The mission of the New York State Unified Court System (UCS) is to deliver equal justice under the law and to achieve the just, fair and timely resolution of all matters that come before our courts. In the service of our mission, the UCS is committed to operating with integrity and transparency, and to ensuring that all who enter or serve in our courts are treated with respect, dignity, and professionalism. We affirm our responsibility to promote a court system free from any and all forms of bias and discrimination and to promote a judiciary and workforce that reflect the rich diversity of New York State. More information about the UCS is available at https://www.nycourts.gov .

The UCS Office of Court Administration’s (OCA) Division of Professional and Court Services (DPCS) is soliciting proposals via this Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purpose of establishing a contract to provide mental health services to participate in the Schenectady County Family Treatment Court (FTC).

UCS operates adult drug treatment courts throughout the state. Family drug treatment courts identify parents who have a dependency petition filed against them in which alcohol and/or substance use contributed to the neglect of their children. A drug court involves an intervention by the court in cooperation with a team of specialists in social services, treatment, and child welfare professionals in the local community. In return enhanced services and support for family re-unification respondents are given the option of entering voluntarily into court-supervised treatment.

Coordination of court, treatment and social services to participants requires a specialized combination of expertise with the justice, substance use, mental health, and social services communities.

UCS is the recipient of an award by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to implement a Family Treatment Court in Schenectady, New York. The OJJDP grant award is hereinafter referred to as the Project.

The OJJDP grant period is October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2024 (hereinafter “Grant Term”). This RFP seeks Project Services as set forth in Article V below.

UCS intends to award one contract for a term beginning on or around December 1, 2022 and terminating on September 30, 2024 (“Contract Term”).

The term of any contract resulting from this RFP shall not exceed two (2) years. The contract shall terminate upon the earlier of: (i) two (2) years from the contract commencement date; or (ii) the complete expenditure of federal grant award funding, whichever is sooner, unless otherwise terminated, renewed, or extended pursuant to the terms of said contract. UCS and contractor shall communicate regularly concerning the remaining amount of grant funds and the approximate timing of complete expenditure.

Proposals will be considered only from applicants who meet the following qualifications:

• Applicants must possess at least two years of experience in performing services relevant to those described herein.
• Applicants must have the ability to provide Project Services (hereinafter defined) to clients within Schenectady County.

UCS seeks proposals describing how the applicant will provide the services listed below (“Project Services”). The selected applicant shall be required to provide the Project Services, including the required staffing, listed below.

1. Conduct comprehensive and timely evaluations in-person or via Telehealth (that are reviewed and approved by licensed provider) of parents and children whose cases are accepted into the FTC. Evaluations include adult and pediatric mental health assessments; personality disorders assessments; trauma assessments; adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) evaluations; and assessments specific to family functioning.
2. Make referrals for recommended mental health treatment, perform ongoing case management, and report back to the FTC team on the progress of each family member who is receiving mental health services. For individuals not currently working with a provider, partner with a licensed provider and consult with any other relevant providers to whom those individuals are referred to services.
3. Work with substance use disorder treatment providers to ensure that the treatment plan for addressing any identified mental health issues works in conjunction with the treatment plan for addressing the substance use disorder issues.
4. Participate in regular team meetings.
5. Provide strategies to parents whose mental health issues create safety concerns for their children.
6. Provide knowledge and resources to the treatment court team, as well as to parents, regarding children who have mental health diagnoses.
7. Maintain documentation (such as project logs, reports and records in appropriate files and database(s)) and provide continuous feedback to FTC team members regarding participant progress.
8. Assist in collecting and maintaining all data as required by OJJDP.
9. Provide appropriate supervision and oversight for any staff included on this project.

Required Staffing: 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalent) Mental Health Professional (Licensure not required). The Mental Health Professional should have extensive training in adult and pediatric mental health evaluation and treatment as well as a significant knowledge of family dynamics. Minimum qualifications:

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university. Relevant experience preferred working with families affected by mental health disorders and/or co-occurring mental health disorders. Must have good communication skills, both oral and written, and be proficient in computer applications to record data.