The vendor is required to provide communication services for following programs:
- After-hours child protective services telephone answering and messaging services program
a. Answering and messaging services. consultant must perform the tasks set forth below.
• Receive, during after-hours, notification from the SCR of pending cps reports to which department must respond.
• Maintain the monthly department schedule of on-call caseworkers (“on-call schedule”), which will be provided to consultant by Department.
• Immediately identify the appropriate on-call caseworker from the on-call schedule and notify the on-call caseworker of the notification from the SCR of a pending cps report.
• Positively relay all notifications to the scheduled on-call caseworker, leaving no notification pending or unresolved.
• Consultant must speak directly to the scheduled on-call caseworker (or the on-call supervisor as discussed below) by telephone for the notification to be considered positively relayed.
o In the event the scheduled on-call caseworker fails to respond to consultant within five (5) minutes of consultant’s attempt to contact him/her, consultant must continue to try to contact said on-call caseworker at least three (3) more times within fifteen (15) minutes of receiving the notification from the scr.
o If consultant does not receive any phone call response from said on-call caseworker within fifteen (15) minutes of receiving notification from the SCR of a pending cps report, consultant must then attempt to contact the scheduled on-call supervisor at the same intervals as described above until consultant receives a phone call response from said on-call supervisor
o Texting and emailing the scheduled on-call caseworker and/or on-call supervisor is not an acceptable form of contact and are not permitted. additionally, leaving a voicemail message for the scheduled on-call caseworker and/or on-call supervisor does not constitute a positively relayed notification.
b. Reporting requirements.
• Consultant must provide a type-written report to Department, via facsimile or email, of each call received by nine o’clock (9:00) am, EST on the Department business day immediately following the day on which the call was received.
• The form used by consultant for such report must be pre-approved by Department.
• Consultant must submit quarterly reports (consistent with the contract term) to the applicable Department supervisor/division by the twentieth (20th) day of the month immediately following the end of a contract quarter.
c. Miscellaneous.
• Consultant is not responsible for assessing, triaging, or intervening in the notification from the SCR of pending cps reports in any way.
• The expectation is merely that consultant will receive the notification from the SCR, immediately identify the scheduled on-call caseworker, contact said on-call caseworker, and advise him/her of the notification from the SCR of a pending cps report.
• Consultant is prohibited from utilizing any remote operators to provide the answering and messaging services.
• Department may periodically change the requirements for an answering and messaging services program as needed to meet its particular needs including, but not limited to, the times that answering and messaging services will be provided (i.e., during normal business hours in the case of inclement weather and emergencies)
- After-hours emergency services program
a. Program requirements pertaining to all emergency services.
• All emergency services must be provided during after-hours.
• If calls for any of the emergency services are received during normal business hours, those callers must be directed to Department main telephone number of (845) 291-4000 for assistance.
• Any emergency services program must be operated through a single, dedicated telephone number (“emergency number”) which must be manned by a live person at all times during after-hours.
b. Adult protective services
1. Screen and assess a caller to determine
o The type of crisis the caller is experiencing,
o The services the caller may need,
o Callers city, town, county, state, do they live in a house or apartment and condo townhouse, what is the house and apartment number, what is the phone number,
o referral source name and contact information,
o If the caller has an open case with Department adult protective services division, and (g) if the caller meets the basic, initial criteria to be eligible for adult protective services, which are that the caller is eighteen (18) years old or older and is ill, disabled, or at risk of harm (abuse and neglect), and does not have a responsible helper and caretaker in the community.
• Contact Department after-hours on-call adult protective services supervisor to advise of the current emergency being experienced by the caller and discuss the caller’s specific situation to access any known information about the caller and obtain supervisory guidance and direction regarding steps that may need to be taken to ensure the safety of the caller.
• Complete a referral form and fax it to the adult protective services division if consultant determines that the caller needs an assessment or the consulting adult protective services supervisor requests that such referral be made.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: May 08, 2025