Questions & Answers - IDHS Home Visiting Expansion (25-444-84-2889-02)

Questions & Answers

This page was updated on May 7, 2024.

Questions are listed in the order that they were posted to this site (with the most recent questions at the bottom of the list).

Will there be funding for Coordinated Intake in this NOFO? (4/19/24)
1. No, in SFY25, we will not offer funding for Coordinated Intake as part of this Home Visiting Expansion NOFO. However, applicants can include staff time and activities related to participant recruitment.
Will there be funding for Coordinated Intake in these communities in FY26 or afterward? (4/19/24)
1. We are still in the planning process regarding the Coordinated Intake system, and we have not yet made decisions about SFY26.
We use the Early Head Start model and the PAT curriculum. How do we calculate service capacity? (4/19/24)
1. Programs that use the EHS home-based model should use the EHS capacity number to calculate service capacity (10 families per 1.0 FTE home visitor).
We use the Early Head Start model, which serves from prenatal to 3. Are we required to also serve children from 3-5? (4/19/24)
1. No. Applicants are expected to follow their models in terms of ages of children served. Applicants do not have to serve families from the entire range of prenatal to age 5.
Is it allowable in this NOFO to have hybrid doula-home visiting positions, as allowed by other funders? Is it allowable to have doula positions at less than 1.0 FTE? If yes, then how does this affect the doula supervisor ratio? (4/19/24)
1. Hybrid doula-home visitor positions are allowable but not optimal. Any doula positions should be at least 0.75 FTE (full-time equivalent). If applicants propose to include hybrid positions or doula positions that are less than 1.0 FTE, please include the rationale for this in Attachment E, the Doula Enhancement Narrative.
2. In all cases, applicants who propose to use the Doula enhancement must meet the Doula deliverables as described in Section A.1., including the following:
  1. Doulas must have flexible schedules because it is crucial that they be present during labor and delivery, and births often happen outside of normal working hours, so they should be available on-call 24/7.
  2. Programs must ensure that there is backup capacity so that participants will receive doula support when their primary doula is on vacation, ill, unable to attend a birth, or when there are vacancies in the program. This will generally mean having at least two (2) doulas as part of a program's staffing pattern, but backup can also be achieved by having a supervisor trained as a doula or by having a part-time position in addition to a full-time doula.
3. In all cases, there should be at least a 2:1 ratio of home visitors to doulas, rounding up to the nearest 1.0 FTE home visitor, for example:
  1. 4.0 FTE home visitors to 2.0 FTE doulas
  2. 4.0 FTE home visitors to 1.8 FTE doulas
4. We recognize the need to align requirements with other funders and will be glad to discuss this further with grantees during FY25.
In the Program Narrative, within the "Applicant Information" section, the question "Provide number of families to be served by home visiting in SFY25" is asked. Does this refer to: 1) The number of Families to be served by home visitation in TOTAL by the Agency in SFY25 OR 2) The number of Families to be served under this Expansion Funding. I.E. How many MORE families will be served with this funding if awarded? (4/24/24)
1. In the applicant information section of the Program Narrative, item B, "Number of Families to be Served," all of the questions refer to the number of families to be served under this Expansion (in other words, how many MORE families will be served with this funding if awarded). We apologize for the confusion here.
I am the supervisor of the ISBE PI Home Visiting program at Shiloh CUSD 1. I just wanted IDHS to be aware that the Community Readiness Assessment data indicating "0" home visiting slots in Douglas County is incorrect: our program has "45" home visiting slots in Douglas County. Our school district is located in Edgar County. However, the district straddles the Douglas Co and Edgar Co line. Most of the families served by our home visiting program reside in Douglas County, and our program office is in Newman in Douglas County. However, because our grant is administered by Shiloh CUSD 1, which has an Edgar Co address, our ISBE PI home visiting slots show only in Edgar County. Therefore, IECAM reports "0" home visiting slots in Douglas County, which is incorrect. (Last fall, ISBE created a separate code to correct this, but IECAM is still using data prior to that change because of limitations in data systems.) (4/24/24)
1. Thank you for providing this information! We understand the limitations of current data reporting and appreciate your taking the time to share this with us. Applicants in Douglas County are advised to take note of this updated information.
Are we able to submit multiple applications under the same agency to cover separate geographical locations with two different programs? (4/24/24)
1. Yes, you may submit multiple applications (with each application covering a different geographical location), or you may submit one application that covers multiple locations. If you decide to submit one combined application, please be sure that your application addresses all of the narrative questions, in relation to each geographic location that you propose to serve.
When determining the home visitor to doula 2:1 ratio, can we take into consideration the program's home visitors who are under a different funder (ISBE) - or can we only include IDHS-funded home visitors when determining the ratio? (4/24/24)
1. Yes, when determining the home visitor to doula 2:1 ratio, an applicant can consider all of the program's home visitors (not just the ones that are funded by IDHS).
We have a current home visiting grant with IDHS. Can a supervisor funded under the current expansion NOFO take over supervision of a current IDHS-grant funded home visitor in addition to staff funded through the expansion? (4/24/24)
1. Yes. Please be sure to explain the rationale for this in the staffing sections of the Program Narrative, and in the Budget Narrative.
We are applying for the doula enhancement. Do doulas participate in Infant Mental Health Consultation? (4/24/24)
1. Yes, if you are applying for the doula enhancement, this means that doulas are considered part of your home visiting program, and they would participate in your home visiting program's Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC). If this would require increased expenses for IECMHC, please include this in the budget and describe the rationale in the budget narrative.
The minimum home visitor salary listed in the NOFO is still too low for our area. Can we ask for salaries that are above the minimum? (4/24/24)
1. Yes, you can budget for home visitor and supervisor salaries that are higher than the minimum amounts listed in the NOFO. We know that applicants may feel pressured to submit low budgets, but please apply for the amount that you realistically need in order to have a successful program.
