In 2015, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) found that nearly 28,000 children across the state were in the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS). Of these tens of thousands of youths, an estimated 40 to 60 percent have behavioral health problems.
The complex emotional and behavioral challenges faced by foster youth demand an exceptional amount of individual attention and care — a demand that, for many, is left unsatisfied.
When a child falls through the cracks of the Texas foster care system, a lack of services isn’t always to blame. Gaps in accessibility play a major role in who receives treatment and who doesn’t, making it difficult for services to find their way to those who need them most. The system’s haphazard structure also makes it prone to breakdowns in communication and organization, resulting in overburdened caseworkers and even neglected allegations of child abuse.
Two years ago, the Hogg Foundation commissioned an evaluation of the Harris County Protective Services (HCPS) Integrated Health Care Program for Foster Children, a pilot program funded in 2012 and launched in 2014. The program led to the creation of the HCPS Integrated Health Care Clinic, which adapts the integrated health care model to foster care settings.
Read more on UTexas.edu.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.