City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 28, 2025
Agenda Item: 4.B
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Oscar Santiago, Director, Finance Department, Risk Management Subject: Approval of an Agreement with Praesidium Inc. for Child Protection Program Services
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Praesidium Inc. for Child Protection Program services for the Finance Department. This recommended award is made as an exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.250 (b) and is for a total amount not to exceed $510,000, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The City's comprehensive Child Protection Program was built using the abuse risk management model developed by Praesidium, Inc. (Praesidium), the leader in the field of sexual abuse prevention. Staff requests that the City enter into a new five-year agreement with Praesidium to continue providing expert consultation, risk assessments, and training, ensuring the program's long-term effectiveness and compliance with evolving best practices.
This agreement represents the next phase in the program's development, allowing the core function of the Child Protection Officer (CPO) to fully transition from Praesidium to a City staff member. Given the program's foundation on Praesidium's proprietary framework and the firm's deep institutional knowledge from the original development 2 of 6
work, we recommend this agreement as an exception to the competitive bidding process. As the CPO function transitions to City staff, the City will receive ongoing expert support at a reduced cost, generating an estimated $125,000 in savings over the five-year term while maintaining the high standards established through this partnership.
Discussion
Background and Program Foundation
The City of Santa Monica places the highest priority on the health and safety of every child who participates in City programs. In 2018, following the arrest of a former City employee for alleged sexual abuse of minors, the City committed to comprehensive youth protection measures. The City retained Praesidium to conduct a thorough review of all youth programs and develop prevention protocols based on the industry best practices.
Praesidium's comprehensive review, conducted from January to October 2019, included over 100 interviews, onsite visits, and covered 38 programs. This extensive work evaluated current practices, identified gaps in protection protocols, and assessed the overall environment surrounding youth programming. Based on their findings, Praesidium recommended standardizing prevention policies and operational procedures across the City, creating a unified approach to child protection that would apply consistently to all City youth programs.
Current Program
On March 10, 2020, the City Council adopted the Child Protection Resolution (Attachment A), confirming the City's commitment to enhancing procedures and practices that ensure lasting, comprehensive efforts to prevent child abuse in any City program. The resolution outlined the steps the City would take toward this goal and emphasized that everyone, regardless of their role, must understand that child safety and protection are part of their job. This action affirmed that preventing child abuse is a priority for the entire organization. The Council also authorized an agreement for Praesidium to serve as the City's Child Protection Officer (CPO) to oversee the 3 of 6
implementation of the City's new abuse prevention administrative instruction (Attachment B).
The Administrative Instruction (AI) on Abuse Prevention (Attachment C) formalized Praesidium’s recommended standards. The AI established a comprehensive framework for the City's Child Protection Program:
• The Child Protection Committee (CPC): Provides continuous crossdepartmental representation and support to oversee the program's effectiveness. • Comprehensive Code of Conduct and Standards for City-Managed Youth Programs: Establishes clear behavioral expectations, requirements for monitoring high-risk activities, and defines appropriate supervision rations. • Standardized Reporting, Screening, and Training Requirements: Apply to all staff, volunteers, and contractors working for or on behalf of City-managed programs, ensuring a consistent approach.
• Parent Access: Procedures ensure parents can access and review the Code of Conduct and Standards, promoting transparency and enabling families to understand the protective measures in place for their children's safety and wellbeing.
In their capacity as the CPO, Praesidium took on extensive responsibilities across all aspects of the Child Protection Program. This broad scope included:
• Coordinating the CPC and facilitating regular meetings to ensure ongoing oversight and strategic direction.
• Establishing robust oversight systems and protocols to monitor compliance with child protection policies and procedures.
• Reviewing all reported allegations and conducting detailed investigations when necessary.
• Providing immediate incident response and ongoing consultation support to City programs.
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Under the CPO's direction, the CPC launched a major cross-departmental effort to complete the Initial Review phase. This process involved gathering and reviewing comprehensive documentation of child abuse prevention policies and procedures for all City-managed youth programs. After completing the review, the CPO identified compliance gaps and provided targeted recommendations to the CPC to address them.
The CPO worked closely with individual programs to implement these required changes, providing hands-on guidance throughout the process.
After the initial review, the program’s focus has been on continuous monitoring through two key review processes:
• Annual Review: The CPO conducts a thorough review of all program policies, procedures, training records, background check compliance, and incident reporting protocols. This review includes on-site assessments of City youth programs to evaluate their compliance with AI requirements. The CPO identifies areas for improvement and provides specific recommendations to help programs maintain compliance.
• Ongoing Review and Incident Response: The CPO continuously reviews all reported allegations, implements appropriate corrective actions based on investigation findings, and conducts follow-up reviews. This approach ensures that all City youth programs consistently operate according to established best practices and maintain compliance with child protection policies and procedures.
Future Program
With the program now well-established and running smoothly, the City is ready to transition Child Protection Officer responsibilities from an external contractor to internal staff. The initial CPO arrangement allowed Praesidium to perform CPO functions while training City staff for this eventual transition. A staff member in the Risk Management Division has been gradually assuming CPO duties and is prepared to take full responsibility for program oversight, investigations, and compliance monitoring. This person already oversees the City's comprehensive Volunteer Program and has 5 of 6
achieved Certified Praesidium Guardian status, demonstrating proven expertise in organizational abuse prevention strategies.
As part of the new agreement, Praesidium will shift from directly overseeing the Child Protection Program to serving as an expert consultant and advisory resource, providing:
• Ongoing consultation and specialized support for complex cases and policy development
• Comprehensive annual on-site program reviews and assessments to evaluate compliance with AI requirements
• Regular training of City staff in evolving industry best practices and emerging standards in child protection
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends that Praesidium continue providing expert consultation, risk assessments, and training as an exception to the competitive bidding process as approved by the Procurement Division via ECB #292.
Additionally, the City would achieve savings, as the new agreement annual cost would be $25,000 less than the previous agreement, generating an estimated 5-year savings of $125,000.
Environmental Review
This agreement is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The agreement is covered by the common sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The agreement will provide programmatic services for the City's Child Protection Program. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the agreement would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such is exempt from CEQA. 6 of 6
Past Council Actions
3/10/2020
(Attachment A)
Adoption of a Child Protection Resolution and authorization to enter into Agreement with Praesidium to serve as the City’s Child Protection Officer
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the Self Insurance, Comprehensive Fund to award an agreement with Praesidium for abuse prevention services.
Agreement Request
FY 2025-26
Request Amount
Department Account # Future Years
Amount
Total Contract
Amount
$70,000 72800002.552010 $440,000 $510,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Oles Gordeev, Risk Manager
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Attachment A 3.10.2020 Staff Report
B. Attachment B Professional Services Agreement with Praesidium C. Attachment C Administrative Instructions on Abuse Prevention D. Attachment D Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form
E. Attachment E Levine Act Disclosure Form