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Community Coalition and Engagement in West Texas
Community Coalition and Engagement in West Texas (2022–2024)
In the wake of the failed 2022 procurement for Region 9—where no providers submitted bids to become the Single Source Continuum Contractor—West Texans took action. Local child welfare leaders, nonprofits, faith communities, and advocates united to form West Texas Together (WTT), a regional coalition spanning the Concho Valley and Permian Basin. The coalition’s mission was bold: to design and advocate for a locally governed, community-based model of foster care tailored to the realities of rural West Texas.
By 2023, West Texas Together had grown into a structured, grassroots-led coalition. Six strategic workgroups formed around core priorities: family support services, foster/kinship caregiver recruitment, systems integration, prevention and early intervention, workforce development, and church and faith-based engagement. These teams facilitated consistent collaboration between community partners, schools, healthcare providers, courts, law enforcement, and direct service organizations.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, WTT hosted cross-sector convenings, regional roundtables, and Lunch & Learn sessions—many of which brought together DFPS staff with frontline service providers. These events deepened trust and broke down longstanding silos. In the Concho Valley, for example, a 2024 meeting brought together more than 70 stakeholders for knowledge-sharing and solution-mapping. The Permian Basin coalition did the same, engaging with civic leaders and judges to ensure the CBC model would align with local capacity and constraints.
WTT also focused on public education. Foster and kinship caregiver forums gave families a platform to share their experiences and shape the future system. Resource kits were distributed to support grandparents and relatives raising children. WTT leaders also held listening sessions with local clergy and nonprofit directors to explore the role of churches and community hubs in strengthening families before crises escalate.
In parallel, the coalition launched a learning initiative to study other regions that had implemented CBC. WTT surveyed caseworkers, CASA volunteers, and SSCC representatives from across Texas, gathering candid feedback on what worked—and what didn’t. This helped the coalition refine a theory of change rooted in local governance, flexible funding, and family-centered design.
By late 2024, WTT published a working draft of its regional action plan. The plan focused on three pillars: (1) strengthening family supports to keep children safely at home, (2) improving inter-agency coordination through data sharing and referral systems, and (3) investing in preventive services such as parenting education, substance use treatment, and economic supports. The message was clear: West Texas was no longer waiting to be told how CBC should work—it was designing the solution from within.
Sources:
One Accord for Kids Blog: https://www.oneaccordforkids.org/blog
Texas Tribune coverage on failed Region 9 RFA (2022): https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/20/texas-foster-care-community-based-care
Texas DFPS CBC Overview: https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Child_Protection/Foster_Care/Community-Based_Care/default.asp
Texas CASA CBC Guide (2023): https://texascasa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CBC-Guide-2023.pdf
Futurecast 2027 Planning Document (West Texas Together internal resource)
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