To: Board of Supervisors
From: Dr. Grant Colfax, Health Services Director
Report Title: Contract #24-949-39(24) with A Step Forward Child Abuse Treatment and Training Programs, A Marriage, Family and Child Counseling Corporation
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Health Services Director, or designee, to execute on behalf of the County Contract #24-949-39(24) with A Step Forward Child Abuse Treatment and Training Programs, A Marriage, Family and Child Counseling Corporation, a corporation, in an amount not to exceed $980,000, to provide Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) for beneficiaries in Central Contra Costa County, for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of this Contract will result in budgeted expenditures of up to $980,000 over a two-year period and will be funded by 40% Contra Costa Health Plan Enterprise Fund II, 30% Federal Medi-Cal and 30% State Mental Health Realignment.
BACKGROUND:
This Contract meets the social needs of County’s population by providing Medi-Cal SMHS for beneficiaries of all ages in Contra Costa County by providing assessment, testing, therapy and medication monitoring for the treatment of mental disorders, sexually abused children and sexual perpetrators. This Contractor has been providing these services as part of the Department’s Behavioral Health Services Network since 2006.
This Contract is entered into under and subject to the following legal authorities: California Government Code §§ 26227 and 31000; Welfare and Institutions Code § 5775 et seq.; Welfare and Institutions Code §§ 14680-14685; California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 9 § 1810.100 et seq. This Contract was approved by Health Services Personnel to ensure there is no conflict with labor relations. Per Administrative Bulletin 600.3, the Department has posted a continuous Request for Qualifications and maintains a current qualified list of vendors at all times.
On July 9, 2024, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract #24-949-39(20) with A Step Forward Child Abuse Treatment and Training Programs, A Marriage, Family and Child Counseling Corporation in an amount not to exceed $450,000, to provide Medi-Cal SMHS, for the period from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2026.
On February 25, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #24-949-39(21) with A Step Forward Child Abuse Treatment and Training Programs, A Marriage, Family and Child Counseling Corporation, effective February 1, 2025, to increase the payment limit by $400,000 to a new payment limit of $850,000 for additional Medi-Cal SMHS, with no change in the term.
On December 16, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #24-949-39(22) with A Step Forward Child Abuse Treatment and Training Programs, A Marriage, Family and Child Counseling Corporation, effective January 1, 2026, to include additional Medi-Cal SMHS for beneficiaries in Central Contra Costa County, with no change in the payment limit or term.
On May 12, 2026, the Board of Supervisors approved Contract Amendment #24-949-39(23) with A Step Forward Child Abuse Treatment and Training Programs, A Marriage, Family and Child Counseling Corporation, effective May 1, 2026, to increase the payment limit by $130,000, to a new payment limit of $980,000, with no change in the term.
Approval of Contract #24-949-39(24) will allow the Contractor to continue to provide Medi-Cal SMHS services through June 30, 2028.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this Contract is not approved, there will be fewer mental health services available as the County solicits and engages an alternative Contractor, which could result in increased wait times for services.