More than 16,000 Texas children are presently in foster care. This crucial safety net for thousands of the state's most vulnerable residents has experienced challenges in recent years and is in the process of evolving in an innovative manner to better meet the needs of the affected young people at a critical juncture in their lives. While the primary consideration in any conversation related to transforming the foster care system must always be the well-being of the children and families who are affected, improvements also involve quantifiable economic benefits in the form of reduced social costs and increased earnings and productivity. Analyzing these economic benefits can help inform discussion of future strategic plans, particularly given the reality of tight budgets for social services.
A bill has been introduced in the Texas House called "kinship care," which allows relatives of children in foster care to care for those kids. Dr. Perryman took a look at the economic subplan.
We have reported frequently on the state's troubled Child Protective Services and Foster Care system, and Dr. Perryman says it is important for the legislature to get serious about finding ways to make it perform more efficiently.
Dr. Perryman's firm studied the potential effects of foster care redesign and found that it can improve the lives of Texas children and makes economic sense.
There is no social issue more important than protecting children from abuse and neglect. At present, millions of children in the United States are living in households where abuse occurs. More than three million experienced abuse for the first time this year, and many will continue to be maltreated. It's nothing short of tragic, and the consequences for the children involved often last a lifetime.
More than 16,000 Texas children are presently in foster care. However, this crucial safety net for thousands of the state's most vulnerable residents has experienced challenges in recent years. Children are spending nights in offices and hotels because there aren't enough places to stay, reports of ongoing abuse and neglect make headlines, a federal judge called the system broken and mandated changes, and it is difficult to keep caseworkers from quitting.