding continued long term foster placement which are offset when appropriate within extended family placements are made make a this highly cost effective program. Budget Justification Each Family Group Decision Making conference uses up to twenty five hours (per family unit) of therapist time. We use the figure of 60 evaluations per year to generate the total hours of the project which equal 1500 hours. 1500 hours times $80 equals $96,000 as the maximum budget for the project. A more probable figure based on our past two years of experience would be 20 meetings at $40,000 per year. Our per hour rates are below those reasonable and customary for providers of the level and training assembled in this proposal. We are voluntarily setting a cap of twenty five hours of billable time for each unit. PAC money is tracked through a computer data base system called MediMac which we have used for the past 60 months. We are in the process of transferring our accounts to a new and faster system. The system allows us to track payments by client and by source of payment and any payment through the PAC will be tracked in this manner. No special issues are present related to project audit to our knowledge and a random independent comprehensive audit of Ackerman and Associates programs has been conducted in a previous year for which no discrepancies were found. An annual audit will be conducted. Ackerman and Associates P.C. is a type S professional for profit corporation and not a 501 .c.3. We generated a profit of 2.9% on gross revenue for the year 1999. No profit accrued in 2000- 2001. New Standards for responsibility originally implemented in 2000- 2001 are addressed below: Section III D - I This is a time limited model which is capped at a maximum of 25 hours. In rare instances, a Family Group conference was withdrawn by Social Services or a family refused to participate. In those case, only hours used were billed. Cost overruns are not possible based on the design of the program. No renewals will be accepted. In the past one or two repeat family group 14 conferences have been held when an additional child was born and taken into protective care by social services. In our experience these repeat family group conferences are not appropriate unless some kind of marked and substantial change in the family systems can be documented. The family group process is completed within two months of referral. As such we do not anticipate any problems with the pattern of flow of the delivery of these conferences unless there are uneven patterns of referral from Social Services. No clients are currently expected to carry over into 2000- 2001 for the current year but we will inform the department if such cases develop. Finally we will comply with the the case plan, monthly report and other reporting requirements. In general we bill Social Services at the completion of each FGDM conference as this simplifies the process which takes about six weeks. We would like to continue to do so. This does mean that for many cases the case plan, the monthly progress report and the report closing the case will arrive simultaneously at the end of each billing cycle. 15 • DECLARATIONS EJ TRUCK INSURANCE EXCHANGE Q FARMERS INSURANCE EXCHANGE FIRE INSURANCE EXCHANGE SPECIAL SENTINEL FARMERS MEMBERS of FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP OF COMPANIES �`RIYRAMF�\ PACKAGE ♦- ceouR .♦ SUPER HOME OFFICE:4680 WILSHIRE BLVD., LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA 90010 a 1. Named . DR JOYCE SHOHET ACKERMAN PC Prod. Insured Count Mailing . 1750 25TH AVE SUITE 101 Prematic Acct No. Address 07-04-362 04576-38-07 GREELEY CO 80631 Agent Policy Number Ty of The named insured is an individual unless otherwise stated: ElPartnershi ® 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 lake 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 El COVERAGES LIMITS OF INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE A-Building $ $250 applies unless other SECTION 1 B-Business Personal Property $ 52,000 o don Indicated�by an® M10005500 LJ$_ C-Loss of Income(Not exceeding 12 consecutive months) ACTUAL LOSS SUSTAINED NONE Property OPTIONAL COVERAGES and Swimming Pool/Fences and Walkways $ Above deduc-3 Loss of lit Building Glass(Blanket) REPLACEMENT COST tlble applies 3 100 Income r Outdoor Sign Coverage $ 100 unless other $ Valuable Papers(In addition to$1000 included.) $ option lull- $ cated. 