Agenda Item   

AGENDA STAFF REPORT

 

                                                                                                                        ASR Control  25-000942

 

MEETING DATE:

04/14/26

legal entity taking action:

Board of Supervisors

board of supervisors district(s):

All Districts

SUBMITTING Agency/Department:

Social Services Agency   (Approved)

Department contact person(s):

An Tran (714) 541-7708 

 

 

James Cho (714) 541-7711

 

 

Subject:  Approve Memorandum of Understanding for Neighborhood Resource Network Services

 

     ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

          Concur

Approved Agreement to Form

Discussion

 

 

3 Votes Board Majority

 

 

 

    Budgeted: N/A

Current Year Cost:  N/A

Annual Cost: N/A

 

 

 

    Staffing Impact:

No

# of Positions:           

Sole Source:   N/A

    Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

   Funding Source:    N/A

County Audit in last 3 years: No

   Levine Act Review Completed: Yes

 

    Prior Board Action:         6/6/2023 #13, 11/17/2020 #3, 12/5/2017 #20, 12/15/2015 #23

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

 

 

1.

Approve non-financial Master Memorandum of Understanding for Neighborhood Resource Network services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

2.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Individual Memorandum of Understanding with Children and Families Commission of Orange County and Abrazar, Inc., for Neighborhood Resource Network Services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

3.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Individual Memorandum of Understanding with Children and Families Commission of Orange County and All For Kids for Neighborhood Resource Network Services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

4.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Individual Memorandum of Understanding with Children and Families Commission of Orange County and Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center for Neighborhood Resource Network Services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 


 

5.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Individual Memorandum of Understanding with Children and Families Commission of Orange County and Child Guidance Center, Inc., for Neighborhood Resource Network Services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

6.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Individual Memorandum of Understanding with Children and Families Commission of Orange County and OMID Multicultural Institute for Development for Neighborhood Resource Network services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

7.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Individual Memorandum of Understanding with Children and Families Commission of Orange County and Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center for Neighborhood Resource Network services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

8.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Individual Memorandum of Understanding with Children and Families Commission of Orange County and The Priority Center, Ending the Generational Cycle of Trauma for Neighborhood Resource Network Services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

9.

Authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute the Subordinate Memorandums of Understanding under the Master Memorandum of Understanding for Neighborhood Resource Network Services referenced in Recommended Action Number 1, with qualified Community Based Organizations for the term of July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

 

10.

Authorize acceptance of Claims-Made Sexual Misconduct Liability Insurance in lieu of Per Occurrence Sexual Misconduct Liability Insurance for Providers that are not able to obtain Per Occurrence Sexual Misconduct Liability Insurance.

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

Approval of this non-financial Master Memorandum of Understanding and subordinate agreements will support multidisciplinary teams that offer a range of community services to families with children from birth through age five to maintain and strengthen the family unit.

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

 

The Board of Supervisors (Board) previously approved the Master Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Neighborhood Resource Network (NRN) services, as outlined below.


 

 

Board Date

MOU Term

Board Action

12/15/2015

1/15/2016 – 1/14/2018

Approved Master MOU

12/5/2017

1/15/2018 – 12/31/2020

Approved Master MOU

11/17/2020

1/1/2021 – 6/30/2023

Approved Master MOU

6/6/2023

7/1/2023 – 6/30/2026

Approved Master MOU

 

The Children and Families Commission of Orange County (CFCOC), also referred to as First 5 Orange County, in partnership with the Social Services Agency (SSA), designed the NRN program based on research by the Children’s Data Network at the University of Southern California. This research indicates that a Child Abuse Report made in the first five years of a child’s life is a strong indicator of future significant risk to the child, with 60 percent of infants having a second report within their first year of life.

 

The NRN program serves families with children from birth through age five who have received their first allegation of abuse, which is reported to the Child Abuse Hotline, investigated and subsequently closed by SSA without further intervention because the report does not meet the legal threshold for child abuse. The NRN program provides support by connecting families who opt-in to community services to help manage circumstances that create stress on families, thereby reducing the potential for child abuse. SSA refers families to the NRN program through certified Multidisciplinary Team (MDTs) to qualified community-based organizations (CBOs) for prevention and early intervention services. CBOs and MDTs use evidence-based models to engage families with services such as counseling, parent education, anger management and in-home coaching. NRN referrals and services are tracked using the Differential Response Tracking System (DRTS), which records and manages information for reports of child maltreatment.

