Social Service Block Grant Planning

Locally planned SSBG funding is determined by Tripartite County Advisory Councils and the Region Community Action Board (CAB). Each Council and Board is structured so that 1/3 of the seats are designated for public, private/community, and low-income representation.

Through the utilization of statistical information, needs assessment findings, special reports, and various social service progress reports, the County Advisory Councils work throughout the year to establish suitable planning levels for needed services in each of the appropriate counties. Once the County Advisory Councils has approved the planned SSBG funding for each County, the Region IV Community Action Board reviews the plan to ensure the integrity and intent of the plan is being met and must ultimately approve the Region IV Locally Planned SSBG Plan prior to submittal to the State of Arizona.

SSBG locally planned services are directed toward one or more of the following federal goals:

To achieve or maintain economic self-support in order to prevent, reduce, or eliminate dependency;
To achieve or maintain self-sufficiency, including reduction or prevention of dependency;
To prevent or remedy neglect, abuse, or exploitation of children and adults unable to protect their own interests in preserving, rehabilitating or reuniting families
To prevent or reduce inappropriate institutional care by providing for community-based care, home-based care, or other forms of less intensive care
To secure referral or admission for institutional care when other forms of care are not appropriate, and provide services to individuals in institutions Services provided with SSBG funds are directed toward the Elderly, Physically Disabled, Adults/Families/ Children, the Developmentally Disabled, or a combination of these groups.

Locally planned SSBG services are provided through local service delivery systems to augment State Services in response to local needs. Arizona's six Councils of Governments (COGs) provide the primary planning for this portion of the SSBG service delivery system. Planning is accomplished by identifying regional priorities, by coordinating planning with other planning entities, and by providing local citizen involvement. Regional Funding allocations are based on population and poverty levels.

The planning network established for Community Services is utilized for Social Service Block Grant planning. The Community Councils, County Advisory Councils, Community Action Board, Management Committee, and Executive Board all take part in the Social Service Block Grant planning.

Community Councils provide input on the services that they perceive as needed in their local communities.
This information is presented to the County Advisory Councils, which are asked to prioritize the needed services, define the service intent, determine the allocation of funding, and designate the target group within the countywide community. The service intent specifically defines what the local planning body view as the needs that are to be addressed.
After this process is completed, the County Advisory Councils' recommendations are submitted to the Community Action Board for approval.
Once the Community Action Board has approved each County's plan, the Social Service Block Grant Plan is written for Region IV (La Paz, Mohave, and Yuma Counties) and is titled The Western Arizona Council of Governments Region IV Social Service Block Grant Plan.
The written plan is then submitted to the Management and Executive Board for final approval.
After final approval is obtained, the plan is submitted to DES and the State Social Service Block Grant Project Control Manager incorporates the Region IV plan into the State Title XX Social Service Block Grant Plan.

The State Title XX Social Service Plan determines what locally planned services will be provided in each area of the State. The Department of Economic Security is the administering agency for the SSBG funds and the appropriate division within DES will be allocated the funds for the locally determined services.

If a local Community Council identified that the children born with learning disabilities were to be in need of early intervention strategies, they could recommend to the County Advisory Council that this identified need be prioritized as a social service need. The Advisory Council would rank this needed service, identify the target group as Developmentally Disabled Children, define the service intent, and recommend a percentage of the locally planned SSBG funding be spent on this service. The actual funding would be given to the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DDD).

The Department of Developmental Disabilities would provide this service by contracting with a local agency. In the process to obtain this service, DDD would be required to advertise for an agency to provide this service and any interested parties would then submit a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Within the RFP packet, each individual agency would explain exactly how they intended to provide the service that the Advisory Council determined to be needed. The WACOG Human Services Department Director then approves these Summary Sheets and the contract for service would be awarded to a local provider agency.

Local providers are requested to submit an expenditure report to the local Advisory Councils on a quarterly basis so that the Councils stay advised to the usage of funds and the success of their planning. The Department of Developmental Disabilities, as the administering department, would monitor the contract and assure that the provider agency is delivering the service as agreed.