DATE: June 24, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to 1) Accept and Appropriate $650,000, from the Alameda County Probation Department to Provide Positive Youth Development Community Programs for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027, and 2) Negotiate and Execute a Two-Year Agreement for Such Services
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to execute a two-year agreement with the Alameda County Probation Department from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027, to provide Positive Youth Development Community Programs, and to accept and appropriate $650,000 ($325,000 annually) from Alameda County to fund the services.
SUMMARY
Since the 1970s, the Youth and Family Services Bureau (YFSB) has had contracts with the Alameda County Probation Department to provide mental health services to youth who are justice system-involved or at elevated risk of system involvement. In 2019, the City was awarded a new contract to begin providing additional services beyond mental health counseling, resulting in the implementation of Diversion, Life Skills, and Restorative Justice programming.
In May 2024, a Request for Proposals was released soliciting bids to continue to provide these services. The City completed the competitive application process applying for four service categories: Diversion, Life Skills and Support Services, Restorative Justice, and a new service strategy: Gender Responsive Services. The County sent a Notice of Intent to Award for all four service categories in January of 2025, pending successful contract negotiations. On May 14, 2025, the City received an Agreement from the County for a two-year contract award in the amount of $650,000 ($325,000 annually).
Council approval is requested to authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement with the Alameda County Probation Department to continue the important work of providing
Positive Youth Development services to youth who are system involved or at elevated risk of justice system involvement.
BACKGROUND
YFSB’s central mission is to ensure Hayward’s richly diverse youth and families feel safe, supported, and experience community connectedness and general wellbeing. YFSB’s groundbreaking model of integrating youth serving systems across Hayward, including embedding mental health clinicians in a police department setting, allows YFSB to meaningfully improve the well-being of youth and families by maintaining alignment across the systems with which families have contact. This is achieved through offering comprehensive, culturally responsive services and opportunities that promote family stability and prevent juvenile justice involvement through empowering families to build on their strengths, supplement needs and create pathways to achieving goals. For nearly 45 years, the Bureau has successfully done this supporting thousands of families to address challenges and improve their individual and family functioning. Less than 10% of youth who participate in YFSB’s services are arrested or re-arrested within one year.
Since the 1970s, YFSB’s core service of providing mental health counseling to youth and families who are either system-involved or at elevated risk of system involvement has been primarily funded through a contract with the Alameda County Probation Department for Delinquency Prevention Network (Youth Service Center) services. In 2018, the Probation Department released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to expand the Delinquency Prevention Network beyond the mental health counseling that had always been offered and begin funding Diversion, Life Skills, and Restorative Justice Services. The City participated in a competitive bid process and was awarded a three-year contract to provide these services. The contract term was extended in 2022 and again in both February and December of 2024, extending the services through June of 2025 and bringing the full contract amount over the 6- year contract term (March 1, 2019 through June 30, 2025) to $1,561,006.
In May 2024, the Probation Department in partnership with the Alameda County General Services Agency released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify the most qualified service providers to continue delivering Diversion, Life Skills, and Restorative Justice following the conclusion of the existing contract term. Additionally, new service categories were introduced including Gender Responsive Services. The competitive bid process was organized by specified geographic regions County wide; Hayward was identified as Region 4. Through the RFP, the County outlined both a program framework and specific requirements for each identified service strategy.
The program framework specified that services utilize evidence-based practices and incorporate three specific approaches:
- Trauma Informed Care Approach, which recognizes the long-lasting impact of trauma, including historical trauma, and implements services and interventions accordingly; - Positive Youth Development Approach, which values and honors the strengths that youth and families possess as the basis of what is needed to achieve their goals; and
- Cultural Responsiveness Approach, which emphasizes the importance of developing policies, systems, and structures that are relevant for families across racial/ethnic identities as well as gender, sexual orientation, language capacity, socioeconomic status, exposure to trauma, migration, and other factors that directly impact culture.
The specific requirements of the RFP sought contractors to provide the following services:
- Diversion services and programs specifically structured to prevent formal entry into the juvenile justice system and work with local school districts to develop site-specific alternatives to suspension programming;
- Life Skills and Support Services to enhance a youth’s ability to live independently and provide skills and opportunities that are critical to success, such as tangible life skill development, and pro-social engagement. These programs include service coordination/system navigation and case management services; and - Restorative Justice programs that utilize restorative practices to facilitate accountability strategies, which encourage youth to take responsibility and make amends for the harm caused within their communities.
- Gender Responsive Programs tailored to the specific needs of young individuals who identify as female to empower and educate them, fostering the development of self- esteem and confidence.
In the Summer of 2024, YFSB completed the application and interview process to provide the services outlined above. In January 2025, a Notice of Intent to Award was received, pending successful contract negotiations. On May 14, 2025, the City received an Agreement from the County for a two-year contract award in the amount of $650,000 ($325,000 annually for FY2026 and FY2027), with the option to extend an additional three years (FY 2028-FY 2030).
The funding from this agreement will partially offset the cost of the 3.10 FTE (2.0 FTE Lead Program Assistants, 0.25FTE Family Counselor, 0.40 FTE Counseling Supervisor, and 0.45 FTE Administrative support) required to provide the contracted services.
Program evaluation of the services provided from March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2024 shows the effectiveness of YFSB’s evidence-based approach. 81% of referred youth were enrolled in services. Of those enrolled, 87% remained actively engaged and were determined to be successful by their assigned Service Coordinator, meaning they met some or all of their service goals, completed the terms of their diversion, or demonstrated improved functioning.
