This is an organization or local entity that assumes responsibility for finding foster homes for children in state care and eventually providing the full continuum of services for those children. Single Source ContinuumContractor
STAGE 1 The SSCC forms a network of service providers to manage foster care placements within the region.
STAGE 2 The SSCC will become solely responsible for case management and will provide kinship and reunification services to help parents reunite with their children.
STAGE 3 The SSCC will be subject to financial remedies or incentives depending on its ability to meet state permanency outcomes.
GOALS OF COMMUNITY-BASED CARE
• Provide child services within a family home environment • Coordinate with local providers to ensure requirements are met
• Place children within their community • Provide prevention services • Facilitate training and support programs
SOURCES: DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES, SJRC TEXAS/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
IDENTIFYING THE NEED
When a child enters the foster care system, the search for a safe placement begins. If an appropriate foster home or placement with a relative or trusted adult cannot be found, children may be placed in an emergency shelter or, in some cases, may not have a placement.
the shelter too long because that’s what it is—it is sup- posed to be an emergency shelter to house kids. You don’t want kids growing up in a shelter. We want kids to be raised by families.” Teenagers at risk of being left behind Older youth in the foster system tend to experi- ence longer stays without placement, according to the DFPS September report. From October 2020 through September 2021, 32.11% of children ages 13-17 were without placement for three to seven nights, while 15.69% of children ages 3-5 were with- out placement for the same duration. A total of 211 children ages 13-17 were without placement for more than 28 days over the course of the fiscal year, according to the DFPS. “A lot of people want to become foster parents and help the little kids but our teenagers, unfortunately, kind of get left behind in that,”Huereca said. “Our kids that come into the foster care system, they do come with baggage, but it’s not baggage of their own. These kids have been through hell and back. And they need peoplewho arewilling tobe skillful tohelp themheal.” While families receive training for caring for chil- dren with trauma, organizations such as the South Texas Alliance for Orphans have worked to empower communities and churches to support foster families. “We also do trauma training for foster families, adoptive families, kinship families … anybody else that is kind of connected with those that have expe- rienced trauma, helping give them the resources and tools to know how to serve them,” STAO Director and founder Jennifer Smith said. Children over the age of 9 are often less likely to be adopted if parental rights are terminated, Smith said, which leads to longer stays in foster care and a higher chance of experiencing negative outcomes without a consistent family dynamic. Community support is critical Keeping children connected to their biological fam- ilies is also a key priority of the CBC initiative, Roussett said, and the DFPS prioritizes kinship placements or placements with safe adults the child is familiar with. “[Children’s] best outcomes are staying close to home with people that they know, and that’s going to take the community stepping up,” Roussett said. “There’s some good people that areworking very hard to do the right thing for these kids. But we needmore, no one entity can do it alone. No one agency can do it alone. It truly takes the community.” For those who may not be in a place to become a foster family, Smith said opportunities to serve foster families and children are abundant in the community.
• Nearly 20 are with foster families • 8 are at an emergency shelter, residential treatment center or supervised independent living • Nearly 20 are placed with family or family acquaintance
• More than 75 are with foster families • Over 30 are at an emergency shelter, residential treatment center or supervised independent living • Nearly 75 are placed with family or family acquaintance
Comal County
Guadalupe County has nearly 50 children in foster care
has over 180 children in foster care
SOURCES: DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES, SJRC TEXAS/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
STAO hosts a babysitting program to license people to babysit foster children and partners with area organi- zations to provide school supplies and Christmas gifts for foster families. Court Appointed Special Advocates trains volun- teers to serve as a guardianad litem, or a legal guardian appointed by a court, and are responsible for speaking with the child’s teachers, therapists, doctors and the child to determine whether their needs are being met. “There are a lot of things that these children need while they’re in care, and CASA volunteers find out these needs and make them known to the judge so that then court orders can be put into place,” said Eloise Hudson, communications manager for CASA of Central Texas. In an effort to provide consistency for the children in care, each CASA volunteer is only assigned to one case at a time, Hudson said. As the population in Central Texas has grown, so has the number of children in need, Hudson said, out- pacing the number of volunteers available. While some foster placements end in adoption, like VanDusen experienced, she said foster families should never hope a biological family breaks down and should instead focus on providing the care and healing a child needs while they are with them. “A lot of times we look at either these kids or their parents with judgment. And I think if we just look at themas broken people likewe all are, we’d have a little bit more compassion. We’d have a little bit more grace because it is so cyclical, and someone has to be will- ing to step in to help break the cycle,” she said. “The healing process is so important that they need people that are willing to sacrifice their temporary comfort for their permanent well being.” Chandler France contributed to this report.
GET INVOLVED
Donations
Support shelters and organizations by donating items such as: • New bed sheets • New towels • New clothing • Monetary donations
• Toys and games • Books • Toiletry items
Volunteer
Foster
Become certified to babysit foster children through the DFPS or another organization. Make a meal or assist a family with household chores. Volunteer to watch non-foster children while the parents attend meetings and appointments.
Partner with a local foster agency.
Learn about foster care from a foster family. The South Texas Alliance for Orphans connects interested families with existing foster families to better understand the system. Attend an informational meeting through the DFPS or an area agency. Pass a background check, be financially stable and have a safe home. Complete a training program to learn how to care for children in the foster care system. Participate in a home study to identify which children would best fit in the home, to determine the parent’s ability to meet a child’s needs and to ensure the home meets standards.
Advocate
Become a Court Appointed Special Advocate.
Adopt
When a person’s parental rights are terminated by the state, children may be adopted by a family member, guardian or other trusted adult in their life.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
SOURCES: COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES, DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES, SJRC TEXAS, SOUTH TEXAS ALLIANCE FOR ORPHANS/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • FEBRUARY 2022
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