Procure the services of Congregate Care and Child Placing Agency Services vendors to join its Continuum of Care (CoC) network

Location:	Mississippi
Posted:	Oct 29, 2025
Due:	Dec 2, 2025
Agency:	State Government of Mississippi
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	D - Automatic Data Processing and Telecommunication Services G - Social Services Q - Medical Services R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services
Solicitation No:	1661-26-R-RFQF-00001
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

Procurement Details

Smart Number	1661-26-R-RFQF-00001	Advertised Date	10/29/2025 3:00 PM
RFx #	3140004423	Submission Date	12/02/2025 12:00 PM
RFx Status	Open	Major Procurement Category	PERSONNEL SERVICES NON-IT
RFx Opening Date	12/02/2025 1:00 PM	Sub Procurement Category	PERSONNEL SERVICE - NON-TECHNOLOGY
RFx Type	RFQ - Formal
Agency	MS DEPT OF CHILD PROTECTION
RFx Description	MDCPS is seeking to procure the services of Congregate Care and Child Placing Agency Services vendors to join its Continuum of Care (CoC) network. The CoC is a network of agencies that work together to protect children and offer a wide range of family-ce

Contact Information

Name	LASHUNDA WILLIAMS	Email	LASHUNDA.WILLIAMS@MDCPS.MS.GOV
Phone	6018333311	Fax

RFx Items

PRODUCT CATEGORY	PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
95247	Serv HumanFosterCare

Awarded

VENDOR NAME

VENDOR NUMBER

AWARD DATE

AWARD AMOUNT

FUNDING SOURCE

Bid Attachments

Attachments Supervised Independent Living
Attachments Adolescent Diversion Units - Access Units
Attachments Intake and Assessment Center Scope of Service - Complete 12-16-2
Attachments MDCPS RFQ 2025 COC
Attachments QRTP Scope of Service
Attachments Teen Maternity Home - Complete 12-16-2024
Attachments Therapeutic Foster Home Scope of Service
Attachments Therapeutic Group Home Scope of Service
Attachments Traditional Foster Home Scope of Service - Complete 12-16-2024
Attachments Traditional Group Home Scope of Service - Complete 12-16-2024

Attachment Preview

SCOPE OF SERVICE:

Intake and Assessment Centers (Emergency Shelters) (IAC) shall be designated to

provide emergency and/or temporary residential services (up to 60 days) to meet the

basic needs of children and youth ages ten (10) to twenty-one (21). Intake and

Assessment Centers are short-term solutions for children and youth entering care

until permanency may be achieved. No child shall remain in an Intake and

Assessment Center for more than sixty (60) calendar days unless there are

exceptional circumstances and the MDCPS Deputy Commissioner of Well-Being

and Safety has granted express written approval and documented the need for the

extension.

MDCPS LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS:

All Offerors offering placement services under the Traditional and/or Therapeutic Group

Home Contract will require a current license(s) by MDCPS. All Offerors shall meet all

requirements contained in Licensing Requirements for Residential Child Caring Agencies

and Child Placing Agencies (Licensing Standards). The Licensing Standards can be

accessed online at https://www.mdcps.ms.gov/mdcps-policy. Offerors must acknowledge

acceptance and compliance with licensing standards by signing the Licensing

Requirements for Residential Child Caring Agencies and Child Placing Agencies (Licensing

Standards). If the Offeror is not yet licensed by MDCPS, proof of application may be

submitted in conjunction with the response to this Request for Qualifications. If a contract

is awarded, the Offeror must be fully licensed by MDCPS within one hundred twenty (120)

days of the award date, or the contract will be subject to immediate termination. No children

will be placed with the Offeror under this contract until the Offeror is fully licensed. If an

Offeror offers multiple placement service types, they will be expected to meet all licensing

standards for each of the placement types as outlined in the Licensing Requirements.

HISTORY OF THE AGENCY

1. The Division of Family and Children's Services (DFCS) was designated by the

Mississippi Legislature as the licensing authority for the Department of

Human Services on July 1, 2000.

2. In March 2004, the Olivia Y. lawsuit was filed against Mississippi, MDHS, and

DFCS. This case alleged that Mississippi’s foster care system was failing to

adequately protect and provide services to children in its custody. The Olivia

Y. lawsuit is still ongoing, and the Mississippi Department of Child Protection

Services (MDCPS) is now the defendant. As this litigation is ongoing, these

licensure standards may be impacted.

3. On May 13, 2016, the legislature created MDCPS, and authorized MDCPS to

carry out various duties and responsibilities of DFCS including the licensing

of family foster homes, child-caring agencies, and child-placing agencies.

4. On July 1, 2023, MDCPS became a standalone agency. The Mississippi

legislature has declared that MDCPS shall be the licensing authority for foster

family homes, child-caring agencies, and child-placing agencies.

OVERALL INTAKE AND ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS:

A. Partner Provider must meet or exceed all standards prescribed within these and

other applicable policies to receive and maintain licensure (full Congregate Care

and Child Placing Agencies Standards attached).

B. Partner Provider must be licensed by MDCPS to receive a referral of any child/ren

in MDCPS custody.

C. Partner Provider must be licensed by MDCPS to receive a referral of any child/ren in

MDCPS custody.

D. For children who stay more than three (3) days, the Intake and Assessment

Centers must cooperate with MDCPS in assessing the needs of the child. A plan

based on the child’s needs must include the specific services to be provided by

the Intake and Assessment Center and other resources required to meet the

needs of the child.

