Below are responses from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division (MCAH) to the inquiries that āāwere submitted following the process as described in the
Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) Request for Applications (RFA) #23-10003. CDPH/MCAH grouped similar inquiries and provided a single response. CDPH/MCAH removed all identifying information and made modifications to questions, if needed, for clarity. If questions were unclear and did not reference the corresponding section of the RFA, as specified in the instructions, CDPH/MCAH was unable to respond.
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Part I., I., Section 3 (Program Reach) of the RFA states:
Although implementation will vary by agency, CDPH/MCAH has estimated that a minimum annual program reach of 50 youth per 1.0 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) case manager is needed to maintain the required caseload of 25 active AFLP youth.
Part III., B. of the RFA states:
ā¦identify and recruit eligible youth into the program to meet and maintain required caseloads of 25-30 active AFLP youth per 1.0 FTE case manager.
Is the required caseload of active youth 25 or between 25 and 30?
answer:The required caseload is 25 active youth per 1.0 FTE case manager.
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Please provide clarification regarding weekend and evening hour requirement. How many hours past 5pm need to be offered to satisfy requirement? How many hours during a weekend day would need to be provided? Would they need to be two separate weekends or would a consecutive Saturday and Sunday count as twice that month? (Part III., E.)
answer:Awardees are required to provide weekend
and/or evening hours no less than twice a month. There is no minimum or maximum number of hours required.
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Table 13: Are all the meetings/trainings listed on the table intended to be held in Sacramento? If not, would you minimally identify the counties they are planned to be held? Can you provide an estimate for training costs?
answer:
Travel:
CDPH/MCAH plans to resume in-person trainings, and applicants should budget accordingly.
Required CDPH/MCAH-sponsored meetings and trainings include:
- Basic Training for all supervisors in year one and any new staff (please account for staff turnover).
- One Spring Training in Spring 2024 and Spring 2025 for AFLP staff as shown in RFA Table 13.
For budgeting purposes, assume trainings and meetings will be held in Sacramento, the Bay Area, or Southern California. Depending on circumstances, trainings may be held virtually.
The Adolescent Sexual Health (ASH) Conference in year one will be virtual.
Upon selection of awardees, CDPH/MCAH will work with agencies on a final budget and/or budget revisions, as needed.
Training:
CDPH/MCAH-sponsored meetings and trainings do not have a registration fee. Applicants, however, should budget for registration/speaker fees associated with required trainings that are not identified as CDPH/MCAH-sponsored trainings in Part III., C. of the RFA.
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On Table 13, CDPH/MCAH-Sponsored Meetings and Trainings, Spring Training is listed in Fall 2023 with the ASH Conference.
answer:In year one, Spring Training will be held in Spring 2024. The ASH Conference will be virtual.ā
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Table 4 Minimum Staffing Pattern. The AFLP coordinator has the same minimum FTE as maximum FTE (10% FTE per 1.0 FTE case manager, not to exceed 35%). I am hoping this could be reconsidered. It would significantly impact the budget. The general description of role suggests this AFLP coordinator position could do the data entry whereas the office assistant/data entry position is optional. The AFLP data entry position fulfills a much larger work responsibility than just data entry. Additionally, we will have the youth advisor which will impact the budget and we need more leeway to work with the positions required on the budget.
answer:The staffing structure was intentionally designed to set applicants up for success and for the best interest of the program and intended outcomes. Applicants must adhere to the staffing pattern as outlined in Table 4, Minimum Staffing Pattern, of the RFA.
Upon selection of awardees, CDPH/MCAH will work with agencies on a final budget and/or budget revisions, as needed.
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Related to Part IX., C. of the RFA, civil service classification and pay scales at California Department of Human Resources lists an Administrative Assistant I and II with different salary ranges A, B, L, M. What do those letters mean? What is the difference between the two positions? Can we use this as a guide for the data entry position? If the internal name we have for that position does not match exactly, can it still be used?
answer:Depending on the individual's experience, the salary range will be A, B, L, M. It is acceptable for the names of positions not to match exactly with the civil service classification. Applicants should use this resource as a general guide for positions, including the data entry position.ā
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Is it correct that a director/coordinator combined position must be 40% AFLP (35% coordinator for a 4-case manager program, plus the min/max of 5% director)?
answer:That is correct. Applicants should refer to Part III., H., Section 1 (Required Staffing Pattern) of the RFA for additional details.
Note: The director/coordinator combined position, if held by the same individual, must be listed separately by role on Attachment 12, Budget Template.ā
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AFLP supervisor position ā depending on the number of case managers we propose, can we split the supervisor position between supervision and case management? For example, two case managers at 100% FTE and then a supervisor at 50% supervision and 50% case management. Or if we propose three 100% FTE case managers, the supervisor could be 75% supervision and 20% case management for a total of 95% FTE.
answer:Per Table 4, Minimum Staffing Pattern, the supervisor may maintain a caseload of approximately 5 youth for an additional 20% FTE added to the project (depends on individual site factors, such as access to additional supervision; this will be considered on a case-by-case basis).ā
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Given the budget and the minimum requirement of 25%, there is a concern to meet the requirement to have an employed youth advisor position. We foresee there could be a challenge trying to find a young parent who meet the requirements (under 21, currently pregnant or parenting) who would be willing to take on a 25% position when they may need to take into account their other financial challenges such as childcare and transportation. Would other strategies to ensure youth input be considered? i.e., a Youth Advisory Board that will join meetings and can be provided with stipends, childcare, food, in-kind cash equivalent in place of hiring a youth advisor position?
answer:The staffing structure was intentionally designed to set applicants up for success and for the best interest of the program and intended outcomes. Applicants must adhere to the staffing pattern as outlined in Table 4, Minimum Staffing Pattern, of the RFA. The minimum FTE for the youth advisor position is 0.25 FTE; however, should agencies need to, they can budget for the maximum of 1.0 FTE.ā
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Is the youth advisor position mandatory? If so, is the maximum age of 21 only the age at hire, or once they reach 21, we would need to find a new youth advisor?
answer:The youth advisor, as described in Table 4, is a required position. While staffing structures vary by agency size and the number of youth to be served, the AFLP staffing pattern must include, at minimum, the staff and FTEs listed in Table 4, Minimum Staffing Pattern. Staff hired must meet the minimum education and experience requirements for their role as outlined in Table 5, Staff Education and Experience. The youth advisor must be 21 years or younger at the time of hire, expectant or parenting, and be an AFLP participant or graduate, Cal-Learn participant or graduate, or graduated from a program in the service agency.ā
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How flexible are the hiring dates for the youth advisor position?
answer:The hiring timeline for the youth advisor will be flexible based upon contract execution.ā
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Is it possible to propose 1.5 case managers? If so, what would be the estimated minimum and maximum award?
Yes, it is possible to propose 1.5 FTE case managers. Using Table 1 as a guide, the funding would be in between the amounts for 1.0 and 2.0 FTE.
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Background, Experience, and Organizational Capacity ā In Attachment 3, questions 3, 4, 5, 6 ask to āInclude a list of the program(s) and outcomes". Please provide us with what you are looking for here. Do you mean programs we work with or AFLP PYD?
answer:For these questions, applicants should describe their experience in each topic area, which includes providing lists of programs implemented that address the topic area and their outcomes (e.g. implemented the AFLP program; served 100 youth and of those served, 50 completed the program). These lists may include, but are not limited to, AFLP. ā
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Regarding electronic signatures ā is the preference a DocuSign digital signature or insertion of a jpeg signature or is either acceptable?
answer:Either is acceptable as long as it adheres to the application submission process outlined in the RFA.
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Submission - the webinar speaker stated that multiple emails can be implemented to submit the required attachments. Is it permissible to compress the attachments into a zip file and submit just one email?
answer:The maximum file size accepted per email is 25MB. Applicants may submit one or more zip files as long as the file does not exceed the maximum file size.
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According to the AFLP RFA website, a Voluntary RFA Webinar Posting was scheduled on March 3, 2023, however I couldn't find a link to the webinar.
answer:Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Voluntary RFA and AFLP PYD Model Webinar was posted on the AFLP RFA website by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 6, 2023, and
is available here (YouTube). Please see
Addendum #1 for details.
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A community-based organization (CBO) is currently providing AFLP services in our county. Please clarify if this will be a separate funding or only one of us (county public health department) will be awarded the funding.
answer:Through a competitive process, CDPH/MCAH is soliciting applications from eligible organizations (see Part I., I. Eligibility Criteria of the RFA) to administer AFLP and implement the evidence-informed PYD model to support expectant and parenting youth in California for 07/01/2023 through 06/30/2026. Part I., J. of the RFA states: CDPH/MCAH anticipates awarding at least one (1) agency per region (see Table 2. Regional Distribution of Funding Awards) and a maximum of one (1) award in any county, except for Los Angeles County where CDPH/MCAH anticipates a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of four (4) awards. In some instances, there may be exceptions based on the need of the county and capacity of the awardees.ā
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How soon will an agreement be sent to counties that are awarded? In order to hire personnel for the program, an agreement must be in place and signed by both CDPH and county. There is also a process for board signatures. Will the state be flexible with the requirements of having all staff in place by October 1, if the agreement is not signed by both entities?
answer:Part VII, A. of the RFA states: Upon successful completion of the review process, CDPH/MCAH will post a Notice of Intent to Award funds on the AFLP RFA website. Note: the term of the resulting cooperative agreements is expected to be 36 months and is anticipated to be effective from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, contingent on availability of state and federal funds. The agreement term may change if CDPH/MCAH cannot execute the agreement in a timely manner due to unforeseen delays. The resulting agreement will be of no force or effect until signed by both parties and approved by CDPH or DGS, whichever is applicable.
If an agreement is not in place by October 1, CDPH/MCAH will work with the awardee on an adjusted timeline for hiring of qualified staff.ā
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I am having difficulty filling in Attachment 3 in the current format. I am unable to type the entire name of my agency into the slot, the font does not automatically shrink as it does other documents.
answer:The next addendum will address an updated Attachment 3 template which will enlarge the form fields for Agency Name, Contact Name, County, and Email Address.
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For Question D1 on the narrative template, can we include the Local Stakeholders Coalition (LSC) roster as a separate attachment and reference it as part of the response?
answer:In the narrative section of Attachment 3, describe the types of organizations and the populations they represent. If the LSC roster is lengthy and cannot be included in the space provided, the roster can be included as an additional page and submitted as a PDF file. ā
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Can we change the default font and size in the spaces allotted for responses in the narrative template?
answer:CDPH/MCAH is making revisions to Attachment 3 to adjust the font sizes. Once the updated attachment is released, agencies will be required to adhere to the font size and style found in the revised/updated template. Additional pages may be inserted only when indicated.ā
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Attachment 3 - Narrative, C. Implementation Plan - Q. 8, applicants are directed to complete Tables 2 and 3. However, there is no Table 2. When the link is clicked, a blank page appears. Should applicants complete the Table 3 (Case Management Settings) as displayed in Attachment 3? Similarly, the same issue occurs for the Case Management Service Schedule table which is shown as Table 5 in Attachment 3. Please clarify.
answer:The referenced table numbers and link will be corrected in the next addendum. Applicants are required to complete Tables 1, 2, and 3 in the updated version of Attachment 3.ā
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On Attachment 3, Program Narrative, there are boxes in which we are to provide our answers to the listed questions. Are there character or word limits to those boxes?
answer:Per the instructions on Attachment 3 (RFA Program Narrative), text responses are limited to the space provided. Additional pages may be inserted only when indicated. ā
Revisions to Attachment 5 will be addressed in the next addendum.
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Who should be listed as references?
answer:For Attachment 5, applicants are to provide three references from contracts of similar scope (e.g., case management, home visiting, or other social support services to expectant and parenting persons). See RFA Part I., Eligibility Criteria.
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For Contract Term (in Years) is that the last Contract Term of FY 20/21-FY 22/23 and the Amount of that Award, or how long that reference (person) has been working for the AFLP Program and all total Awards?
answer:āContract Term (in Years)" refers to the last or current contract term in which the contracted services were provided (e.g., 2015-2019).
āAmount $" refers to the total award for the term of the last or current contract.
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Will applicants be able to use partner CBOs as references? Many community partners do not hold a contract with applicants but, with similar scopes of service e.g., WIC, they provide value and sustainability to AFLP programs and help applicants meet the minimum requirements of the contract.
answer:For Attachment 5, applicants are to provide three references from contracts of similar scope (e.g., case management, home visiting, or other social support services to expectant and parenting persons). See RFA Part I, Eligibility Criteria.
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Can our current AFLP program consultant be one of our references?
answer:No.
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Can CHVP serve as a reference for the AFLP grant application? Who should our contact person be, the program consultant or the contract manager?
answer:CHVP can serve as a reference. The program consultant should be the contact person.
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I'm unable to open either of the Excel files related to the RFA (program reach and budget template) as they appear to be password protected. Are you able to email these to me?
answer:CDPH/MCAH posted tip(s) on the AFLP RFA webpage, attachments section, for accessing Microsoft Office documents without requiring a username and password. Applicants should access documents using Google Chrome for best results and monitor the AFLP RFA webpage to stay current on the latest updates. If posted tip(s) do not work, notify AFLP_RFA@cdph.ca.gov for assistance.
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I have come across some issues with Attachment 9. R6, R7, R8, R9 do not auto generate, nor does it allow me to input any data. And R16, R17, and R18 (b) seems to have the same equation as (a). I am unable to enter numbers such as 3 or 4. Pop up shows up and says Minimum reach is 40 youth.
answer:These issues were addressed in version 2 of Attachment 9, Program Reach Worksheet. See
Addendum #2 for details. If the revised worksheet does not work, notify AFLP_RFA@cdph.ca.gov for assistance.ā
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Please clarify where the data for āProjected Expectant / Parenting Females" can be found for Attachment 09, Program Reach.
answer:The instructions for this item were revised in version 2 of Attachment 9, Program Reach Worksheet. See
Addendum #2 for details.