0 Earthquake Damage See Coverages % A,B,8 C of the applicable ins. limit. SECTION II 0-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.D) Medicals F-Medical Payments to Others(Subject to the annual aggregate $5,000 each person shown for Coverage D.) 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 $2,500 NONE 5a-0]oE 2.22 2ND EDITION Countersigned —)k):14 �,,'l,M,Y� 6A (/ / Authorized epR" resent�vve X ` Attach.fo yourpolicywith the'same riumber shown on:this:endorsement: E4�103a 2nd Edition Named Insured• DR JOYCE SHOUT ACKERMAN PC • Agent Policy Number Address. 1750 25TH AVE SUITE 101 GREELEY CO 80631 07-04-362 04576-38-07 of the Company designated in the insured Declarations Location • (Same as above unless otherwise stated here) Effective Date 07/31/96 Limit of Liability$ 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. Additional STATE OF COLORADO Additional C/0 WELD COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES DEPT Insured • ATTN: JUDY GRIEGO PO BOX A GREELEY CO 80632 Countersigned Authorized Representative i PGMINI 1Atuxe.,1, 9i 4103 2ND EDITION 695 15O1 K.95 1501 • 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 $1,000,000 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: tad-. e 4i. r• 6LR Issue Date: 12/01/00 <C The Reciprocal PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY OCCURRENCE n Alliance INSURANCE POLICY FOR Risk Retention Group PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS ACA Insurance Trust,Inc. 5999 Stevenson Avenue ACA uTSVgL9 Policy Number: CL10073401 Administered by: Alexendrie,VA 22304.3300 TRUST Toll Free:1.800.347.6647 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 form(s) or endorsement(s): CPL•0004.0199 CPL•0005•0199 CPL0006-0199 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. CPL0005 0199 00 ' Branch B/A Producer# Issue Date 32 A 0002360 03/08/2001 Renewal/Replacement No. • 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. ::cm DECLARATIONS CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 45P- 2050203 NAMED INSURED: SUSAN PLOCK BROMLEY PSYD ADDRESS 1621 13TH AVENUE ( N umber & Street, Town, GREELEY CO 80631 County, 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 Processional Liability $1 ,000,000 FI L\11. each Incident $3,000,000 $802uC Aggregate BUSINESS OF THE INSURED: Psychology THE NAMED INSURED IS: X ) Sole Proprietor (including Independent Contractors) ( ) Partnershi OTHER: p ( ) Corpor,ition 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 polio issued by the Company to which this policy is a renewal; or c) the date specified in any endorsement hereto. 04/05/1996 This policy is made and accepted subject to the printed conditions of this policy together ‘‘it0 :tie provisions, stipulations and agreements contained in the following form(s) or endor,e,n,.t,i„ P:_ x -2008 ( 10/94 ) POE -8004 ( 5/88 ) PLE -2167 ( 07/00 ) PLE-2081 P0It - 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 K> I AT VNCL PL.P-210!2 (0693) (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. er-n..�m for this endorsement is included in the premium shown on Additional Premium $ Dec ararcns unless a specific amount is shown here. Return Premium $ ENDORSEMENT NO.: Effective: 04/01 /2001 _:tacnec ro 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 Authorized Representative: 20001 e -- _-- -= '10,93) (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 JARAMILLO-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 80M-4003488 11/01/2000 11/01/2001 3,000,000 in the aggregate General Liability each incident or occurrence Occurrence in the aggregate Should 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 Ilabi lty of any 183 50 AVENUE PLACE kind