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Greetings PEI Providers,
We understand that in light of the Coronavirus Pandemic you have a lot of questions about the Fiscal Year 2021 Project Work plans and budget documents that are due June 16, 2020.
We know that as much as Texas is doing to reopen, this pandemic will not be quickly resolved. We cannot move into Fiscal Year 2021 without thinking about how we will continue to provide a variety of opportunities to engage and connect with families. PEI is committed to working with you as we begin to move out of “crisis response mode” and begin planning for a more sustained and long term response to achieve the best outcomes for children, youth and families in your communities.
Here's what we we want you to know:
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We will work with you over the coming month to understand and document your agency’s plans for transitioning back to in-person services and how best to capture the content, duration and dosage of any continued virtual visits.
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Our goal is to balance a client’s preference for participating in services, support your agency as you continue pivoting to align with local ordinances and encourage as much in-person connection and face to face contact with our families as possible so they can continue to thrive throughout the pandemic.
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We understand there may be phases of social distancing over the next 12-18 months. There may be periods when communities and organizations apply more stringent social distancing rules, and times when more in-person services can be incorporated.
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Our expectation is that your efforts around client engagement will align with the opening of other social services agencies in your community to ensure families have all of the necessary resources and supports the community can offer.
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As Texas continues to re-open, we will begin to require documentation of your agency’s plans and policies, including justification for limiting in-person engagements and protocols used to promote the health and safety of staff and clients.
We understand there is still a lot of uncertainty and confusion right now; we will continue providing information and direction as we navigate partnering with families together.
Your feedback is critical. We commit to spending time this summer formally reaching out and including your perspective and ideas. This summer, PEI will pull together a work-group to think through the best approaches for incorporating virtual services into our ongoing service array and create any necessary guidelines this may require.
We have heard you and realize there are benefits to having various options to engage families. We want to underscore that we are not withdrawing existing flexibility and we will continue collaboratively as we begin our planning efforts to ensure we have a strong plan for partnering with families in a sustainable and long term fashion. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to your contract manager or program specialist.
Thanks for all you do to keep children and families in Texas thriving.
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