F5SMC Trauma- and Resiliency-Informed Systems Initiative (TRISI) Consultation Services

First 5 San Mateo County (F5SMC) invites responses to this Request for Statement of Qualifications (“RFSQ”) from qualified consultants, agencies and/or individuals. The successful Respondent(s) may eventually enter into contract with F5SMC to provide Trauma- and Resiliency-Informed Systems Consultation Services. See Attachment C, Sample F5SMC Independent Contractor Agreement.

Respondents may request up to a total of $160,000 for a 1-year contract term for all combined services which begins August 1, 2025 and ends July 31, 2026.

The objective of this procurement is to provide an array of tailored, trauma-informed organizational supports for four countywide departments serving children and families. Respondents may apply to provide one or more of the following discrete services as described below:

1. Coaching and Implementation Support for First 5 San Mateo County staff team: Provide 8-10 customized TIO coaching sessions for a small staff team, facilitate intermittent planning meetings with the organization’s executive leadership team to support and deepen TIO practices. Co-develop a plan to embed and institutionalize TIO practices after FY 2025-26. Up to $10,000
2. Coaching, Training, and Convening Support for SMC Behavioral Health and Recovery Services staff: Provide quarterly TI Systems foundational trainings for all staff and leadership; conduct training sessions on leading through change; offer consultation to support a system-transformation project, including monthly coaching for project leads and development of materials; facilitate learning communities and healing circles to support ongoing work within the organization. Up to $50,000
3. Coaching and Implementation Support for San Mateo County Office of Education staff: Provide monthly coaching and consultation support to internal TIO leadership team; tailored training and material development for agency staff and leadership in response and alignment with the plan developed by the organization; facilitate learning communities and healing circles to support ongoing work within the organization. Up to $50,000
4. Facilitation of County TRISI Leadership Group: Support executive leaders from three child- and family-focused systems to build a collective vision for trauma-informed practice and integration across their systems; develop aligned practices, procedures, opportunities, and events to promote for connection and relationship-building between organizations. Up to $25,000
5. TRISI Resource Hub: Research and design an online resource hub with curated materials to support local TRISI agencies and departments to learn, grow and deepen their TIO capacity. Deliver the hub, including launch of hub on an online hosting platform and provide technical assistance for ongoing hub curation and maintenance: Up to $25,000

F5SMC reserves the right to contract with more than one entity to provide the services identified above.

Funding Amount and Available Term

First 5 SMC has allocated a maximum of $160,000 over one (1) year (August 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026) to meet the goals and objectives detailed in this RFSQ. This allocation includes $105,000 in funding from Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), $45,000 in Sequoia Healthcare District funding, and $10,000 in Proposition 10 funding, for a total of $160,000.

In 2018, the First 5 San Mateo County Mental Health Systems-Building Steering Committee recommended prioritizing the development of an Early Childhood Trauma- and Resiliency-Informed Systems Initiative, with a specific goal of launching this initiative to help young child-and family-serving organizations and systems become more trauma-informed in their operations as a first step.

In the first two years of the Initiative, F5SMC became the moderator of the San Mateo County ACEs Connection (now PACEs Connection) site, which serves as a virtual hub for information sharing among local stakeholders. In addition, F5SMC conducted a market assessment to determine interest among local child - and family -serving organizations in participating in an effort focused on promoting trauma-informed organizational practices, and explored the best format for providing this. In November 2019, F5SMC responded with a day-long countywide event to launch the trauma-informed systems work, “Culture of Care”, which drew nearly 40 agencies/ departments and 200 participants.

In the fall of 2020, F5SMC issued a procurement process to support the following three phases of TRISI: (1) Trauma-Informed Organizational (TIO) Practices Assessment Tool, (2) cross-agency learning cohorts, and (3) individual agency coaching. The process resulted in onboarding contracted partners to support these functions.

In 2021, F5SMC, with the support of its consultant team, provided two educational sessions to local child - and family -serving providers to learn more about TIO practices and the TIO Practices Assessment Tool. In addition, they supported nine (9) local agencies in completing the TIO Assessment Tool, with over 350 individual responses, and launched two cohorts comprised of representatives from six (6) nonprofit agencies or County departments. Each agency also received individual coaching parallel to the cohort offering to support TIO-focused growth.

In the second round of TRISI Implementation for which planning began in the second half of 2022, three of the County’s largest child and family serving systems enlisted the support of F5SMC with the intention of becoming more trauma-informed. That year, 449 people within these systems completed the agency TIO Practice Assessment, which equates to fifty-two percent (52%) of the overall staff within the three agencies. Each agency created coaching teams, and designated staff members to join cross-agency cohorts to help learn more about TIO practices and to begin developing workplans to develop TIO goals that align with the vision for each agency.

Over the past two years, the three large countywide family-serving systems have worked with coaches to develop goals and workplans to help further the integration of TIO practices within their organizations. In August of 2024, agency teams attended a half day convening to help establish collective understanding of TIO practices and to help align purpose and intention across the three systems.

First 5 San Mateo County Strategic Plan

The Commission was authorized to develop a Strategic Plan and allocate funds accordingly. On December 16, 2024, the Commission approved the most recent Strategic Plan for the years 2025-2030. The Commission identified the following desired outcomes to guide its efforts during the Strategic Plan period:

1. San Mateo County leaders and partners fully invest in young children and their families.

2. Communities provide a safe and healthy environment for young children.

3. Children have timely and affordable access to high-quality early care and education settings.

4. Families feel connected to and supported by their community and able to nurture their children’s health
and development.

5. Children have healthy relationships and stable attachments to their primary caregivers.

6. Children have access to and are utilizing appropriate health care services to meet their health and
developmental needs.

7. Families have agency and voice to direct policies and systems that impact their children.

The 2025-2030 Strategic Plan is consistent with the focus and intent of the Children and Families Act, building on what has been learned and accomplished locally and providing a framework for the Commission and the community for how Proposition 10 funds will be strategically invested over the next five years. Central to the success of these investments is a strong foundation that adequately prioritizes early childhood systems and services in San Mateo County. These foundational improvements will be furthered with investments in four core domains: Quality Care and Education, Healthy Children, Resilient Families, and Systems Change.

In light of the Commission’s declining revenues, F5SMC is expanding opportunities for partnership. During the Strategic Planning Process, the First 5 San Mateo County Commission examined how its role in the community could best maximize positive impacts for children, families and the community. For the duration of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, F5SMC will focus on three primary community roles: Strategic Financial Investor, Community Partner in aligned efforts and as a Community Leader to advocate for the prioritization of young children and their families in decision making processes. Respondents should be familiar with the content of the new Strategic Plan, Attachment A which is also available on the First 5 San Mateo County F5SMC website at www.first5sanmateo.org .

As a result of the Strategic Planning Process, the Strategic Plan Implementation Plan (SPIP) – Phase 1, was developed for the implementation of fiscal investments for fiscal years 2025-2026, 2026-2027, 2027-2028 and lists current and upcoming program funding and activities; see Attachment B.