Testimony to the House Appropriations Committee Regarding Foster Care Capacity and Children Without Placement
Our testimony briefly covers three topics:
Understanding the Children Without Placement Crisis
Keeping Texas Children with their Families and Safely Out of Foster Care
Promoting the Safety and Well-being of Children in Foster Care
It includes the following recommendations to the Legislature:
Invest in effective implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). Specifically, the Legislature should invest General Revenue (GR) funding to support evidence-based FFPSA-approved family preservation services that are proven to keep more children from entering foster care.
Increase funding and support for kinship caregivers such as grandparents or aunts and uncles.
Increase funding to support Foster Care Rate Modernization and tailor foster care payments to the needs of each child.