For Immediate Release
Contact: Peter Clark, 512-473-2274

Advocates Praise Gov. Abbott for Including Foster Care Funding in Special Session and Urge Legislative Action

Austin - This week, Governor Abbott announced that the agenda for the special session of the Texas Legislature includes improving funding for foster care homes and services. Following the announcement, Kate Murphy, Senior Child Welfare Policy Associate at Texans Care for Children, issued the following statement:

“We appreciate the Governor putting foster care funding on the special session agenda and urge legislative leaders to make the funding a priority in the coming days.
“State leaders must tackle the severe shortage of safe foster care homes so children can be with a loving family, heal, stay safe, and receive services they need for complex behavioral health needs.
“This funding is essential if Texas leaders don’t want our children living in a CPS office, an unlicensed home, or a potentially unsafe group facility — or shipped to a foster care facility hundreds of miles away in another state.
“The Legislature passed many significant policy reforms this session aimed at making foster care safer for kids, but those reforms may be undermined by inadequate investment in the providers directly serving our most vulnerable children.
“Years of testimony and investigations as part of the federal lawsuit against the Texas foster care system have revealed that many children, especially those with more complex needs, are at risk of physical and sexual abuse in Texas foster care. Several children have even died in Texas foster care in recent years.
“Now the Legislature has a chance to take a critical step to address this crisis. The Comptroller’s recent revenue update makes clear that Texas has the money to invest in children in foster care. The time for action is now.”

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