E. Partner Provider must describe its ability to establish and maintain a trauma-

informed care environment to include trauma specific training for employees,

youth and volunteers.

F. Partner Provider’s ability to ensure that each youth receives a comprehensive

initial assessment and individual service plan to be performed by a fully licensed

mental health professional within 14 days of admission.

G. Partner Provider’s ability to ensure that each youth receives an Initial Safety/Risk

Assessment within 24 hours of admission.

H. Partner Provider shall submit a written monthly summary for each child that

describes any progress and/or lack thereof according to Individual Service Plan

and Risk Assessment. The monthly summary shall also include any updates

regarding medical appointments, medication, education, therapy, overall

functioning within current setting and identified plans for anticipated discharge.

All monthly summaries shall be submitted by the 5th day of each month to the

MDCPS Therapeutic Placement Unit at TherapeuticPlacement@mdcps.ms.gov

as well as to the identified MDCPS Specialist.

I. Partner Provider must describe its geographic service capacity, population age

range and gender population.

J. The maximum bed capacity of each Intake and Assessment Center is: Twelve

(12) beds per home.

K. When Intake and Assessment Center is offered as one part of the program of a

childcare facility, a separate cottage or wing of a dormitory must be used

exclusively for shelter care. Ongoing contact with the children in other group

care is prohibited.

L. Staffing ratio requirements for each IAC is: One (1) direct care staff member per

every six (6) youth.

M. The provider must have at least one full-time (1) social worker or comparable

professional for every twelve (12) children that are in care. (i.e.; one (1) social

worker for one (1) to twelve (12) children; two (2) full-time social workers for

thirteen (13) to twenty-four (24) children).

N. MDCPS will conduct bi-annual performance based congregate care scorecard

reviews for all congregate care settings excluding (see attached).

MDCPS CONTINUUM OF CARE:

A. Partner Provider must agree to be an active participant in the MDCPS Continuum

of Care:

o The MDCPS Continuum of Care (CoC) serves as a network of

partnering agencies that work collectively to ensure that children are

protected and are provided with a wide range of family centered

services that meet their needs at any level of involvement with the child

protection system. Ultimately, the CoC network of partner providers

spans the entire spectrum of child protection services to include

prevention services, medical and legal supports, licensed foster

homes and residential treatment settings.

o When out of home placements have been deemed in the best interest

of the child, the CoC ensures that children and youth are provided with

quality therapeutic foster homes that are safe, licensed, child and

family centered and trauma informed. Moreover, the CoC-purpose is

to establish and maintain a robust statewide partnership consisting of

organizations that serve children and youth in foster care that are

committed to significantly decreasing overall placement disruptions,

reducing congregate care placements and achieving permanency.

o As a part of the Continuum of Care, each partnering agency commits

to its designated service role (according to contract) within the CoC

and is required to engage in evidenced based practices that promote

physical and psychological safety, shared parenting, a culture of

trauma awareness, and actively collaborate with MDCPS regarding

youth admissions and discharge transitions. In addition, CoC

members agree to work diligently to ensure that youth are not denied

admission and/or discharge based upon agreed contract criteria.

Ultimately, CoC members actively coordinate with MDCPS and other

members of the CoC regarding referrals, admissions, discharges,

placement transitions and aftercare recommendations/services.

o The Continuum of Care statewide partnership is comprised of

dedicated organizations that serve children and youth in the following

settings:

• Intake and Assessment Center/Emergency Shelter

• Traditional Group Home

• Therapeutic Group Home

• Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP)

• Supervised Independent Living

• Teen Maternity Home

• Specialized Group Care for Minor Victims of Human (Sex)

Trafficking (SGC)

• *Traditional Foster Care

• *Therapeutic Foster Care

• *Adoption

o *Serves as the least restrictive environment and a

priority goal for permanency.

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

A. Partner Provider must agree to implement the following training courses for all

employees and volunteers.

1. Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) -

• Trust Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) is an evidence-based

parenting and intervention model designed for children who have

experienced relationship-based traumas developed by Dr. Karyn

Purvis and Dr. David Cross at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child

Development (KPICD) at Texas Christian University (TCU). TBRI has

been built on a solid foundation of neuropsychological theory and

research, tempered by humanitarian principles.

2. Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) –

• CPI training utilizes an evidence-based mode non-violent crisis

intervention/verbal de-escalation model that prepares your staff to

prevent and de-escalate medium to high-risk behavior using both

a trauma-informed approach to restrictive and non-restrictive

methods.

B. Partner Provider must describe its ability to establish and maintain a trauma-

informed care environment to include trauma specific training for employees,

youth and volunteers.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

A. The Partner Provider must have a clearly defined written policy and procedure

regarding admissions. All denials for admissions must be based upon the clinical

justifications of a fully licensed mental health professional (LCSW, LPC, LMFT,

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Psychologist, Psychiatrist).

B. The Partner Provider must have a written admission policy or procedures outlining the

admissions process to include capacity to provide support to MDCPS in locating

appropriate homes for youth placement twenty-four (24) hours – seven days per week

to include holidays and weekends; to include provider’s 24 hour on-call process for

emergency admissions.

C. The Partner Provider must describe its history and current capacity to serve youth in

foster care that have experienced complex trauma often manifested by high-risk

behaviors such as elopements, verbal outbursts, physical intimidation and/or

aggression, self-harm histories, poor school attendance/grades, etc. This

description must also include any outcomes of current utilization of evidenced-

based intervention models.

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

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Procure the services of Congregate Care and Child Placing Agency Services vendors to join its Continuum of Care (CoC) network

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See also