We're glad to see the Senate HHS Committee addressing this tomorrow.


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We drive policy change to improve the lives of Texas children today for a stronger Texas tomorrow.

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Dear John,

We're glad to see the Senate Health and Human Services Committee is meeting tomorrow ([link removed]) to address, among other issues, the way that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected child abuse.

The fact is, while Texas has made progress on child protection over the last three years, we still had a lot of work to do before the pandemic started — and now the pandemic has exacerbated many of those problems.

During the pandemic, more families are at risk of becoming involved with Child Protection Services (CPS), foster care placements are more limited, and young adults leaving the system are facing bigger hurdles than ever.

That's why, as the Legislature tackles urgent COVID-19 issues during the upcoming session, it will be important to ensure more children can stay safely with their families, address the CPS and foster care system, and make sure families have adequate support.

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Fortunately, the Legislature can address these many challenges in the following ways:

Invest in Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programs that prevent child abuse and neglect

Provide more robust services and support to children and families through child care, health coverage, Early Childhood Intervention, and more;

Reduce the number of children entering foster care by leveraging federal funding available under the 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA);

Strategically plan to expand foster care capacity by adding specialized placements or populations to the existing foster care needs assessment;

Improve the safety and support for children in Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs), and avoid the overuse of RTCs, by taking the following steps: 
- helping facilities meet new federal FFPSA standards, 
- expanding eligibility for Treatment Foster Family Care, and 
- increasing court oversight of foster care facilities; and

Help older youth and young adults in foster care plan for the transition out of foster care earlier, remove barriers to staying in extended care, and ensure they have the skills and resources they need to successfully transition to independence.

We look forward to working with you during the upcoming legislative session to ensure that more children can stay safely with their families instead of entering foster care and ensure that children who do enter foster care are safe and supported.

Sincerely,

Kate Murphy
Senior Child Welfare Policy Associate@K8MurphysLaw ([link removed])

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1016 La Posada Drive, Suite 240 | Austin, TX 78752 US

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