Title: Foster Care 101
1Foster Care 101
2David Ray, Region 10 ESC
- McKinney-Vento/ Homeless Education and Foster
Care Consultant - David.Ray_at_Region10.org
- 972.348.1786
- www.Region10.org/fostercare
- www.Region10.org/MVH
3TEA Contacts
- http//www.tea.state.tx.us/FosterCareStudentSucces
s/ - Federal State Education PolicyFoster Care
Education Policy CoordinatorKelly
Kravitz512-463-9235Kelly.Kravitz_at_tea.state.tx.us
fostercareliaison_at_tea.state.tx.us
4Agenda
- What is Foster Care
- Data Statistics
- Timeline of Efforts
- What are the Laws
5(No Transcript)
6DFPS- Department of Family and Protective
Services
- The Texas Department of Family and Protective
Services (DFPS) protects children and adults who
are elderly or have disabilities and regulates
child care. - Adult Protective Services
- Child Protective Services
- Child Care Licensing
- Prevention and Early Intervention
7CPS- Child Protective Services
- Child Protective Services responsibilities
include - Investigating reports of abuse and neglect of
children. - Providing services to children and families in
their own homes. - Placing children in foster care.
- Providing services to help youth in foster care
make the transition to adulthood. - Placing children in adoptive homes.
8Substitute Care
- Temporary Managing Conservatorship (TMC) DFPS
may be the TMC while the agency works with the
family on a reunification plan or - Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC) DFPS
may be named the PMC for a child until custody is
given to another individual or until the youth
turns 18.
9Substitute Care Types
- Foster Family Home
- Foster Group Home
- Residential Treatment Facilities
- Kinship Placement
- Relative Care
- Non-relative Care
- Emergency Shelters
10Timeline
- 2008 Fostering Connections to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Public Law
110-351 - 2010 Supreme Court of TX orders Childrens
Commission - Texas Blueprint (Consensus of this group)
- 18 month period of listening to each other
- 2013 Education Portion of the Childrens
Commission awarded grant - 2014 Foster Care and Student Success
112008 Fostering Connections to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Public Law
110-351
- This law requires state child welfare agencies to
collaborate with their state and local education
agencies to promote school stability and improve
educational outcomes for children in foster care.
(Chapter 1, pgs. 14-15) - Education provisions in Fostering Connections to
Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
include - Emphasis on the importance of school stability,
maintaining the school in which the child was
enrolled at the time of placement, and the need
for coordination between state and regional child
welfare and state and local education agencies. - Assurance that the placements take into account
the appropriateness of the current education
setting and proximity to the school in which the
child is enrolled at the time of placement in
foster care. - If remaining in the same school is not in the
childs best interest, the child welfare and
local education agencies will work together to
ensure immediate and appropriate enrollment and
provide ALL of the childs education records to
the new school.
122010 Supreme Court of TX orders Childrens
Commission
- In 2010, the Supreme Court of Texas issued an
Order Establishing the Education Committee of the
Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth
and Families (Childrens Commission). The
Education Committee a high-level group of court,
education and child welfare decision-makers
created a collaborative initiative designed to
improve educational outcomes of children and
youth in the Texas foster care system. The order
resulted in over 100 court, education and child
welfare stakeholders coming together over an
18-month period to listen and learn from each
other, discuss and debate about the issues, and
ultimately develop recommendations to improve
educational outcomes of children and youth in
foster care. - The core focus areas were
- School Readiness,
- School Stability and Transitions,
- School Experience,
- and Post Secondary Education.
132010 Supreme Court of TX orders Childrens
Commission
- The Education Committee reached consensus on many
recommendations, which ranged from changes to
daily practices, modifications to education and
child welfare policy, and amendments to Texas
legal framework. The recommendations, as
implemented, will impact education, child
welfare, and judicial practices, and will spur
multi-disciplinary training, cross-agency data
exchange, child-specific information sharing, and
cross-system collaborations. - The Texas Blueprint was submitted to the Supreme
Court of Texas on May 3, 2012. The
recommendations are included in the Final Report
of the Education Committee, The Texas Blueprint
Transforming Education Outcomes for Children
Youth in Foster Care.
