Background
Casey Family Programs has entered into a Child Welfare Initiative Agreement with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services aimed at improving outcomes for Texas youth in care. The Institute of Organizational Excellence (IOE) and the Child and Family Research Institute (CFRI) at the Center for Social Work Research are serving as the evaluation team for this “Texas Foster Care Redesign” initiative. IOE will collect and analyze survey data on employee engagement and collaboration for the Redesign. CFRI will conduct the qualitative implementation evaluation.
Outcomes
The goal of the Texas Foster Care Redesign effort is to improve the permanency and well-being outcomes for youth in care, which will help Casey Family Programs achieve its 2020 goal of safe reduction of foster care rates. Other performance indicators of the Redesign include:
- First and foremost, children are safe in their placements;
- Placing children in their home communities;
- Placing children in the least restrictive setting that meets their needs;
- Minimizing moves that disrupt children’s personal connections and educational progress;
- Placing children with siblings; and
- Respecting the culture of each child.
- To be fully prepared for successful adulthood, children and youth are provided opportunities, experiences and activities similar to those experienced by their non-foster care peers.
- Children and youth are provided opportunities to participate in decisions that impact their lives.
Evaluation of the Texas Redesign will measure progress towards these goals.