Use pandemic funds for foster care

COVID-19 has created hardships for many. The stress has led to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse and domestic violence, causing more families to rely on the child welfare system.

Unfortunately, the system in place to assist families and care for children is already stretched thin. Texas has lost more than 1,000 foster care beds over the past year, and the number of children without a placement has increased each month since the beginning of 2021.

On the agenda for the third special session is the appropriation of $16 billion in American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds. With these funds, we have the opportunity to provide much-needed relief to communities that have struggled throughout the pandemic, and we must thoughtfully consider how we will allocate the funds. Members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force have met with numerous child welfare organizations to discuss COVID’S impact. Through these conversations, we have found specific problems within the system that the pandemic has exacerbated and qualify for ARPA funding.

First, implement an integrated data system for the Department of Family and Protective Services, or DFPS. We need to offer all stakeholders access to real-time data that will assist with the coordination of care across health, education, social service and specialty-care systems.

There is no excuse for the state and those involved in a case to be clueless as to the whereabouts of a child. A new system is needed to provide detailed information about each child, the care they need and the services they are receiving. Reliable data will also allow us to monitor progress, ensure children are in safe and appropriate placements, and the state is fulfilling its duties and obligations.

We also need to provide appropriate financial support for kinship caregivers. Many of us know a grandparent, aunt or sibling who has stepped up to take care of a child in their family. Typically, kinship placements are the best option for children who have entered the foster care system because they tend to result in better outcomes than alternative options.

Unfortunately, kinship caregivers receive minimal state financial assistance. Taking in a child is expensive. Car seats, formula, clothing: These necessities are not cheap. To encourage and support kinship placements, we should provide the needed level of support and training, particularly for family members who are providing care for children requiring specialized services. Doing so will relieve some of the strain on the system created by the capacity crisis.

Another investment is to provide bonuses for child-serving staff in the child welfare system. These professionals have been on the front lines of the pandemic and have experienced significant stress, leading to increasing turnover rates. The annual turnover rate for DFPS Investigation staff is 40 percent, and for DFPS conservatorship caseworkers, it is 25 percent. High turnover contributes to a lack of continuity in case management, potentially resulting in unnecessary removals of children. By providing bonuses to recognize workers’ heroic efforts, we also offer an incentive for them to remain.

We should also restore the funding for purchased client services, or PCS, that was cut. PCS supports children in several stages. Adoption PCS can reduce the length of stay in foster care and more quickly achieve child permanency. Substance abuse prevention and treatment PCS can help families reach reunification. Other services include evaluation and treatment not available from community resources or Medicaid and home studies for kinship placements. We should restore PCS to fiscal 2021 funding levels by allocating $35.1 million.

I urge my Texas Legislature colleagues to appropriate ARPA funds to support the vulnerable children who are counting on us to protect them.