The Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Division of Child Behavioral Health Services (DCBHS) are pleased to announce the award of the Contract Systems Administrator (CSA) RFP to PerformCare, LLC. and we look forward to working with all our partners as we begin the enormous task of moving forward with the transition.
As you know, this award is the culmination of a long and arduous process. Two years ago, DCF/DCBHS held public forums and stakeholder meetings to better understand what the community needs and wants from a Contracted Systems Administrator (CSA). As we developed the RFP, we consulted with national experts, family members, and advocates who served as editors and advisors. Family members, community providers, and advocates participated in the review of the proposals and offered valuable information to the RFP Evaluation Committee. We have been committed to ensuring we get a diverse set of advice from our community through out this process, and remain committed to continuing that practice during this upcoming period of transition.
In the next few months, DCBHS staff will be intensely involved in crafting a CSA program with core functions that will be familiar to you. As this detail work progresses, DCBHS will rely on the community of providers, stakeholders, advocates, and of course youth and families to help us along. A significant part of the transition of the CSA is implementation of a new Management Information System (MIS) to replace ABSolute. Beginning mid-summer, we will embark on testing the functions of this new MIS and training on the CSA protocols. It is vital to us that frontline staff be a part of the testing process so that our system functions for those who must use it everyday. While we remain focused on the September 7, 2009 transition date, it will be the beginning rather than the end of our work in many ways. Throughout the fall and well into winter, we will engage with you to craft new innovations and enhancements to the system, to ensure that we maximize the potential of our system.
In these next few weeks and throughout this transition, it is of paramount importance that our work remains focused on youth and families engaged with the system now. We look forward to working with you in a collegial and solution and task-focused manner. In the meantime, I know you will continue to support and value the fine work of the ValueOptions leadership and staff.
Should you have any questions, please contact Clarence Whittaker at 609 292 4741.
Nadezhda Robinson, Ph.D
Director, Division of Child Behavioral Health
