REPORT TO SHASTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

BOARD MEETING DATE:  January  30, 2018
CATEGORY:  Consent - Law and Justice-11.

SUBJECT:

First Amendment to the Proud Parenting Program Grant Agreement and Budget Amendment

Supervisorial District No. :  ALL

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:  Tracie Neal, Chief Probation Officer, (530) 245-6200

STAFF REPORT APPROVED BY:  Tracie Neal, Chief Probation Officer; Jeff Gorder, Public Defender; Donnell Ewert, HHSA Director

RECOMMENDATION

Take the following actions: (1) Approve and authorize the Chief Probation Officer to sign a retroactive amendment, effective July 1, 2017, to the Proud Parenting Program (Program) revenue grant agreement with the Board of State and Community Corrections increasing the total compensation by $30,341 (to a new total not to exceed $149,626) to improve parenting skills and pregnancy health of offenders retaining the end date of June 30, 2018; and (2) approve a budget amendment increasing appropriations by $20,285 in the Public Defender’s budget offset by a commensurate cost-applied revenue amount from Probation’s budget to hire an Extra Help Social Worker to help implement the Program. 

SUMMARY

Shasta County was offered additional funding for the Proud Parenting Program grant and would like to accept the funds and use $20,285 for an Extra Help Social Worker at the Public Defender’s Office to help connect offenders with services and $10,056 for the Health and Human Services Agency’s Nurse Family Partnership program.

DISCUSSION

In 2015, Shasta County was chosen through a competitive grant process to receive funds through the Proud Parenting Program grant administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). The Proud Parenting Program is designed to break the intergenerational cycle of violence and delinquency by increasing parenting knowledge, improving attitudes about responsible parenting, improving self-esteem, and improving relationships between parents and their children. The target population is parents between the ages of 14 and 25 who are involved with the justice system and/or child welfare system, and their children. These funds are not intended to be used for people without children. Probation Departments throughout the state were allowed to request up to $119,285.

Shasta County used the grant funds to (1) allow the Probation Department to contract with community based organizations (CBO) to administer Nurturing Fathers curriculum and Triple P Positive Parenting Program; and (2) allow the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) to hire a half-time Public Health Nurse II for the Nurse Family Partnership Program (NFP) to work with young mothers who are either on probation supervision or have children whose biological father is on probation supervision.

The BSCC had some counties who did not spend their funds and offered Shasta County additional funding in December 2017. Shasta County proposes to use the additional funding of $30,341, to fund an Extra Help Social Worker at the Public Defender’s Office to help connect offenders to the services established by the grant and to increase the capacity and cover some operating expenses of the Nurse Family Partnership program administered by HHSA. The budget amendment request reflects the effect on the Public Defender’s budget. HHSA’s budget has sufficient authority to cover the costs.

On August 16, 2016, the Board of Supervisors approved and authorized the Chief Probation Officer to sign and submit the retroactive Proud Parenting Program grant agreement with the Board of State and Community Corrections in an amount not to exceed $119,285 to improve parenting skills and pregnancy health of offenders for the period July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017; and sign and process other documents in Fiscal Year 2016-17 and future years (including retroactive) related to the grant, provided such documents do not result in a substantial or functional change to the original intent of the agreement. This authorization, however, did not include the ability to sign documents increasing the total revenue compensation.

ALTERNATIVES

The Board could choose not to designate signature authority to the Chief Probation Officer or decline the grant funds.

OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT

The County Administrative Office has reviewed the recommendation. County Counsel has approved the amendment as to form. There are no modifications to insurance or indemnification and there is no change to the scope of work; therefore, Risk Management review is not applicable.

FINANCING

There is a ten percent match required for the grant. The Probation Department and Health and Human Services Agency have included sufficient authority for both grant funded and County in-kind match expenditures in their FY 2017-18 Adopted Budgets. The Public Defender’s full cost of the Extra Help Social Worker, including office supplies and other associated costs will be covered by the grant funds as Probation will offset the costs via a cost-applied account. HHSA’s budget has sufficient authority to cover the costs. There is no additional General Fund impact associated with the approval of the recommendation.