The 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) restructured how the federal government finances state child welfare systems by prioritizing prevention services and higher-quality foster care providers. The FFPSA, which takes effect on October 1 next year, must be a priority for the Texas Legislature during the upcoming session.
Through smart implementation of the FFPSA, Texas can keep more kids out of the Child Protective Services (CPS) system, improve the quality of foster care facilities, improve outcomes for children who do enter foster care, and prevent the loss of millions of dollars in federal funding for child welfare.
The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has framed the new restrictions on federal funding for foster care as “optional” because Texas technically is not required to make changes. However, if Texas does not make changes to foster care that are incentivized by the FFPSA, Texas will lose federal funding that it currently relies on to support the foster care system.