1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 BACKGROUND & HISTORY

The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) was formed to bring together stakeholders in South Dakota—the Tribes, the South Dakota Division of Child Protection Services, families, youth, contractors, and other partners—who are committed to improving outcomes for South Dakota’s Native children.

The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) works in three broad areas:

· setting an agenda for addressing the needs and improving the outcomes of Native children and families in the child and family services system;

· developing and advocating for new service strategies to address the needs of Native children and families; and

· monitoring, supporting, and reassessing these activities and maintaining accountability for Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) implementation and compliance and for improved Native child and family outcomes in child protection.

As the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle), we set the agenda for what needs to be done, and begin by focusing on nine areas:

1. ICWA Implementation and Compliance:

The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) takes as one of its main responsibilities overseeing ICWA implementation and compliance, including the State of South Dakota ICWA Commission Report/Recommendations.

Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):

· reviews annually all the specific recommendations of the Commission Report and monitors how these recommendations are being implemented;

· identifies needed improvements in meeting these recommendations and develops action plans to address them;

· provides annual feedback on ICWA implementation and compliance to South Dakota’s state governance (including, but not limited to, Tribal Chairpersons, Child Protection Services, Governor’s Office, legislative committees, etc.); and

· promotes special ICWA training for court advocates (attorneys) and judges, including tribal judges.

2. Legislative Review and Development:

Another of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)’s main responsibilities is legislative review and development—specifically proposed or existing legislation that impacts Native child welfare.

Therefore, the Circle, in partnership with the leadership of the Division of Child Protection Services:

· regularly reviews proposed legislation and monitors existing legislation and related activities as they impact on Native children and families, and

· advocates as necessary and appropriately;

· develops procedures and protocols for these reviews and monitoring that clarifies for all four kinds of Circle members (Tribes, State, family members and youth, and providers) and communicates these procedures and protocols with them so that all parties know how to proceed with proposed legislation;

· develops proactively with the Circle’s four members needed new legislation and advocates for the legislation’s passage as necessary and appropriate; and

· develops an annual plan for legislative relationships for example, regular meetings with legislators and legislative staff who work on Indian child welfare.

3. Services and Stability:

In order to keep Native children out of child protective services and/or to safely return them to stable families, South Dakota needs a range of effective child and family services and supports.

Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):

· regularly assesses the adequacy of the service array in the seven regions, through the regional Collaboratives;

· assesses the accessibility of child and family services and supports in terms of geography, culture, and language;

· assists tribes in assessing their own service arrays as requested;

· promotes the sharing of resources; and

· addresses funding issues, including IV-E contracts, required infrastructure for IV-E contracting, staffing, lack of service providers, and funding for tribal courts.

4. Placement Resources:

When children need an out-of-home placement to be safe, a variety of placement resources are needed.

Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):

· promotes the use of Family Group Decision-Making or family meetings to plan the placement;

· promotes the identification, preparation, and support of relative resource families;

· supports the recruitment and retention of Native American resource families (relative, foster, and adoptive families) for Native children, with special emphasis on adolescents and children with special needs; and

· advocates for culturally appropriate services in other placement resources (e.g., group homes, residential treatment facilities).

5. Education, Training, and Public Relations:

The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) acknowledges the need for education of the general public, and for addressing the training needs of resource families, tribal staff, and public and private sector staff.

Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):

· promotes public education about resource families:

· The different types of out-of-home family placements (relative, foster, adoptive).

· Requirements to become resource families (relative, foster, adoptive).

· Funding available to help meet the needs of children in placement.

· Positive contributions that resource families make to children and to the community.

· promotes training for resource families, including cultural training;

· monitors the implementation of the Child Protection Services Statewide Strategic Plan, particularly as it relates to education and training of resource families, kinship families, and public, tribal and private agency child protection staff.

6. Regional Collaboratives Support:

From the beginning, discussions about creating the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle), there was consensus regarding the need to create parallel regional structures.

Each plays a critical role:

· regional Collaboratives identify service needs and report how systems are working at the local level,

· while the statewide Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) sees the picture across the state and helps set statewide priorities.

· Collaboration across these levels supports effective cross-system collaboration at the case level, so children and families receive integrated services in day-to-day practice.

· Regional Collaboratives are particularly important as we implement the strategic plan for the recruitment and retention of resource families, including Native families.

The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) takes as one of its main responsibilities the creation and support of a child welfare collaborative in each of South Dakota’s child protection service regions.

7. Resource Development and Finance:

As the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) has grown and matured, it has become clear that we need to develop resources to support the important work of the Circle and the regional collaboratives, as well as to manage and sustain the human and financial resources we have from our four kinds of Circle members (Tribes, State, family members and youth, and providers) and from other benefactors.

Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):

· seeks out additional needed human and fiscal resources from benefactors who are committed to the innovative collaboration we are developing through the Circle in order to support the work of the Circle and the regional Collaboratives;

· develops and implements plans to sustain the Circle’s human and financial resources;

· challenges the four kinds of Circle members to continue their human, in-kind, and financial contributions to the Circle; and

· manages the Circle’s fiscal resources by monitoring financial activities and creating an annual financial report.

