To: Board of Supervisors
From: Esa Ehmen-Krause, County Probation Officer
Report Title: Family Springs Contract
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the County Probation Officer, or designee, to execute a contract with Family Spring Psychology, P.C., for the period November 1, 2023, through October 31, 2024, in an amount not to exceed $216,000, to provide Mindfulness-Based Anger Management (MBAT) and Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment (MBSAT) services to clients.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This contract will be 75% funded by SB678 Evidence Based Practices for young adult services at field offices and 25% by the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act funds for the older youth at juvenile hall.
BACKGROUND:
The Probation Department has identified a critical need for community based in-person Mental Health and Substance Disorder services for our youth and Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) clients across the county and in the institution. Contracting with Family Springs will bring evidence-based treatment services to every region of the county at no cost to our clients and their families. As such, economic and transportation barriers will be lessened, as well as waitlist. Additionally, these services will be delivered by culturally competent and gender responsive therapists in both individual and group settings. Family Spring mindfulness-based treatment has been researched and has shown to decrease behavioral disruption, decrease inhibitory attitudes towards drugs, and increase self-esteem, which are all desired outcomes by the Probation Department.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If unapproved, youth are unlikely to take the initiative to seek out mental health services on their own, losing a unique opportunity to have a provider bring a program to our four sites that is specific to their needs is irreplaceable.