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MDHHS offers opportunity for collaboration to help strengthen juvenile justice residential treatment system

As part of its commitment to addressing priority needs within Michigan’s juvenile justice residential treatment system, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released a Request for Information (RFI) to collect input on solutions to help strengthen the state’s juvenile justice residential treatment continuum and shift how juvenile justice programs, policies and services are delivered statewide.

Through an RFI, MDHHS is inviting vendors, service providers and subject matter experts to collaborate on improvement strategies that could help build on the department’s strategic planning, procurement and policy decisions related to Michigan’s juvenile justice residential treatment system.

The RFI is grounded in comprehensive results from a juvenile justice needs assessment conducted by MDHHS, which included a statewide survey of court administrators and a series of stakeholder workgroup sessions facilitated by Public Consulting Group LLC. The assessment identified seven priority areas, including workforce recruitment and retention, specialized placement options for high-needs youth, expanded clinical services and greater access to services in rural and underserved areas of the state.

The RFI provides an opportunity to build together on these findings by seeking information and innovative approaches to addressing the needs identified through the assessment as possible solutions are developed.

Key areas of opportunity identified through the assessment include:

  •        Workforce development, including staff recruitment, retention and specialized training in trauma-informed and de-escalation practices.
  •        Specialized residential placements for youth with mental health, behavioral health, intellectual and developmental or substance use needs.
  •        Clinical and therapeutic services such as eye movement desensitization and processing, dialectical behavior therapy and problematic sexual behavior treatment.
  •        Short-term respite, crisis stabilization and step-down programming.
  •        Geographic access solutions for rural regions, including Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
  •        Licensing, compliance and regulatory education resources.
  •        Family engagement, aftercare and reentry support services.

The RFI is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation, commitment to procure services or guarantee of a future contract award.

Responses to RFI 260000000016 must be submitted online through SIGMA, by 3 p.m., Friday, Oct. 9.

An account in SIGMA is required to respond to the RFI. Vendors can create an account using the sign-up feature. Full SIGMA account creation instructions and requirements are also available.

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