SOI # 116: Court Appointed Special Advocates

UCS seeks letters of interest from qualified vendors to provide Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) services pursuant to Part 44 of the Rules of the Chief Judge , and Part 117 of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge , and as more fully detailed herein, beginning on April 1, 2025 for a period of four (4) years and nine (9) months, terminating on December 31, 2029. UCS seeks two providers: one for services within New York City and one for services Outside New York City. Applicants may apply to serve either or both catchment areas.

CASAs are trained volunteers assigned by family court judges to advocate for children who are the subject of abuse, neglect or voluntary placement proceedings under Article 10 of the Family Court Act. CASA volunteers do not provide legal representation or advocate for the child’s interests, rather CASA volunteers provide independent information to the Court that supports informed judicial decisions and promotes the safety, permanency and well-being of the subject child.

Estimated available funding is defined on the Form attached to this Solicitation. To be deemed qualified, applicants must demonstrate the capacity to provide the services set forth in this Solicitation of Interest, irrespective of prior experience in providing CASA services.

New York City

The New York State Unified Court System (UCS) seeks letters of interest from organizations to provide Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) services in the New York City Family Court (Bronx, New York, Queens, Richmond and Kings counties).

Specific services sought:

• Implementation of the NYC CASA program in conformance with the aforementioned court rules.
• Fiscal and programmatic oversight of the CASA program in New York City;
• Recruiting, training and supervising qualified volunteer CASAs;
• Tracking data on the number of children served and submitting reports as required;
• Develop program policies and procedures with the advice and consent of the Administrative Judge of the New York City Family Court.

Outside New York City

The New York State Unified Court System (UCS) seeks letters of interest from organizations to provide coordination and oversight of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) services delivered by local affiliate programs in various counties outside of New York City. Counties currently served are Albany, Broome, Chautauqua, Chemung, Dutchess, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Monroe, Nassau, Onondaga, Orange, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schenectady, Schuyler, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tioga, Ulster, Westchester, and Yates.

Specific services sought:

• Implementation of the Outside NYC CASA program in conformance with the aforementioned rules;
• Directly administer CASA services and/or execute sub-awards with local affiliate programs

Division of Professional and Court Services Solicitation of Interest #116: Court Appointed Special Advocates Issued November 6, 2024 Letters due November 20, 2024

• Propose annual funding amounts for each local CASA program for review and approval by UCS;
• Provide technical support to local affiliate programs and develop efficiencies through centralized services;
• Track data on the number of children served and submit reports as required;
• Promote continuous quality improvement;
• Assist UCS in the development of CASA programs in additional counties.
• Develop program policies and procedures with the advice and consent of the respective Judicial

District Administrative Judges of the districts where CASA programs operate.

To indicate interest in and eligibility to provide these services , please complete the Required Response Form on the following page and send

• the Required Response Form;

• a line-item budget, in the required attached Excel format, for the available funds for the initial 12-month period as defined on the Required Response Form for EACH catchment area for which interest is expressed ; and

• a letter of interest to:

Bridget McAvoy Principal Court Analyst

bmcavoy@nycourts.gov

Please write “SOI 116: CASA” in the subject line.

To receive consideration, the letter of interest must in the format defined herein and must include a brief description of prior experience providing CASA services (if relevant), the organization’s capacity to provide the services, including capacity to administer government-funded contracts and volunteer-based services .

Letters of interest and forms are due at the email address above by 2pm Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

REQUIRED RESPONSE FORM

To indicate interest in providing services pursuant to this Solicitation of Interest, complete the three right columns on this form. Forms, budgets and letters of interest are due by 2pm Wednesday, November 20, 2024.