upon the company, its agents or representatives. GREELEY CO 80634 Authorized Representative: irvsta edG; r Ln1...V11v5) 12,10A Jrc\.J_eWit \.v. '1/14,/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 ITI-M _. ADDITIONAL INSUREDS: --- ITEM '.. POLICY PERIOD: FROM: 12/01/00 TO: 12/01/01 12:01 A.M. STANDARD TIME AT THE ADDRESS OF THE INSURED AS STATED H'-.I..' I\ ITEM 4 LIMITS OF LIABILITY: (a)$ 1 , 000 , 000 EACH WRONGFUL ACT OR SERIES OF COATIAL(:'l I? I OR INTERRELATED WRONGFUL ACTS OR OLE? kid (b)$ 5 , 000 DEFENSE REIMBURSEMENT (c)$ 3 , 000 , 000 AGGREGATE EM � PREMIUM SCHEDULE: CLASSIFICATION NUMBER RATE ANNUAL PRE\Ill \I 1ST PSYCHOLOGIST 1 1254 . 00 1 , 254 . 0: DEFENSE LIMIT SURPLUS LINES TAX 1 3; INSPECTION FEE 1 2 . 51• ITEM 6 RETROACTIVE DATE: 12/01/91 TOTAL PREMIUM: 1 , 2 94 . '_ [I-FAIT EXTENDED REPORTING PERIOD —_--ADDITIONAL PREMIUM(ifexercised):$ 2 , 265 . 24 ITEM S. POLICY FORMS AND ENDORSEMENTS ATTACHED TO THIS POLICY 822138 (7/95 ED . ) B22137 THIS IS NOT A BILL. PREMIUM HAS BEEN PAID. ALIT RIZED COMPANY REPRF-I':N I ) ' _. yP.-A2'-I109;) Amens Pi,, venal Agency * 'ry ft,w( v..., ,. Branch B/A Producer# Issue Date Renewal/Replacement No. 32 . 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 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: ( R ) 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.) ,�'.PLPA003(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, 2200009922-001 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 0 Box 1809 ROCKPORT, TX 78381-'809 1-BOU-423.5344 ITEM 2: ADDITIONAL INSUREDS: NONE ITEM 3: DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS: MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONEPISI ITEM 4: POLICY PERIOD: FROM 05/2012000 TO 05/20/2001 12.01 an,STANDARD TIME AT 7HE ADDRESS DP IME INSURED AS STATED -/EREIN ITEM 5: LIMITS OF LIABILITY: $ 1,000,000 EACH WRONGFUL ACT OR EACH OCCURRENCE SU3JEC r -0 A $25,300 SUB-LIMIT OF LIABIL TY FOR ALL 'WRONG-UL A CTS INVOLVING "SEXUAL MISCONDUCT. • $ 3,000 000 AGGREGATE ITEM 6: PREMIUM SCHEDULE: • CIASSIFICATION g RATE ANNUAL PREr11UM CATEGORY M2 1 263.00 S 263.00 TOTAL PREMIUM $ 263.00 ITEM T. POLICY FCRMS AND ENDORSEMENTS ATTACHED TO THIS POLICY: 190.00 0195, 189.00 0195, EEO 25 501 12 98, 193.00 0195 April 28, 2000 11(#1,0CLPEVanlii AUTHORIZED COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE 189.00 0195 m Everest National Insurance Company, 1996 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 ITEN1 1: NAME AND ADDRESS OF INSURED: SEND ALL INQUIRIES T0: Nicole R Warnygora ROCKPORT INSURANCE ASSOCIATES 1800 Angelo Court PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR Fort Coliine, CO 80528 P O BOX 1809 ROCKPORT, TX 78381.1809 1-800.423.6344 ITEM 2: ADDITIONAL INSUREDS: NONE ITEM 3: DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS: MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS) ITEM 4: POLICY PERIOD: FROM 05/20/2000 TO 05/20/2001 120' am STANDARD TIME AT THE ADDRESS OF !HE'NSORED AS STATED 1EREIN ITEM 5: LIMITS OF LIABILITY: 8 1,000,000 EACH WRONGFUL ACT OR EACH OCCURRENCE SU3JEC7 -0 $25,3110 SUB-LIM,T OF LIABIL TY FOR ALL -WRORG‘l4 AC1 E. INVOLVING "SEXUAL MISCONDUC r'. $ 3,000 000 AGGREGATE • ITEM 6: PREMIUM SCHEDULE: TI ASSIFICATION NUMBEf BALE ANNUAL PR MI LIK CATEGORY M2 1 263.00 S 263.00 TOTAL PREMIUM S 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 AOCC PEi/czry AUTHORIZED COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE 189.00 0196 m Everest National Insurance Company, 1996 Issue Date: 09/08/00 �C� The Reciprocal PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY OCCURRENCE A Alliance INSURANCE POLICY FOR Risk Retention Group PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS ACA Insurance Trust.Inc. 5999 Stevenson Avenue 1c, >srkoa Policy Number: CL12494600 Administered by: Alexandria.VA 22704.7700 TRUST Toll Toll Free:1.800:747.6647 x284 ITEM DECLARATIONS INDIVIDUAL POLICY NAMED INSURED: Cathleen Yackley 2. ADDRESS: 1020 Wabash Street #6-203 Fort Collins , CO 80526-0000 2 POLICY PERIOD: From: 09/05/00 To: 09/05/01 12:01 