DCY-C-2627-0076 Regional Child Wellness Campus

The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals to establish Child Wellness Campuses (CWCs).
DCY will provide one-time funding to entities that establish CWCs across the state to serve children and youth identified by a public children’s services agency as being at risk of entering agency custody. These children are not placed in licensed residential settings and are instead spending one or more nights in unlicensed settings. CWCs will support children in crisis within or near their home communities and will increase capacity for short-term treatment. Entities must be licensed as a CWC or be actively working with DCY to obtain such a license. Additionally, entities must hold a license, with DCY, as a Children’s Residential Center or Group Home.

For years, communities have faced a severe shortage of appropriate placements for children and youth whose treatment needs cannot be met at home. The lack of local placement options has resulted in some children and youth residing in office buildings or being sent out of state—far from their families and communities—in search of adequate care. Out-of-state placements not only remove children from familiar surroundings but also sever vital connections to their families and communities, making reunification more difficult and increasing trauma.

The target population for these campuses is children and youth who have been determined by PCSA to be at risk of entering PCSA custody and who are not placed in a licensed residential setting. This includes those who would otherwise spend one or more nights in an unlicensed setting, such as a hotel, shelter, agency building, healthcare facility, or a placement that cannot meet the child’s immediate needs. The target population also includes youth whose discharge from a hospital has been delayed due to the lack of an appropriate step-down setting.

To participate or submit an inquiry for this solicitation, prospective Offerors must be registered via the OhioBuys Supplier Portal. Click the following link to initiate this process Selling to the State

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