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Foster Care Information

Foster Care

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Serving Students Living in Foster Care

When children and youth are no longer safe living at home and there is no appropriate non-custodial parent, relative, or close family friend able or willing to care for them, the court will give CPS temporary legal possession of the child or youth.

Foster care is meant to be a temporary placement but can sometimes evolve into a permanent placement. Children and Youth in foster care may live in different foster care settings such as:

  • Foster families

  • Foster family group homes

  • Residential care facilities

  • Facilities operated by other state agencies

Are Districts required to have a Foster Care Liaison?

AskTED - Add Foster Care Liaison

 

Each school district and open-enrollment charter school in Texas is required to appoint at least one employee to act as a Foster Care Liaison. Both districts and open-enrollment charter schools must submit their Foster Care Liaison's name and contact information to TEA. Be sure to update information annually.

Register as Your District's McKinney-Vento | Foster Care Liaison

The Circle of Support

Foster care district liaisons work with a network of partners, in and outside of the school, to advocate for the needs of the student living in foster care.

The graphic to the right indicates school partners who work with the lfoster care liaison.  

A diagram shows the Foster Care District Liaison connected to various roles.

    • Facilitate the enrollment in or transfer to a public or open-enrollment charter school of any child in the district or area served by the charter school who is in the conservatorship of the state (TEC § 33.904).

    • Advocate for the needs of students in foster care.

    • Coordinate with various school personnel and departments to ensure the required supports, practices, and best-practice strategies for serving students in foster care are implemented within LEAs.

    • May coordinate with the Title I director, transportation director, McKinney-Vento Homeless liaison, dropout prevention/at-risk coordinator, special education staff, and other federal program staff to coordinate ESSA and other requirements for students in foster care within their LEAs. 

    • May coordinate with individual campuses, community services agencies, caregivers, local colleges, and advocates involved with the child welfare system. 

    See Chapter Five of the Foster Care & Student Success Resource Guide for more information on Foster Care Liaison duties.  

  • Acceptable identification for students in foster care can come from two outside sources:

    • DFPS Placement Authorization Form 2085

    • Court Order

    LEAs are required to identify students who are in foster care while maintaining confidentiality.  Identification is necessary to ensure:

    •  Proof of legal authority of the caregiver during enrollment
    • Implementation of supportive educational provisions for foster care students
    • Identification of students who are eligible for supplemental instructional services
    • Successful transitions
    • High school completion and overall student success
    • Successful planning and transitioning into post-secondary education

  • Students experiencing Foster Care have rights and services listed below through collaboration between the LEA and child welfare system:

    • Right to remain in the same school when feasible

    • Experience seamless transitions between schools

    • Right to receive services and interventions to be ready to learn

    • Right to participate in all developmentally appropriate activities

    • Have supports to prevent dropout, truancy, and disciplinary actions, and reengage in the education experience

    • Right to be involved and to advocate for his/her education

    • Right to have consistent support to advocate and make educational decisions

    • Right to have support to complete post-secondary education

    • FERPA requires parental consent before a school can share personally identifiable information in education records about a student, with some exceptions.

    • FERPA allows the school to share information with the student's state or local child welfare caseworkers without requiring permission of or notice to the student's legal parents.

    • