Culturally Responsive Early Intervention Access

The County of Santa Cruz invites statements of qualification submittals for Culturally Responsive Early Intervention Access.

The Culturally Responsive Early Intervention Access program(s) will provide culturally responsive early intervention access to the Santa Cruz County region of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (South County). Early intervention services will include early behavioral health screening, brief early intervention with referral and linkage to more structured behavioral health supports, and early intervention supports for parents and families to prevent behavioral escalation in the home. Services will include outreach, early identification, referral, and supportive interventions for children, youth, and families. The services are intended to primarily serve monolingual Spanish speakers, Indigenous Language speakers, LGBTQ+ children/youth and their families, and other underserved and historically marginalized populations.

The program(s) will focus on three key areas:

• Parent Education: Provide parents and caregivers with education, guidance, and early support to help them respond to their children's emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs and strengthen family well-being and prevent escalation to higher levels of care.
• LGBTQ+ Youth and Family Support: Offer culturally responsive, LGBTQ+ affirming support, resources, and early intervention services that promote the behavioral health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth, strengthening family support and connection.
• Linkage to Mental Health and Substance Use Services for monolingual Spanish- and Indigenous-Language-Speaking Families: Use culturally responsive brief interventions to connect these community members and their families to behavioral health, substance use, and community services. Interventions will be provided in the family’s primary language and using approaches that are culturally responsive to their healing traditions and community values.

Programs will be primarily focused on services related to behavioral health outreach, access and linkage, including screening and referrals to services, and early intervention services and support.

Services shall prioritize individuals and families who experience barriers to accessing behavioral health care, including those with limited access due to language, culture, geography, or other social determinants of health. [...] Services funded under this contract shall be designed to improve equitable regional access to culturally and linguistically responsive early intervention behavioral health services for underserved populations in Santa Cruz County.

Responses must be submitted electronically through the County's OpenGov Procurement portal. No late submittals or alternative forms of submittal will be accepted.

The deadline to submit responses is on **Friday, December 4, 2026 before 5:00 pm**. Written responses will be accepted in either English or Spanish. Video submissions are an acceptable alternative to written responses in answering questions posed under Section 5.2, provided that they are submitted in mp4 electronic video format.

The County will designate an evaluation team to evaluate all RFQ responses based on the criteria listed in Section 3: RFQ Evaluation Criteria. Applicants must receive a minimum score of **50 points** to be considered qualified for services as outlined in this RFQ.

Respondent shall be an established entity that has conducted business of the nature specified herein for at least two (2) years.

Respondent shall complete and submit *Exhibit B – Customer References*. Respondent shall upload a completed copy of *Exhibit A - Respondent Fact Sheet*.

The evaluation team may determine presentations are necessary to fully access Respondents’ qualifications. Respondents shall be required to participate in these presentations to qualify for consideration.

Insurance requirements are set out in *Exhibit C Insurance Requirements*.