The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services is providing support to five community-based organizations throughout Texas whom the state has chosen to establish hubs of services aiming to prevent child maltreatment.
Grants provided by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) will establish Family Resource Centers (FRCs) at five community-based organizations, and TACFS will provide technical assistance and training for staff at those organizations. The Centers, which could serve more than 1,000 families will offer a range of services, from supportive parenting groups to childhood development classes, to help securing housing and employment. 

The five FRC Grantees are:

  • BCFS Health and Human Services in Cameron County
  • DePelchin Children’s Center in Harris County
  • El Paso Center for Children in El Paso County
  • Easter Seals Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County
  • The SAFE Alliance in Travis County

The centers can help families connect with their communities as they learn more about positive parenting and seeking help in a crisis in order to prevent abuse and neglect before they happen. TACFS works with organizations around the state to help strengthen their prevention efforts — including a number of projects helping organizations establish and successfully operate Family Research Centers in their communities.

“These one-stop centers are a part of the future of serving families and our role is to help these organizations adhere to national standards while serving the unique needs of each community,”

Katie Olse, TACFS CEO


The Imprint, a national news outlet focused on youth and family issues, recently covered the announcement of the Texas investment in FRCs, writing, “The family resource center concept has gained increasing popularity and funding over the past year. Amid a crushing global health crisis that has hit children and families especially hard, these hubs of support have been held up as a promising “upstream” intervention — helping families before they come into the crosshairs of the child welfare system. . . There are more than 3,000 of these centers nationwide, serving more than 2 million people, according to the National Family Support Network, and the numbers are growing. Ten family resource centers opened in Washington, D.C., in October 2020, and New York City recently announced it would expand from three ‘family enrichment centers’ to 30 sites, located in parts of the city most impacted by COVID-19.” 

Funding for the FRCs in Texas comes from Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) dollars, and funds from the CBCAP American Rescue Plan Act. The centers are expected to serve between 150-400 families annually.

For more information, please visit https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/prevention_and_early_intervention/.