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Launch of Foster Care Redesign (2013–2014)
In 2011, Texas lawmakers set the stage for transforming foster care by directing DFPS to develop a new community-driven model. This effort materialized as Foster Care Redesign, an initiative to keep children closer to home and improve outcomes by contracting with a single local lead entity in each region.
The first pilot launched in early 2013, when DFPS awarded Providence Service Corporation of Texas the initial contract for a vast catchment spanning Region 2 and Region 9 (covering North and West Texas). Providence began serving children in August 2013, but struggled to meet expectations in the rural expanse of West Texas. After only 19 months, Providence voluntarily terminated its contract (effective August 2014), citing unexpected costs and difficulty building a provider network across 60 counties. DFPS assumed control of foster care in Regions 2 and 9 once again, using the hard lessons from this early attempt to reevaluate the new model.
Despite this setback in West Texas, the fundamental vision endured – a vision of placing foster care services in the hands of local communities for more responsive, child-centered care.
Around the same time, a second pilot took root in the Fort Worth area. In late 2013, DFPS executed a contract with ACH Child and Family Services to serve Region 3B (Tarrant County and surrounding counties). Under the banner “Our Community, Our Kids” (OCOK), ACH began providing foster placements in September 2014 and successfully built a continuum of local services. By early 2015, OCOK had transitioned nearly all children in Region 3B into its care, demonstrating the potential of the Community-Based model even as the state refined its approach.
The experiences of Providence in West Texas and ACH in Region 3B helped Texas identify both pitfalls and promising practices at the dawn of Community-Based Care.
Sources:
Texas Tribune article on Providence termination (2014): https://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/08/foster-care-redesign-pilot-program-ends-early/
Texas DFPS Community-Based Care 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
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