request for proposal: Group Facilitation



Please forward the required documents by *Feb 20th (midnight) *to:



Jessica Cattaneo

Director of Community Health Services

Planned Parenthood Toronto

36B Prince Arthur Avenue

Toronto, Ontario

M5R 1A9

Fax:  (416) 961-2512

Email: [log in to unmask]





agency and project background



Planned Parenthood Toronto (PPT) is a community health centre serving the
needs of youth aged 13-29 in Toronto. We provide accessible and inclusive
programs and services that promote healthy sexuality and informed
decision-making. We offer primary, sexual, and mental health care services
as well as programming in the community. Our organization’s vision is for
healthy, supportive and equitable communities that promote youth’s autonomy
in building their lives.

We are seeking group facilitators to address the current needs of the
communities we serve. There has been an identified need for mental health
and community support interventions in the following areas:

1.
*Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT) Skills *While this was initially
developed specifically for people with complex trauma, DBT skills and tools
have can additionally be applicable to people who experience anxiety,
depression, impulsive behaviour, lasting anger, eating difficulties and
other psychosocial challenges. DBT helps people build skills in four major
categories: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness,
and emotion regulation.



2.     *Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder *
ADHD symptoms can affect a person’s daily routine, relationships,
communication effectiveness, and work or school life. People living with
ADHD may or may not be on medication and may or may not have received an
official diagnosis. Some people will be more likely to be misdiagnosed or
underdiagnosed due to systemic biases. A support and strategies group that
is inclusive of this range of experiences is needed for youth.

3.
*Ethical Non-Monogamy *Non-traditional relationship models do not readily
come with rule books and cultural scripts. Support spaces are needed to
help folx identify and explore their relationship orientations,
expectations from themselves and their partners, and build communication
skills around boundaries and unanticipated emotions. As such, a
‘self-Awareness and interpersonal communication practices’ group is needed.

*4.     **Mental Health Waitlist Group*

The waitlist for individual psychotherapy at PPT (and in the public sector
at large) can often be lengthy. In order to provide service users with more
immediate support, a waitlist group is needed. This would be an optional
group for youth who have completed an intake and are currently on the
waitlist for individual therapy services. This structured group would
explore common forms of psychological stress along with tools and skills
from a brief solution-focused approach.

scope of project



PPT is seeking the services of experienced mental health clinicians and
relationship experts who can deliver/facilitate time-limited groups in the
following domains:


   1. DBT Skills for Youth
   2. ADHD Support and Strategies for Youth
   3. ENM: Self-Awareness and Interpersonal Communication Practices*
   4. MH Waitlist Group

The vendor, or the members of the vendor project team who would be
delivering the mental health services, certification and membership in good
standing with either the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social
Service Workers (OCSWSSW), College of Registered Psychotherapists of
Ontario (CRPO), or College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO).

*Please note that facilitators for the ethically non-monogamy (ENM) group
do not need to be mental health clinicians or registered with a regulatory
body.



The successful Group Facilitator candidate(s) will be expected to perform
the following:


   - Have prepared/established group curriculum, materials, modules, and
   evaluation tools
   - Establish a recruitment and intake process in collaboration with the
   PPT Therapist
   - Deliver group sessions virtually, *beginning in March 2023*
   - Develop group norms and discuss the necessity of respectful engagement
   - Provide clear guidelines for when cross-talk is appropriate and
   necessary in the group process
   - Maintain a safe space for all participants with a plan for some
   one-on-one support for participants (30-minute check-ins) who have
   difficulty adhering to group norms or for persons who get
   triggered/activated during group
   - Integrate and implement evaluation and monitoring tools
   - Maintain brief notes on group process, service user engagement,
   challenges, risks or concerns, and issues to be addressed in the following
   session
   - Report disclosures of suicidality and abuse, as appropriate, to
the Director
   of Clinical Health Services
   - Build-in debrief and reflection time for co-facilitators
   - Offer observation and shadowing opportunities for PPT mental health
   counsellors, where appropriate