8. Reconciliation[1]/Trust Building:

Part of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle)’s maturation process has been the realization and consensus that in order to work together and accomplish our mission, vision, and activities, we must constantly tend and nurture trust building among the four kinds of Circle members. Indeed, we have learned—sometimes painfully—that trust building must be an explicit and a continuous process throughout the life and work of the Circle, particularly in the context of the history of the relationship between public child welfare and the tribal nations in the United States and in South Dakota. We have also learned that if we take trust building for granted, we will suffer the consequences.

Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):

· commits itself at the level of the Circle to build trust in Native child welfare through truth telling, acknowledging, restoring, and relating;

· assists the regional Collaboratives as they are ready developmentally in building trust at the local level;

· promotes trust building in child welfare among the four kinds of Circle members and other community Stakeholders across the State of South Dakota.

9. Membership Recruitment and Retention:

Continued human investment in the work of the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) and its committees and special projects does not just happen spontaneously. The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) must be proactive in ensuring full participation by all four kinds of its members as well as by other community stakeholders throughout South Dakota, and proactive in retaining their participation after recruitment.

Therefore, the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle):

continuously works to ensure full participation and retention on the Circle by all four kinds of Circle members;
conducts an annual audit with the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) of the participants of all the Circle’s committees (standing and ad hoc) and special projects to ensure full participation and retention on these bodies by all four kinds of members;
works proactively to recruit and retain the participation of other community stakeholders in South Dakota in the work of the Circle, its committees, and special projects (for example, public and private sector providers of child welfare services; mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence service providers; educators, health care providers, home visiting program staff; court, legal, and law enforcement officials, including CASA volunteers; birth parents, family caregivers [foster, adoptive, and kinship] and youth; child abuse prevention advocates and staff; other key providers—for example, housing, food resources, transportation; elected officials and administrators, including legislators and legislative staff; media staff; and representatives of the business, faith and labor communities).

1.2 PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

The purpose of this request for proposal is to select a contractor(s) for the planning, facilitating, and implementing of the Service Array Assessment Process and Resource Development Planning Process in South Dakota, as determined by the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) and the scope of work (section 3.00) in this RFP.

The rationale for this process is:

a) to improve outcomes for children and families in child welfare, a range of services and supports are needed, from preventative to remedial,

b) services and supports must be available, accessible, and of good quality or “reasonable efforts” have not been made,

c) creating a viable, continuing community stakeholder group for the jurisdiction.

Contractors may submit proposals to provide the required services identified under RFP 001.

This RFP is designed to provide interested contractors with sufficient basic information to submit proposals meeting minimum requirements, but is not intended to limit a proposal's content or exclude any relevant or essential data. Contractors are at liberty and are encouraged to expand upon the specifications to evidence service capability under any agreement.

All participating contractors shall agree to comply with all of the conditions, requirements and instructions of this proposal as stated or implied herein. Should anything have been omitted from this proposal that is necessary to a clear understanding of its requirements, or should it appear that various instructions are in conflict, the contractor shall secure written instructions from the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) contact person at least forty-eight hours prior to the time and date of the opening of the proposal.

1.3 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

RFP Publication	1/4/2008
Deadline for Submission of Written Inquiries	1/18/2008
Responses to Contractor Questions	1/25/2008
Proposal Submission- postmarked by	2/15/2008
Oral Presentations/discussions (if required)	2/29/2008
Anticipated Award Decision/Contract Negotiation	3/14/2008

1.4 SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL

All proposals must be completed and received by the Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) contact person by the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities.

Proposals received after the deadline will be late and ineligible for consideration.

An original and two identical copies of the proposal shall be submitted.

1.5 CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, INELIGIBILITY AND VOLUNTARY EXCLUSION – LOWER TIER COVERED TRANSACTIONS

By signing and submitting this proposal, the contractor certifies that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation, by any Federal department or agency, from transactions involving the use of Federal funds. Where the contractor is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, the bidder shall attach an explanation to their offer.

1.6 NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

The Collaborative Hocoka (Circle) requires that all contractors, provide a statement of non-discrimination. By signing and submitting their proposal, the contractor certifies they do not discriminate in their employment practices with regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, ancestry, national origin or disability.

1.7 MODIFICATION OR WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS

Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the contractor prior to the established due date and time.

No oral, telephonic, telegraphic or facsimile responses or modifications to informal, formal bids, or Request for Proposals will be considered.

1.8 CONTRACTOR INQUIRIES

Contractors may make written or email inquiries concerning this RFP to obtain clarification of requirements. No inquiries will be accepted after the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities. Email inquiries must be sent to Russ Conti at rconti@myway.com with the subject line “RFP #001.” Inquiries may also be faxed to (605) 867-5941. If inquiries are submitted by mail the envelope should be addressed to: Russ Conti, Services & Stability Committee Co-Chair, 6134 Wildwood Drive, Rapid City

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1.4 SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL