Quality Management and Administrative Services - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Consultant Services

In November 2020, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism a public health crisis, underscoring the County’s commitment to addressing systemic inequities and advancing social justice through a comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda. This ongoing effort brings together cross-sector partners, fostering intentional collaboration to generate collective impact and improve racial, social, health, and well-being disparities across the Sacramento region.

Aligned with this strategic agenda rooted in core values of equity and inclusion, the County of Sacramento, Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services, Child Protective Services (DCFAS-CPS), seeks a qualified consulting professional or firm (Consultant) to conduct a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility (DEIBA [1] ) organizational assessment. This assessment is a critical strategy in Sacramento County's implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), locally known as Family First Sacramento (FFS). The primary objective of the DEIBA project is to develop and implement a comprehensive DEIBA organizational assessment tailored to CPS. This assessment seeks to identify and address disparities in service delivery that disproportionately affect communities of color, particularly Black and Native American families.

The project will follow a multi-phased approach, beginning with the design, implementation, and evaluation of the DEIBA assessment. A key component of this process will involve thoroughly identifying and mapping DEI approaches, frameworks, and models currently being utilized by county and system partners, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders. This mapping will ensure that the DEIBA framework developed for CPS aligns with regional efforts, contributing to a collective impact on reducing racial disparities at a population level. The Consultant will also engage external stakeholders to analyze these external factors, followed by the collaborative development and piloting of a DEIBA assessment methodology. Data from internal assessments and external analyses will be synthesized into actionable insights, ensuring that the findings drive meaningful change within CPS.

The successful proposal will outline a comprehensive plan to achieve all aspects of the scope of work, including both tangible and service-based deliverables. This plan should detail the research and mapping of relevant external and internal factors, develop a comprehensive framework to guide the assessment of practices, policies, and culture within the agency and create a subsequent action plan. Additionally, the proposal should include a strategy for regular progress reporting, documenting outcomes, and providing recommendations for ongoing improvements in diversity, racial equity, inclusion, belonging, and other social justice performance measures within the agency.

Finally, the proposal must demonstrate a deep understanding of the historical, systemic, and structural inequities, including racism, that underlie health, well-being, and other social disparities. It should highlight the Consultant’s experience and expertise in racial equity and social justice analysis, organizational change management, and the development of strategic interventions to address these inequities within complex social service delivery systems like CPS.

The DEIBA Request for Proposal (RFP) project is a critical strategy in Sacramento County's implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), known locally as Family First Sacramento (FFS), which builds on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors' declaration of racism as a public health crisis and the subsequent establishment of a comprehensive DEI agenda. This project aims to solicit proposals from qualified consulting professionals or firms to conduct a DEIBA organizational assessment of the Child Protective Services (CPS) division within the Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services (DCFAS). The evaluation is crucial for addressing the significant issues of racial, social, and other disparities experienced by children and families of color within the child welfare system, as highlighted in the previous section.

In 2013, the Sacramento County Blue Ribbon Commission's report on Disproportionate African American Child Deaths highlighted the urgent need for action. The Commission found that African American children die at disproportionately high rates, particularly from causes such as perinatal conditions, infant sleep-related deaths, child abuse and neglect, and third-party homicides. Their recommendations called for targeted interventions, community engagement, and systemic changes.

In response, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors became a strategic partner in the Black Child Legacy Campaign, a community-driven initiative that has significantly contributed to reducing African American child deaths in the above noted areas [1] . This campaign highlights Sacramento County’s long-standing commitment to addressing racial disparities and improving outcomes for African American children through strategic investments and policy shifts.

This commitment was further reinforced in November 2020 when the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism a public health crisis. This declaration led to the creation of the DEI Cabinet in December 2022 and the appointment of the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer in January 2024. The Chief DEI Officer’s vision is pivotal to these efforts and includes building a solid bridge between the County and the community, developing inclusive leadership capabilities, creating a deep sense of belonging, and empowering county departments to advance racial equity. Additionally, in April 2024, Sacramento County became an official member of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a national network dedicated to advancing racial equity through peer learning and sharing strategies and tools.

As these strategic partnerships and initiatives continue to grow, aligning this project with the larger body of DEI work taking place across the region by other county departments, system partners, and community stakeholders is essential. This alignment will include identifying population-level indicators and external factors that influence the disparities experienced within the child welfare system. The importance of using inclusive and accurate data to guide this assessment cannot be overstated, as underscored in recent studies highlighting the impact of systemic inequities on children and families of color.

Additionally, the project should identify critical areas that overlap with internal programs and efforts already underway, such as the Cultural Broker Program, Family First Sacramento (FFS) Prevention Plan, the Kin-First Culture Initiative, and the Kin-First Integration Project. These initiatives align with the FFPSA's overarching objective of transforming child welfare services from a reactionary system to a preventive one, focusing on supporting children and families to promote their well-being and safety and reducing racial disproportionality and disparities. By conducting a comprehensive DEIBA organizational assessment, DCFAS-CPS aims to gain insights into how program performance measures (internal factors) and organizational conditions—such as practice, policy, workflow resources, relational connections, power dynamics, and mental models [2] —contribute to disparities.

This understanding will inform the development and implementation of strategies to mitigate these disparities and promote equitable outcomes for all children and families served by CPS. Aligning these DEI initiatives with the broader Sacramento County DEI agenda and the Chief DEI Officer’s vision ensures a cohesive and integrated approach to advancing racial equity. By fostering cross-sector collaboration and leveraging collective impact, this project seeks to create a more just and equitable child welfare system by developing an actionable plan for dismantling the historical and structural root causes that perpetuate racial disparities. The urgency of this work cannot be overstated, as it represents a crucial step toward fulfilling Sacramento County's commitment to equity and justice for its most vulnerable populations.