If a current IDHS HV grantee applies for the Expansion NOFO and is selected for a grant, can they have this added to their existing contract, or will IDHS give them a separate contract? (4/29/24)
1. Both options are allowable: the Expansion funding can be added to their existing contract, or they could receive a separate contract for the Expansion funds. These details will be discussed with each grantee.
I am a home visiting supervisor and I am also a qualified Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant. Can I provide some of the IECMHC services and reduce the amount of IECMH Consultant hours in the budget? (4/29/24)
1. This is not best practice. The IECMHC model is designed to have a consultant (who is outside the program) provide consultation to the supervisor and the program. The Illinois Model for IECMHC is not designed to have the supervisor provide consultation to themselves, their co-workers, or their staff.
What is the estimated cost for Clinical Consultation for the doula enhancement? (4/29/24)
1. Programs should budget for a minimum of 2 hours of clinical consultation time each month (1 hour with the doulas and 1 hour with the supervisor). New doula programs typically need more than this minimum during the first year of the program. Also, programs may wish to add hours for consultation during or after a birth. The hourly cost of clinical consultation is generally between $100-$150 per hour (and may be higher in some parts of the state).
If we are asking for funding to expand into providing doula services, can we have one of the positions be a lead doula/home visitor who is 75% doula and 25% home visitor, who provides limited doula services/coverage and who acts as supervisor to 2 doulas AND to one of our current DHS-funded (but not through the expansion grant) home visitors? We would need an increased capacity for home visitor supervision in order to allow our current supervisor who manages the program to focus on development, support, and management of the new doula services in addition to our current home visiting services. (4/29/24)
1. While this is not ideal, it is allowable. Please include the rationale for this in the staffing section of Attachment E (Doula enhancement narrative) and in the budget and budget narrative. A conversation would be needed (if funded) to ensure that your program is considering all the implications of this combined role.
Is there a separate application form to use to answer all of the questions? (4/29/24)
1. Yes. The Program Narrative form is posted on the NOFO page. This form includes all of the Narrative sections and all of the Attachments.
Which forms are required? (4/29/24)
1. Required forms are listed in Section I, Mandatory Forms, as follows:
Is there a budget template we are supposed to use? (4/29/24)
1. As stated in Section D.2., "You may use this sample IDHS budget template to help with planning. However, the final budget must be submitted in the CSA as described above. Do not email your budget template with the rest of your application."
We are putting a budget together for the Home Visiting Expansion Grant and the NOFO states we need to have Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation at a minimum of $10,800 per year. We currently have a Home Visiting Grant and use Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. For this grant do we need to include an additional $10,800 or can we request a smaller amount if we currently have a Home Visiting Grant? (5/3/24)
1. If you are proposing to expand an existing program that already has at least $10,800 for IECMHC, then please discuss with your current IECMH Consultant what additional services may be needed, and the estimated rates and costs. You may request less than $10,800 for IECMHC in your HV Expansion proposal if that is what you and your consultant have agreed upon. Please be sure to explain this in the budget narrative.
Other funding sources for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) allow consultants to charge $200/hour as self-employed independent contractors. Since the NOFO budget narrative states that IECMHC costs should be "at a minimum, $150/hour x 72hrs/year = $10,800 per year," can you provide direction on the following questions? 1) Are consultants able to charge $200/hour? 2) Can programs use more than 72 hours per year? (5/3/24)
1. Yes, consultants may charge $200/hour, programs can use more than 72 hours per year, and programs can spend more than $10,800 total for IECMHC. The minimum amounts listed in the NOFO were established in 2022 (for our previous NOFO) and it is understandable that rates would increase by 2024-25.
We are submitting an application for the Expansion Grant and currently have a Home Visiting Grant. When we are asked to provide estimated funding including "Other Source of Contribution" should we include the amount of our current award there? (5/7/24)
1. In the Uniform Grant Agreement (UGA), you can leave "Other Source of Contribution" blank: you only need to enter the amount requested from the state for the HV Expansion NOFO. In the CSA budget, you do not need to enter funds from other sources (non-State of Illinois funds). Those are funds needed to meet a cost-sharing or matching requirement or provided as a voluntary cost-sharing or matching commitment. This NOFO does not have a match or cost sharing requirement.
We are thinking about applying for the doula enhancement but we are not sure what our chances are of receiving this. Can you tell us how many applicants said that they were considering applying for doulas in their Letters of Intent? (5/7/24)
1. Please see Section E of the NOFO for the review and selection process.
Will IDHS reduce the amount of our grant request? For example, if we applied for 4 positions, would IDHS decide to only approve 2 of them? (5/7/24)
1. Please see Section E of the NOFO for the review and selection process. As stated in Section E: "In the event of a tie with insufficient funding for all tied applications, the Department may choose to elect one of the following options:
  1. Apply one or more of the additional factors for consideration described above to prioritize the applications.
  2. Partially fund each of the tied applications.
  3. Not fund any of the tied applications. The Department reserves the right to negotiate with successful applicants to adjust award amounts, targets, deliverables, etc."
When submitting the application, do we have to combine the program narrative, the attachments, the Uniform Grant Agreement (UGA), and the Conflict of Interest Disclosure into a single PDF? Or can the UGA and Conflict of Interest Disclosure be stand-alone documents? (5/7/24)
1. Please submit the narrative and attachments as one combined PDF document. The UGA and Conflict of Interest Disclosure forms can be submitted as separate/stand-alone documents. Please send all of these documents in the same email. Apologies for the confusion!