January 30, 2017      6:39 PM

House workgroup lays out plans for CPS reform

Meantime Senate Finance Chair Nelson expresses frustration with CPS for failing to meet benchmarks

A Texas House workgroup proposed some ideas to improve Texas’ ailing Child Protective Services Monday, while elsewhere in the Capitol the Senate Finance Committee discussed CPS Funding.

The workgroup, assembled by Speaker Joe Straus, laid out three main ideas for CPS improvements, none of which focused on more funding. Instead the legislators proposed ideas to make the Department of Family and Protective Services its own agency, Kinship Care expansion and more use of community based services. Legislators are expected to file related legislation in the coming days.

“While money matters, and it does matter, money is not the silver bullet,” said workgroup member Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls. “If money alone were the fix, then the child welfare system would already have been fixed long ago. The work group is here today to offer a different vision of foster care.”

By Eleanor Dearman

Copyright January 30, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved