The Juvenile Department contracts with outside service providers for non-residential and residential services for youth at various points on the continuum of delinquent conduct. The services provided to youth who are served in residential and non-residential programs are designed to enhance probation casework for optimal protection of the community, encourage positive development and prevent further progression into the juvenile justice system.
The contracted non-residential services include but are not limited to tracking/monitoring services, family preservation services, mentor services, outpatient substance abuse treatment services, wraparound services and intensive gang intervention/prevention services, alternative education/GED programming and art education programs. The Juvenile Department currently contracts with eleven (11) vendors for provision of fourteen (14) community-based programs.
The contracted residential services include residential drug treatment, sex offender treatment, behavior modification treatment, and vocation/trade schools. Currently, the Juvenile Department contracts with seventeen (17) residential service providers for residential treatment services for Dallas County youth.
Contract Services is responsible for all aspects of contract procurement, compliance monitoring, performance evaluations and investigations. In addition, the division liaisons between the Juvenile Department and the contract service providers and facilitates referrals to non-residential contract programs.
- Contract Procurement
- Program Monitoring
- Performance Evaluation and Contract Renewal
- Investigations: Incidents and Complaints
- Facilitates Referrals to Non-Residential Contract Programs
Contract Procurement
The contract programs are monitored through site and desk top reviews to ensure youth referred to the facility/program by Dallas County receive appropriate care in a safe environment and that treatment/programming is provided according to the contract specifications.
The site review process includes, but is not limited to the following:
- A review of the case files of youth referred to the facility/program;
- Review of a sampling of the personnel files of program staff;
- Interviews with facility/program staff;
- Interview/survey of all Dallas County youth currently placed or enrolled in the facility/program;
- An inspection of the facility including verification of state/local required inspections; and
- A review of the facility’s monitoring compliance reports issued by the licensing authority.
Contract Services interfaces with officials of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as part of the monitoring process. The contract procurement process involves conducting research to determine anticipated service needs of the department and the release of requests for proposals (RFP) through the Dallas County Purchasing Department. As part of the RFP process, Contract Services facilitates a bidders conference to provide critical information regarding the solicitation to potential bidders. At the close of the RFP, Contract Services convenes a Juvenile Department multidisciplinary evaluation panel to read and evaluate proposals received in response to the RFP. That process results in recommendations for contract award which are contingent upon favorable outcomes of the site visit, reference check, and background investigation which are conducted by Contract Services.
Contract Services assists in negotiations of contract specifications, assists in the drafting of contract documents for approval and facilitates the contract execution process.
Complaint & Incident Investigations
Contract Services is responsible for investigating incidents that occur at the contract facilities/programs involving Dallas County youth. In addition, the division investigates complaints and concerns related to service delivery raised by Juvenile Department staff and/or parents/guardian of youth that are court ordered to participate in the programs.
Investigations generally require interfacing with licensing authorities, the development of corrective action plans and ongoing technical assistance and program monitoring.
Performance Evaluation & Contract Renewal
Prior to the beginning of each review period, Contract Services establishes performance goals and objectives for the contract service providers using performance data generated from the TechShare system. The evaluation criteria includes, but is not limited to, the rate of recidivism for successful discharges, rate of successful discharges, and the average length of stay for successful discharges, critical incidents and the need for the contracted service. The evaluation process results in recommendations for renewal and non-renewal of the contract for the coming fiscal year. As necessary, Contract Services provides technical assistance to service providers and works with the contractor to develop corrective action plans to address deficiencies and improve performance outcomes.
Non-Residential Program Referrals
Contract Services processes all referrals to contract non-residential programs. This process involves reviewing all available background information on the referred youth and discussing the case with the assigned probation officer to determine the most appropriate program for the youth and to identify and prioritize the issues to be addressed by the service provider. Contract Services forwards the referrals to the contractors and updates TechShare to reflect the youth’s status in the program. Monthly meetings with the service providers are convened by Contract Services to track the youth’s progress in the program and to monitor the effectiveness of the services being provided. Technical assistance is provided to the service provider as needed during those sessions.