A.M. Standard Time at Location of Designated Premises 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 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 5 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): CPL0004 0199 CPL•0005 0199 CPL0006•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. CP1 0005 0199 00 PROOF OF INSURANCE-RETAIN FOR FUTURE REFERENCE AMERICAN FAMILY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY MADISON,WISCONSIN pp 5EE37033C.00E001 COLORADO O INSURANCE Polley No: 0869-0235-01-04-FPPA-CO Eft Date: 11-3-2000 Exp Date: 5-3-2001 1999 PONT GAS YIN: 1G2NE52E3XM811960 Coverages: 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 CII COLORADO INSURANCE CARD INSURED KERRIGAN,LARRY P MUTL POLICY NUMBER 2000862.D28.068 VOLVTI YR 1988 MAKE HONDA EFFECTIVE MODEL ACCORD OCT 28 2000 1TO7 4 282001 AGENT RICK WALLACE VIN JHMCA3529JC117334 PHONE (970)3568237 1679-625 A BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY P1 NO-FAULT D COMPREHENSIVE 0 100 DEDUCT COLLISION H,U SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE INFORMATION 1 a COLORADO l INSURANCE CARD INSURED BROMLEY,JOHN MUTL VOL POLICY NUMBER 553 7520-F07-00C YR 1984 MAKE VOLVO EFFECTIVE MODEL 240DEC TO JUN 072001 VIN YV1AX8855E1583112 AGENT (97RK LARSON PHONE (970)336.87006.5700 THE COVERAGE PROVIDED BY THE POLICY MEETS THE MINIMUM LIABILITY UMITS PRESCRIBED BY LAW. A BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE UABILITY 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 • . ', '' 'f . USAA CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY , ,-.. , , . .,....ii (A Stock Insurance Company) Slate D6 D7 Ten POLICY NUMBER w • SAA® 9800 Fredericksburg Road - San Antonio, Texas 78288 CO 029b29 Thu 00211 02 590 7103 5 COLORADO AUTO POLICY POLICY PERIOD: (12:01 A.M. standard time) /,t. RENEWAL DECLARATIONS EFFECTIVE OCT 17 1999 TO APR 17 2000 (ATTACH TO PREVIOUS POLICY ) OPERATORS Jamed 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 VehicleIs) VEH USE WORK/SCHOOL MEH YEAR TRADE NAME MODEL BODY TYPE SREAGE NU IDENTIFICATION NUMBER SYM µl ay s weDayek )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 • PROOREJJYVE" �� Insurance Identification Card- COLORADO 0 California Casualty Name of Insurer: • VV CALIFORNIA CASUALTY INDEMNITY EXCHANGE PROGRESSIVE SPECIALTY INSURANCE COMPANY -. BOX 39700 P.O. BOX 31557 • COLORADO SPRINGS CO B0949-9700 TAMPA, FL 33631-3557 COLORAx Name of Insured:EVIDENCE OF MOTOR VEHICLE LIABILITY INSURANCE ALAN H ACKERMAN Effective Date: INSURED: Ot/O9/O1 WARNYGORp TODD & NICOLE 1800 ANGELO 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 MAKEr ODEL VIN Policy Number: AA 70109900-0 99 TOYOTA TACOMA XCB 4TAWN72N9X2569122 CLAIMS BOO-El oo-9410 SERVICE: 800-800-9410 Year Make/Model Vehicle Identification Number UP s„o„o,,,,, 1992 HONDA 1HGCB7677NA196218 • NEW HAMPSHIRE O COLORADO INSURANCE INSURANCE CARD CARL) INSURED YACKLEY,CATHLEEN& INSURED BENDER,BRICE J&N KAREN MUTL MUTL POLICY NUMBER BONNEMA, VOL POLICY NUMBER C054252-D14-06CVOL YR 1996 MAKE HONDA FI1 29A EFFECTIVE YR 2000 MAKE TOYOTA 142000 TO EFFECTIVE AP 142001 MODEL CIVIC DEC 11 2000 TO JUN 1'.2007 MODEL AVALON OCTVIN 47OCT 14 00 0TO AGENT RICH YACYSHYN VIN 1HOEJ81s0TL022250 AGENT JEFF PFEIFFER PHONE (603)224.5298 2018.876 PHONE (303)651.0111 THE COVERAGE PROVIDED BY THE POLICY MEETS THE MINIMUM LIABILITY LIMITS PRESCRIBED BY LAW. AB BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE UABILTTY A BODILY INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE LIABILITY C MEDICAL PAYMENTS P1 NO-FAULT 0 50 DEDUCT COMPREHENSIVE D 500 DEDUCT COMPREHENSIVE 0 250 DEDUCT COLUSION H,RI U SSE REVERSE SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE INFORMATION G 500 DEDUCT COLLISION RI,U SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE INFORMATION Supplemental Narrative to RFP: Exhibit B Recommendation(s) RFP: 01008-Family Group Decision Making 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 and permanent 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, Joyce Shohet Ackerman, Ed.D. Hello