SJRC Texas Belong Community-Based Care (CBC)

Description

In 2017, Texas began a process to redesign the child welfare system in an effort to improve the lives and outcomes of children in state custody. The model is called Community-Based Care (CBC).

SJRC Texas serves over 1,100 children and families in a 27-county region surrounding San Antonio. All but two of the counties are rural. SJRC Texas coordinates child welfare services for the region and provides prevention services, therapy, residential care, community-based foster care, emergency care services, services for pregnant and parenting teenagers, and a child placing agency to license foster homes and complete adoptions.

SJRC Texas's new division, Belong, is the lead provider for CBC, in which foster care services in a region are centralized through one contractor instead of being managed by a state entity. Belong provides foster and adoption services along with support services for children and families.

SJRC Texas was awarded a contract from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for CBC. The organization is one of currently 7 regional contractors across the state.

Services offered

SJRC Texas Belong CBC services include:

• Foster and kinship care
• Case management
• Reunification services
• Parents as Teachers home or virtual visits (for families with children under age 5) to help prevent removal from the home
• C.A.R.E. program, which provides a support system, teaches problem-solving skills, and connects participants to resources (for families with children older than age 5)
• Support groups and group parenting classes
• Fatherhood Initiative, with education and engagement opportunities
• Health clinics
• "Resource fiestas" providing health screenings, blood pressure reading, blood sugar testing, vaccines, COVID-19 testing, and nutrition information
• Funds for children and families to access medical equipment such as blood pressure cuffs and cranial helmets
• Family Resource Centers

A critical component of SJRC Texas Belong CBC's programming is establishing virtual health clinics to increase access to care in rural communities. There have been two clinics through UT Health already serving rural communities in the South Central and Hill Country region with additional collaborative efforts underway for future expansion throughout the multi-county region.

Results

Since October 2021, SJRC Texas Belong CBC has seen the following numbers:

• Over 1,100 children and young adults served
• Over 1,000 volunteers engaged
• 254 staff employed across 27 counties
• Over 765 home and virtual visits conducted by Parent Educators
• 86 families and 103 children served by Parent Educators
• 233 kinship families served

Challenges

The implementation of CBC in the South Central and Hill Country region was a significant challenge. The region spans from the border of Mexico to the Gulf Coast, so strategic efforts were put into place to support each region and community to ensure the success of CBC.

Replication

Gather information from community experts to best understand the needs and strengths of each community. The organizational structure of CBC was designed to have an on-the-ground community team in each subregion (North, South, East, West) that focused on community-building initiatives, including bridging the gap between residents and services, bringing essential services to the rural communities, and offering a platform for collaborative conversations to occur.

Build genuine and authentic relationships with community stakeholders, youth, and adults who are involved in the child welfare system and who have an interest in child well-being.

SJRC Texas works closely with other CBC contractors as well as community providers considering applying for the CBC contract in their regions. SJRC Texas engages in a national coalition and is available to others interested in the CBC model and other innovative practices.

Contact Information

Kane Jaggers, Senior Regional Director
SJRC Texas
kjaggers@sjrctexas.org