IFB # 1171 Citizen Review Panels Coordination and Administration

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) announces the release of this Invitation for Bids (IFB) to select one agency or individual to coordinate the administration of three Citizen Review Panels (CRPs). Each of the three panels represents a region of New York State (NYS): the western region panel includes 17 counties, the eastern region panel includes 36 counties, and the New York City (NYC) region panel includes all five counties/boroughs of NYC. Please see Attachment 6 – Citizen Review Panel Regions for a full list of the counties within each of these regions. Funding for this grant is available from the federal National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) State Grant.

Background

Across the United States, there is growing awareness that the entire community must be actively involved for Child Protective Services (CPS) to be effective. CPS and law enforcement alone cannot sufficiently protect children; research has shown that parents, domestic violence service agencies, substance abuse providers, schools, community-based service providers, and other concerned citizens and agencies need to work together on preventing and responding to child abuse and maltreatment.

In accordance with the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), New York State has established three CRPs pursuant to section 371-b of the Social Services Law. The funded applicant will assist OCFS in administering these panels, including the recruitment of potential panel members to be recommended to the Governor and Legislature. Each CRP consists of a chairperson(s) and 13 members, seven of which are appointed by the Governor and six are appointed by the Legislature. Panel members are volunteers who are broadly representative of the community in which the panel is established. Panels include members with expertise in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. Panel members may not be employed by federal, state, county, or municipal agencies that directly deliver child welfare services.

The Citizen Review Panels are authorized to:

• review the policies, procedures, and practices of the State and local agencies in their respective jurisdictions to evaluate the extent to which the agencies are effectively discharging child protection responsibilities.
• have reasonable access, within their respective jurisdictions, to public and private facilities providing child welfare services which are in receipt of public funds. (OCFS is required to assist the panels to have access to facilities or records, as authorized by statute).
• hold public hearings and/or provide for public outreach and comment to assess the impact of current procedures and practices on families.
• issue annual reports setting forth each CRPs activities, findings, and recommendations.

One of the first duties of the CRPs is to analyze how child protective services are presently being provided, which includes determining to whom these services are provided and which current strategies are effective. Panel members may have access to pending and indicated cases reported to the State Central Register (SCR) for Child Abuse and Maltreatment. This enables the CRPs to better understand the current child protective system and make recommendations for improvement.

CRP Members

Members shall not disclose any identifying information about any specific child protection case to any person(s), including government officials. A member who knowingly violates this duty of confidentiality may be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 and removal from the panel.

•  Must elect a chairperson for their respective CRP.
•  Must meet at least once every three months.

Eligible Bidders

All individuals and organizations (not-for-profits and for-profits) who satisfy the requirements in RFP Section 3.0 are eligible to apply.

Please refer to the IFB document located on the "Documents" tab for additional information and submission requirements.