Prevention Planning Consultation Services

The San Mateo County Human Services Agency (HSA), Children and Family Services (CFS) branch, is seeking proposals from qualified firms with demonstrated expertise in California child welfare systems, the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), Title IV-E Prevention Services, Community Pathways, fiscal claiming, and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) to provide technical consulting and subject matter expertise supporting the County’s development and implementation of its Family First Prevention Services Program. The selected Contractor will serve as a technical advisor to the County by providing strategic consultation, policy and operational guidance, fiscal expertise, workforce planning recommendations, facilitation, and technical assistance necessary to support the County in designing and implementing a sustainable FFPSA Prevention Program that complies with applicable federal and State requirements. The Contractor will work collaboratively with County leadership, child welfare program staff, fiscal staff, and community partners to provide technical guidance, develop implementation recommendations, and assist the County in making informed policy and operational decisions. The County will retain responsibility for all policy decisions, operational implementation, eligibility determinations, and ongoing administration of the FFPSA Prevention Program. The Contractor will not assume operational responsibility for County programs, perform child welfare case management functions, or make eligibility determinations on behalf of the County. The County seeks a consultant with extensive knowledge of California child welfare systems and FFPSA requirements who can provide practical guidance, develop implementation tools and resources, identify regulatory and operational considerations, and support integration of Title IV-E Prevention requirements into the County’s existing child welfare continuum. A successful result looks like a fully integrated, state-compliant Title IV-E and Community Pathway network that routes families to evidence-based programs (EBPs) without requiring Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement. The selected contractor will successfully establish auditable Title IV-E candidacy determination tools, build a braided fiscal model to maximize federal revenue alongside Medi-Cal (CalAIM), and ensure complete documentation and data-link readiness prior to the upcoming CWS-CARES platform local go-live deployment. The County intends to award one agreement for an initial term of two (2) years, tentatively beginning in September 2026.