142010 Supreme Court of TX orders Childrens
Commission
- Guiding Principle 1 Children and youth in
care are entitled to remain in the same school
when feasible. - Guiding Principle 2 Children and youth in
care experience seamless transitions between
schools. - Guiding Principle 3 Young children in care
receive services and interventions to be ready to
learn. - Guiding Principle 4 Children and youth in
care have the opportunity and support to fully
participate in all developmentally appropriate
activities and all aspects of the education
experience. - Guiding Principle 5 Children and youth in
care have supports to prevent school dropout,
truancy, and disciplinary actions, and to
reengage in the education experience. - Guiding Principle 6 Children and youth in
care are involved, empowered and prepared to
self-advocate in all aspects of their education. - Guiding Principle 7 Children and youth in care
have consistent adult support to advocate for and
make education decisions. - Guiding Principle 8 Children and youth in care
have support to enter and complete post-secondary
education.
152013 Education Portion of the Childrens
Commission awarded grant
- As a result of collaborative work led by the
Childrens Commission Education Committee, Texas
was one of ten sites awarded a 17-month federal
Childrens Bureau demonstration grant, Child
Welfare Education System Collaboration to
Increase Educational Stability. - The grant assisted Texas Education Agency (TEA)
in building capacity and collaboration with the
Childrens Commission and Department of Family
and Protective Services (DFPS) to address
improving the education outcomes of students in
foster care.
162014 Foster Care and Student Success
- TEA developed a premiere resource to support
Texas schools in addressing the education of
students in foster care Texas Foster Care
Student Success Resource Guide (PDF, 7.67 MB).
This guide is the product of collaboration with
the Texas Department of Family and Protective
Services, the Supreme Court of Texas, and the
Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth
and Families (Children's Commission). This
e-guide and training manual contains a variety of
key researched-based topics and calls attention
to important matters related to the education of
students in foster care. The guide promotes best
practices and contains numerous tips, tools,
resources and links to more information. - TEA desires that the guide be widely used and
distributed! Please share with your districts,
schools and networks. The guide is available in a
variety of formats.
17Data sharing and data collection requirements in
PEIMS - TEC 7.029
- (Chapter 1, p. 16 Chapter 5, pgs. 45-46)
102 Record Column 30
18Immediate school enrollment without records - TEC
25.002(g)
- (Chapter 7, p. 56)
- Free eligibility for PRE-K - TEC 29.153(b)(6)
(Chapter 10, p. 74)
19Previous School
- Attendance in the school the student was enrolled
immediately before entering conservatorship, even
when placed outside of the district attendance
zone, until the student successfully completes
the highest grade level offered by the school -
TEC 25.001(g) (Chapter 8, p. 62) - 11th or 12th grade student who transfers to a new
school district and does not meet the graduation
requirements of the new school district may
request a diploma from the former school
district, when on-track to graduate at the
previous school - TEC 28.025 (Chapter 9, p. 92)
20Student Success
- Excused absences for court-ordered appointments -
TEC 25.087 (Chapter 10, p. 75) - Accelerated instruction (at-risk indicators and
compensatory education) - TEC 29.081(d)(11)
(Chapter 6, p. 51 Chapter 11, pgs. 82-83) - Transition Assistance from one school to another
of students in foster care - TEC 25.007
(Chapter 11, pgs. 84-91) - School districts and open enrollment charter
schools are required to appoint a Foster Care
Liaison and notify TEA of their Foster Care
Liaison appointment - TEC 33.904 (Chapter 5, p.
44)
21Free lifetime college tuition and fees waiver!
- The waiver is activated when a student enrolls in
dual credit or another course where a student may
earn college credit- TEC 54.366 (Chapter 13,
pgs. 104-106)
22(No Transcript)
23Nutrition
- Students in foster care are categorically
eligible for all U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) child nutrition programs. Caregivers for
children and youth in foster care do not have to
complete a separate application to participate in
these programs (Chapter 10, p. 74).
24Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- Uninterrupted Scholars Act (USA)
- An amendment to FERPA, Uninterrupted Scholars Act
(January 2013), allows educational agencies and
institutions to disclose a students education
records, without parental consent, to child
welfare case workers or other representatives of
a state or local child welfare agency when such
agency or organization is legally responsible for
the care and protection of the student (e.g. DFPS
staff, the childs caregiver, attorney ad litem,
CASA and others identified by the court order).
Additionally, USA permits educational agencies
and institutions to disclose a students
education records pursuant to a court order
without requiring additional notice to the parent
by the educational agency or institution if the
court has already given the parent notice as a
party in specified types of court proceedings.
These changes also apply to the confidentiality
provisions identified in Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). School staff
should follow FERPA regulations when releasing
school-related information (Chap 9, pgs. 70-71).