DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE (DR) SERVICES

The County of Riverside Purchasing Department on behalf of the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is seeking proposals from parties qualified in providing Differential Response (DR) Services for the County of Riverside’s DPSS Children Family Services (CFS). 1. Program Background DR is a strategy that allows a California child welfare services (CWS) agency to respond in a more flexible manner to reports of child abuse or neglect. DR affords a customized approach based on an assessment of safety, risk and protective capacity that recognizes each family’s unique strengths and needs, and addresses these in an individualized manner rather than with a “one size fits all” approach. DR provides direct services for families with closed investigative and evaluated out referrals to prevent future referrals and entry into the formal Child Welfare System. The program incorporates evidence-based practices, as well as meaningful outcome-based measures. The County of Riverside anticipates between 300 – 1,000 referrals annually countywide. Referral volume will vary. DPSS is committed to sustaining appropriate referral levels; however, there is no guaranteed number of referrals. 2. Key Principles There are numerous families reported to Riverside County DPSS Child Abuse Hotline on an annual basis that are determined to not warrant removal from the home nor require CFS/Juvenile Court supervision. Many of these families will have low to moderate issues, but no imminent safety threats are present to the child/children upon closure of the hotline referral. In many cases, the DR services would mitigate the reasons for the initial Hotline referral and reduce the likelihood of future CFS involvement. By providing early and effective responses to emerging signs of familial problems, CFS can mobilize resources to help families before any issues escalates. DR is defined by its flexibility and family engagement, which act as an umbrella for a range of responses and services. DR provides earlier and meaningful interventions when signs of family problems, enabling DPSS to utilize resources proactively before issues escalate and child removal is required. Child safety is the highest priority to ensure families receive the support they need to keep children safely in their homes. 3. Program Objectives The objectives for DR are as follows: Ensure safety of children without escalation to a dependency case; Reduce the number of children detained; Reduce the number of subsequent hotline referrals; Reduce the number of substantiated hotline referrals and entry/re-entry to Child Welfare System; Increase the number of services provided for at-risk families; and Increase community involvement, service linkage, and family engagement. 4. Program Outcomes A. Leading Indicators: DPSS will evaluate the impact of DR services on the following measures based on assessment tools provided by DPSS. Family Depression Family Stress Overall family functioning B. Lagging Indicators: DPSS will evaluate the impact of DR Services based on the comparison between “families utilizing the service” to “families referred to services but declined to use the service” as determined appropriate by the Dept. The number of children that experienced a recurrence of allegations of the participating families’ (as defined by Dept.). The number of the children that experienced a recurrence of allegations which were substantiated of the participating families’ (as defined by Dept.) The number of children that had a new case open of the participating families. 5. Target Population/Historic information Riverside County families referred to child protective services for child abuse or neglect who are assessed as having low to moderate risk or a low-to-moderate safety threat to the children. Instead of a traditional investigation, these families are offered voluntary, community-based, and individualized services to address problems and enhance child safety and family well-being.