 

Outcomes

The following data demonstrates NRN activities from July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2025:

 

Services

FY 2023-24

FY 2024-25

FY 2025-26*

Number of NRN Referrals Received by MDT

839

524

234

Number of Contact Attempts to Families**

1708

2113

1168

Number of Family Contacts/Engagements***

942

583

392

* Through December 31, 2025.

** Contact types include email/letter, meeting, telephone, or text. Families may receive multiple contact attempts and types.

*** Contacts/Engagements include families who are responsive to program information and/or participate in the intake process. Families may have multiple engagements.

 

Outcomes are tracked for families who participate in the NRN program to evaluate service effectiveness. Twenty-six families that completed services were checked for additional Child Abuse Hotline reports within six months after service completion. Twelve percent of these families did not have an additional report within six months, compared to 17 percent of non-NRN families.

 

The following outcome objectives have been added to the MOU to enhance monitoring of the program’s efficiency:

 

1.  First 5 Orange County will assign a minimum of 90 percent of referrals to CBO within two business days of DRTS assignment.

2.  CBO will attempt first contact for a minimum of 90 percent of referrals within three business days of First 5 Orange County assignment.

 

CBOs contact referred families within three business days or until the family declines services, with a minimum of four contact attempts made. Families contacted can reinitiate contact and participate in the NRN program after initially declining services.

 

SSA requests the authority to add subordinate MOUs throughout the MOU term as the need arises and qualified providers are identified, without returning to the Board for approval as referenced in the Recommended Actions. This will expedite the provision of NRN program services to families, expand the network of CBOs and increase capacity to meet community needs.

 

This MOU follows Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 10850.1 and Penal Code, Section 11167.5, which define and establish guidelines permitting the MDT to disclose and exchange confidential information or writing maintained in connection with any program of public social services between MDT members. See Attachment I for Cited Codes and Regulations.

 

Subcontracts

This MOU does not currently include subcontractors or pass through to other providers. See Attachment J for Contract Summary Form.

 

Non-Standard Indemnification Provisions

This MOU includes non-standard mutual indemnification provisions. County Executive Office (CEO) Risk Management has deemed these provisions acceptable. See Attachment K for information regarding changes to indemnification provision.

 

Non-Standard Insurance Provisions

This MOU includes non-standard insurance provisions that eliminate the requirement of Per Occurrence Sexual Misconduct Liability (SML) insurance. The Parties to the MOU are unable to obtain Per Occurrence SML as they are unable to identify an insurer that provides this insurance in the United States or abroad. Effective January 1, 2024, new state law eliminated the previous time limit for the statute of limitations on childhood sexual assault. Under the new law, a civil claim for a child sexual abuse event that occurs after January 1, 2024, can be brought at any time. Due to the significant increase in potential liability the new law poses, many California insurance providers are unwilling to issue Per Occurrence policies for SML. The Parties to the MOU will carry Claims-Made SML insurance and will be required to maintain this insurance throughout the term of the MOU. CEO Risk Management does not concur with the elimination of the requirement for Per Occurrence SML, but has approved Claims-Made SML provided that CBOs are not engaged in unsupervised contact with minors. See Attachment L for Risk Assessment Form.

 

SSA now requests the Board’s approval of the Master MOU for NRN services and to authorize the County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute individual MOUs with participating CBOs to provide NRN services, effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. SSA also requests the Board’s approval for the delegated authority to enter into individual MOUs with qualified CBOs during the MOU term. This MOU is non-financial and SSA has no financial obligation to the NRN program.

 

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

 

This is a non-financial Memorandum of Understanding.

 

 

STAFFING IMPACT:

 

N/A

 

ATTACHMENT(S):

 

Attachment A – Master MOU #MA-063-26010592 for Neighborhood Resource Network Services
Attachment B – MOU with Abrazar, Inc.
Attachment C – MOU with All For Kids
Attachment D – MOU with Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center
Attachment E – MOU with Child Guidance Center, Inc.
Attachment F – MOU with OMID Multicultural Institute for Development
Attachment G – MOU with Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center
Attachment H – MOU with The Priority Center, Ending the Generational Cycle of Trauma
Attachment I – Cited Codes, Regulations and/or Statutes
Attachment J – Contract Summary Form
Attachment K – Modification of Indemnification Terms
Attachment L – Risk Assessment Form