Introduction
The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services and its research and training arm, the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies, exists to supports community organizations. These organizations provide direct care services to children, youth, and families in the child welfare system. In addition, community organizations serve people with a diverse array of needs ranging from crisis intervention, mental health, foster care, adoption, parenting supports, residential treatment, juvenile and youth services, and so much more.
Children and families do not fit into a box and neither do community organizations. Texas is blessed to have service providers that vary in size and scope, that provide a variety of services, and that reside in the most rural and urban areas of the state. Community organizations are mission based, employ thousands of professionals dedicated to service, and we are honored to be their “go to” resource.
Our priorities derive from our network’s experience, data and research, and our understanding of the future needs of this dynamic system. We work in partnership with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Texas Health and Human Services Commission to further the advancement of innovation, effective services, and funding/policies that will help ensure early and effective interventions for families across this State who are need of help and support.
This report is prepared for the Meadows Foundation with two purposes:
1. To provide background on the child welfare system in Texas. This detailed background will support an understanding of effective strategies for systemic improvement.
2. To combine the aforementioned background information with insights from our network, our experience, and data/research into findings and recommendations that the Meadows Foundation may use to inform philanthropic priorities.
We are very grateful for the opportunity to prepare this report and appreciate the Meadows Foundation’s generosity toward child welfare in Texas.