This is further demonstrated through data from an evidence-based outcome measure, the PCOMS, which shows 81% of participants reached their target level of functioning and reduced identified risk behaviors. Participant satisfaction surveys show that 100% of youth enjoy participating in skills development workshops, 94% found the information and skills useful, and 94% would recommend the program to a friend.
DISCUSSION
The Youth and Family Services Bureau programs have successfully served Hayward youth and families from within the police department for more than four decades. At a time when the needs of families are only increasing, it is more important than ever to maintain critical
mental health and other support services for youth. Moreover, as the field of law enforcement strives to be responsive to the needs of the community, programs like YFSB that prioritize the use of social services can be part of the solution. The services that will be provided under the recommended agreement have been developed in partnership with the Alameda County Probation Department. They reflect best practices for keeping youth positively engaged in the community and preventing involvement with the juvenile justice system.1,2 Moreover, the program model allows for universal access to services with all City of Hayward residents being eligible to participate at no cost, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Services like those provided by YFSB have been shown to mitigate the negative impacts of arresting youth during adolescence, including reducing the likelihood of future arrest or incarceration and increasing school enrollment and graduation rates.3 Consistent with this research, less than 10% of youth who participate in YFSB’s services are arrested or re-arrested within one year.
Under the recommended agreement, the following services will be provided:
- Diversion to prevent formal entry into the juvenile justice system by offering a proactive and constructive approach to addressing the challenges faced by young individuals on the cusp system involvement. Target population: At-promise, system- involved, and transition age youth (TAY) ages 9 to 21 and their families who receive Notices to Appear (NTAs) from law enforcement for misdemeanor and non-violent felony offenses without an identified victim, citations for marijuana use, and as an alternative to school suspension.
- Life Skills and Support Services to equip participants with the knowledge, skills and emotional support to navigate adulthood and achieve independence. Target population: All at-promise, system-involved, and transition age youth (TAY) ages 9 to 21 and their families.
- Restorative Justice will facilitate accountability strategies that encourage youth to take responsibility for their actions and make amends for the harm caused. Target population: system-involved and transition age youth (TAY) ages 12-21 and their families who are on Probation (in/out of custody), receive Notices to Appear (NTAs) from law enforcement for offenses with an identified victim, youth eligible for expulsion due to education code violation, or youth who receive school discipline for altercations involving peers.
- Gender Responsive Services to empower and educate young individuals who identify as female, fostering the development of self esteem and confidence. Target population: at-promise, system-involved, and transition age youth (TAY) who identify as female ages 9 to 21 and their families.
1 Josh Weber, Michael Umpierre, and Shay Bilchik, Transforming Juvenile Justice Systems to Improve Public Safety and Youth Outcomes (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, 2018). 2 The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2018). Transforming Juvenile Probation: A Vision for Getting it Right. Baltimore, MD: Author. Retrieved from https://www.aecf.org/resources/transforming-juvenile-probation/ 3 Cauffman, E., Beardslee, J., Fine, A., Frick, P.J., & Steinberg, L. (2020). Crossroads in Juvenile Justice: The Impact of Initial Processing Decision on Youth Five Years after First Arrest. Development and Psychopathology.
Across all four service strategies, the core program components of assessment, systems navigation and case management, skill development workshops, and educational support services will be offered.
The services that will be provided under the recommended agreement are part of the YFSB’s overarching strategy to reduce and prevent juvenile involvement in the justice system by linking youth to services and opportunities that help them stay positively connected with the community. Addressing the root causes underlying youth behavior problems, such as mental health challenges, family functioning issues, school engagement problems, and insufficient access to positive activities and supports are critical components to encourage youth success and prevent contact with law enforcement. For youth who do encounter law enforcement, these services give officers more options and minimize formal processing in the juvenile justice system. This has a clear nexus with public safety and contributes to the overall wellbeing of Hayward families.
Program Sustainability
It is anticipated that these programs will be able to continue for many years to come. County financing comes from state allocations for Juvenile Probation Activities Funding and is a recurring expenditure in the County’s operating budget.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item supports the Strategic Priority of Enhance Community Safety and Quality of Life. Specifically, this item relates to Project Q17: Continue to provide family support programs through the Youth and Family Services Bureau.
FISCAL IMPACT
This agreement will result in $650,000 in funding from the Probation Department ($325,000 annually). This reflects a 37% increase over the previous contract amount ($237,500 annually). The 3.1 FTE required to provide the services discussed above are included in the City’s FY 2026 Operating Budget; accepting and appropriating these funds will partially offset the cost of these positions. While the revenue from these agreements does not fully cover the cost of the positions, the costs are further offset by additional revenue from the Medical Administrative Activities (MAA) program. Any remaining net costs to the City General Fund are already included in the budget.
NEXT STEPS
If the Council authorizes this action, staff will work to: 1) Execute the agreement with Alameda County Probation Department for Positive Youth Development Community Programs for FY 2026 and FY 2027; and 2) accept and appropriate $650,000 ($325,000 annually) and 3) continue providing essential services to Hayward youth and families.
Prepared by: Emily Young, YFSB Administrator
Recommended by: Bryan Matthews, Chief of Police
Approved by:
_____________________________________________
Michael Lawson, J.D.
Acting City Manager