File photo
File photo
A critical step into localizing the foster care model in seven North Texas counties took place March 2.
The state has been trying to expand local opportunities for private and nonprofit charities since 2017, when Gov. Greg Abbott made foster care reform a priority. The new model would make the system more responsive to children's needs.
The Community-Based Care model would give the local communities and nonprofits more roles in caring for the foster children. Throughout Texas, approximately 6% – 3,000 out of 50,000 – foster care children in Texas have been served by this new model.
The need for this new model came about after Our Community Our Kids, a nonprofit foster care organization, was in a state of emergency. This meant children in the system often were in conditions doing more harm than good, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Conditions continued to worsen until a federal judge ruled the protective services department was violating the constitutional rights of the children in their system.
Now, four regions in Texas are using the new model. Results from the regions show the new model is working.
The new model has helped put foster children in family settings instead of institutional ones. Over 80% of foster children are now in family homes, the Star-Telegram reported.
In addition, the model has increased the number of active foster family homes in the regions. These foster family homes have risen by 36% throughout all regions, but some individual regions have seen an increase up to 300%.
Since the system has proved successful in some regions, the next step of the model would be to implement it throughout North Texas, the Star-Telegram reported. Abbott has declared a commitment to implementing the model to every region in the state.
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