Dear John,
I hope you are managing during these challenging times.
The state has taken important steps in child welfare over the last few years, particularly the 2017 investment in child abuse investigators. However, there is much more work to do, particularly within the foster care side of the system — and especially with older youth and the children with the highest needs.
The article underscores that even before coronavirus, many youth aged out of foster care and experienced homelessness, as well as other significant challenges, with little support. Coronavirus is now intensifying those challenges.
In fact, before coronavirus hit Texas, 18-21 year olds who experienced foster care in Texas had worse outcomes compared to children who experienced foster care in other states and their peers in Texas’ general population:
- Over half were unemployed;
- Over a quarter lacked a high school diploma or its equivalent;
- Over a quarter lacked stable housing; and
- Over a third became parents too early.
This pandemic has intensified challenges for these young adults related to food, housing, health care, technology, finances, employment, transportation, education, household supplies, and child care.
As policymakers consider ways to support Texans who are affected by the pandemic, it's important to keep in mind older youth in foster care and the 1,200 youth who age out of Texas foster care each year. After all, youth in foster care are "our children," with the state serving as their parent. Amid coronavirus, youth who are aging out of foster care may not have relationships, resources, or connections they need to get through the pandemic. Texas should provide significantly more support to this relatively small population to help them transition to adulthood. In 2019, legislators filed several bills that did not pass that would have supported older youth. These bills would have helped with various challenges such as:
Prior to this pandemic, the Legislature was exploring ways to draw down additional funds under the law that revamped federal child welfare funding, the Family First Act. These funds may be used to keep more youth safely with their families and ensure more youth find permanency by improving the quality of the homes and services the state uses to support kids during their time in foster care. The Family First Act also reauthorized federal programs that help youth transition out of foster care and expanded eligibility so states can offer more robust support to youth in various ways until they turn 26.
After coronavirus, Texas should leverage Family First Act funding to better support these youth by:
- Broadening Texas’ definition for “foster care candidacy” to ensure that young parents who were formerly in foster care are eligible for support;
- Recruiting more foster families to serve older youth — something DFPS has specifically identified as a need — as well as expanding supervised independent living options for young adults; and
- Ensuring more youth have resources to pursue their education and employment goals for a longer period of time.
I look forward to continuing our work together on these and other child welfare policy issues.
Sincerely,