Upon completion of one cycle of the semi-structured support group,
facilitators will draft a curriculum based on their facilitation
experience. The facilitator will:


   - Develop facilitation guidelines or curriculum specific to the group
   topic
   - Clearly define the roles of each facilitator where more than one
   facilitator is required/recommended
   - Identify whether the group should be optimally offered as a
   drop-in/open or closed group
   - Develop or refine an intake form specific to the group to assess
   suitability and access needs
   - Develop clear objectives and learning outcomes for each module
   - Develop or refine evaluation tools for each session along with
   pre/post-group measures
   - Provide additional resources and references for each module
   - Develop a one-page welcome letter for participants that describes the
   group and outlines expectations for participants as well as the parameters
   and limits of confidentiality
   - Apply a social, cultural and political lens that acknowledges the
   experiences and realities of racialized youth, 2SLGBTQ+ youth, and youth
   living with chronic illness/disabilities



submission requirements and terms of contract



proposal contents



Proposals must include the following components, each in appropriate detail:


   - An overview of the vendor’s facilitation, clinical and consulting
   practice along with their experience in similar projects
   - Resumés of the person(s) that will work on the project
   - An indication of the vendor’s understanding of the project scope and
   requirements, including how each of the specific requirements will be
   performed
   - A list of workbooks and resources that will be drawn upon for the
   group curriculum
   - A proposed timeline for the group cycle, number of sessions and
   timeline for producing curricular materials
   - A quotation for the completion of the project with hourly rates and
   including disbursements, applicable taxes, and any other expenses to be
   charged to PPT.
   *Please note:* In the event of an unexpected termination of the contract
   if decided by PPT, no other costs will be billable to PPT other than
   allowable costs incurred up to the date of the contract termination
   - The anticipated level of participation required by Planned Parenthood
   Toronto staff



RFP Deadline

Please submit proposals to [log in to unmask] by Feb 20th at 11:59 pm.

evaluation



Proposals will be evaluated on, but not limited to, the following criteria:


   - Experience and qualifications of the vendor relevant to the PPT
   requirements.
   - The quality of the proposal. This includes the level of detail and the
   quality/thoroughness of recommendations and providing a clear project plan
   that identifies critical milestones.
   - Ability to stay within project budget and meet project completion
   target date.
   - Any features or advantages uniquely proposed by the vendor which
   Planned Parenthood Toronto has not identified in the project deliverables
   or description.
   - The vendor’s financial proposal (including an itemized breakdown of
   costs, fee structure, and projected expenses).
   - Demonstrated commitment to equity goals and principles, to sexual and
   reproductive rights, to being youth-positive, 2SLGBTQ positive and
   sex-positive, sex work positive and to being inclusive of diverse sexual
   and gender identities



invoicing

Planned Parenthood Toronto will work with the vendor to determine a payment
schedule acceptable to both parties.

All remittances to the Receiver General as outlined in the Employment
Standards Act, the Canadian Revenue Agency, the WSIB and the Ministry of
Health will be paid by the contractor, it is expected that any respondents
to the RFP will be set up as such.

vendor expense

Any expenses incurred by the vendor in the preparation of the proposal
submission are entirely the responsibility of the vendor.

acceptance or rejection of the proposal

Planned Parenthood Toronto reserves the right to reject any or all
proposals at its sole discretion for any reason whatsoever. Planned
Parenthood Toronto will not be responsible for any liabilities, costs,
expenses, loss or damages incurred, sustained or suffered by any vendor by
reason of the acceptance or non-acceptance by Planned Parenthood Toronto of
any provision or by reason of any delay in the acceptance of a proposal,
except as provided in the proposal document.

ownership

All product, content or other materials produced during this contract is
and shall remain the property of Planned Parenthood Toronto.

confidentiality

The successful vendor may have access to information confidential to
Planned Parenthood Toronto. The vendor agrees that it and its employees who
have access to this information will not either during the term of the
agreement or at any time thereafter reveal to any third party any of this
confidential information or use in any way the information. The obligations
of this section survive the expiration or termination of this agreement
indefinitely.

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