The New York State Unified Court System (UCS) is seeking letters of interest from organizations with the ability to provide Multi-Dimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) services in Suffolk County for youth involved in the Suffolk County Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (SCJDTC) as more fully detailed herein.

The underlying federal grant is currently in an extension period. The grant will end on September 30, 2024.

UCS operates problem-solving courts, among them juvenile drug courts, which help judges and court staff respond to the needs of youth and the community. Problem-solving courts look to the underlying issues that bring people into the court system, employ innovative approaches to address those issues, and seek to simplify the court process for litigants. A juvenile drug court involves an intervention by the court in cooperation with a team of specialists in social services, treatment, and criminal justice professionals in the local community. In return for a promise of a reduced sentence, appropriate non-violent addicted youth are given the option of entering voluntarily into court-supervised treatment. The rules and conditions of participation are clearly stated in a contract entered into by the youth, the law guardian, the county attorney, and the court.

The SCJDTC will provide comprehensive services within a multidisciplinary team of community partners for 30 youth challenged with co-occurring mental health disorders who come in contact with the court by implementing the Multi-Dimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) model.

The SCJDTC will contract with an MDFT certified provider agency who must possess experienced and certified MDFT staff including supervisor, therapists and therapist assistants.

The specific services will include:

• Develop the infrastructure necessary to integrate the resources and support across systems for juvenile participants and their families through community mobilization, outreach, and continued collaboration and communication.
• Must employ a certified MDFT trainer in order to assure efficient and timely on-boarding and training of staff.
• The MDFT Supervisor will provide model syntonic clinical The MDFT Supervisor must be certified as an MDFT therapist and be recertified by an MDFT International Trainer once yearly and recertified as a therapist bi-annually. The MDFT Supervisor will meet with the MDFT Trainer once yearly and recertified as a therapist bi-annually.
• MDFT therapist will complete an intake assessment with the participant and their family as well as provide an overview to the program and the goals and requirements of the program.
• The MDFT Therapist will provide intensive clinical services to the identified client and their The MDFT model’s minimum baseline dose is once a week individual session with the identified client and once a week family or parent session, or both. The MDFT therapist will assess what type of sessions and how many sessions would be most effective to produce rapid clinical change. The MDFT therapist increases session dosage if there is an identified need.
• MDFT Therapists will work with parents individually on improving Self Care and becoming Empowered so they can be better parent to their adolescent. Therapist also addresses Inter-Parent Conflict and works with Family Generating Hope and Motivation that they can achieve their family
• The MDFT Therapist position must be certified in the MDFT Model by certified MDFT trainer. After certification is obtained, the therapist must be recertified annually by the MDFT Trainer. The initial MDFT Training process requires the therapist to learn the MDFT model within 5 months. During the training period, therapist meets with the trainer for the initial 3-day training, and after, 15-week training sessions. Therapist completes 3 written exams, and 2 Intensive Live and Video sessions with their trainer to complete the certification.
• The MDFT Therapist Assistant (TA) will work with the therapist to alleviate client and their family of treatment participation barriers. The MDFT TA provides case management services and communicates with the MDFT therapist on a regular basis to provide immediate improvement in clients and their families daily functioning in all four MDFT domains, such as Adolescent, Family, Parent and Extra Familial TA helps families navigate needed social and health care services and teaches parents how to advocate successfully for their family in school, juvenile justice, and other systems. The TA does not require certification but are trained only in relation to their specific duties.
• Provide psychiatric services to assist with managing symptoms related to mental health diagnosis which significantly contributes to anti-social and oppositional behaviors.

To indicate interest in and eligibility to provide these services, complete the form on the following page and send

• the form;
• a line item budget for the period defined below totaling the estimated available funding of $46,055, for the period 3/1/2024 – 9/30/2024; and
• a letter of interest to Bridget McAvoy, Principal Court Analyst at bmcavoy@nycourts.gov

To receive consideration, the letter of interest must be in the format defined herein and must include a brief description of any prior experience providing these services and capacity, including qualifications on an organizational level, to provide case coordination and MDFT services.

Please note: This document is NOT an official Request for Proposals (RFP). UCS is not obligated to score any response received or enter into a contract with any vendor that submits a response to this RFI. Vendor response to the RFI will be independent of, and have no bearing on, any future competitive solicitation issued for same service. By issuing this RFI UCS seeks to learn how many potential vendors: (1) meet the minimum qualifications set forth below; and (2) are capable of delivering the services before an end date of September 30, 2024, taking into consideration the total funding available amount of $46,055.

Letters of interest and forms are due at the address above by 2:00PM on Friday March 15, 2024.