Family Advocacy Services

The County of Fresno, on behalf of the Department of Behavioral Health, is requesting proposals from qualified vendors to provide Family Advocacy Services to family members and support systems of children, adolescents, transition-age youth, adults, and older adults that come in contact with or are engaged in behavioral health services. The selected vendor will provide a Family Advocate to work with families and support systems, assisting with concerns or complaints, navigating the system, and providing education and advocacy. The contract was awarded to VMS Family Counseling Services, who proposed a program focused on families and clearly recognized the families' need for support and advocacy. • The Family Advocate will work with families and support systems as self-referrals or via programs providing a referral to the advocate. • The Family Advocate will assist programs with concerns or complaints, navigate the system, and provide advocacy on behalf of the family/support system. • The Family Advocate will provide education to programs regarding family/support system needs. • The Family Advocate will respond to inquiries regarding public assistance/benefits programs. • The Family Advocate will provide family support in the format of groups, training, and other forums.