Broward County Commission Regular Meeting

A. MOTION TO RETROACTIVELY APPROVE Agreement No. KID-BARC-CFS-2017 between Kids in Distress, Inc. and Broward County from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018, in the amount of $73,635, with two automatic annual renewals, for the provision of substance abuse services to parents participating in the Coordinated Family Services program with a goal of family reunification; authorizing Mayor and Clerk to execute same; authorizing the County Administrator to execute amendments which do not increase the total annual funding amount above $84,680, subject to approval of the same by the Office of the County Attorney; authorizing the County Administrator to take all administrative and budgetary actions related to the Agreement.

(Commissioner Rich pulled this item.)

ACTION:  (T-10:32 AM)  Approved.  (Refer to minutes for full discussion.)
 
VOTE: 8-0.  Commissioner Rich abstained from voting on this item.

B. MOTION TO ADOPT budget Resolution No. 2017-382 to appropriate revenue in the amount of $73,635, for the provision of substance abuse services to parents whose children have been removed from their care due to allegations of abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment.

(Commissioner Rich pulled this item.)

ACTION:  (T-10:32 AM)  Approved.  (Refer to minutes for full discussion.)
 
VOTE: 8-0.  Commissioner Rich abstained from voting on this item.

Agreements with external agencies and budget Resolutions require Board approval.

This action provides funding to the Broward Addiction Recovery Division to provide substance abuse evaluation and treatment services to adult parents involved in an open dependency case with ChildNet in Broward County, where a child has been removed from the home, and where there is a case plan goal of family reunification.

None.

THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE BROWARD ADDICTION RECOVERY DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTIONS.

This item supports the Board's Value of "Approaching human services collaboratively and compassionately, with special emphasis on the most vulnerable," and the Goal to "Deliver evidence-based services to the public, and connect customers and their family members, to sustainable support, with special emphasis on financial supports."

This Agreement with Kids in Distress, Inc. (KID), retroactive to July 1, 2017, continues the provision of substance abuse treatment services for KID clients of the Coordinated Family Services (CFS) program. KID utilizes contracted funding received from ChildNet, Inc. to subcontract with community service providers, including the Broward Addiction Recovery Division (BARC) for the CFS program. This Agreement with BARC could not be finalized prior to KID receiving a commitment from ChildNet. Funding for this program is dependent on state allocations which can vary from year to year and sometimes are not finalized until the state’s mid-fiscal year, thus requiring an amendment to the current agreement. Past amendments have increased funding by 15%. BARC's participation in the CFS program has been ongoing since 2002, and it is within that historical context and to avoid a disruption of services to Broward County residents that BARC continued to provide services to existing CFS clients in good faith.

KID provides an array of services under the CFS program for families with allegations of child abuse and neglect where a child has been removed from the home. CFS is a collaborative partnership between KID, BARC, and The Glass House. As part of the collaborative partnership, BARC provides outpatient substance abuse assessment and treatment services for parents of at-risk children. BARC services are provided on-site at KID in one central location to accommodate clients receiving other services under the CFS program.

Performance measures to be met are: 75% of clients enrolled for at least 30 days will complete substance abuse services; and 80% of enrolled clients will reduce or eliminate their use of substances. Outcomes were met for the prior contract period.

The Agreement has been reviewed and approved as to form by the Office of the County Attorney.

Stacy Fruhling, Director, BARC, 954-357-4860
William Card, Assistant Director, BARC, 954-357-4819
Polly Cacurak, Business Manager, BARC, 954-357-5093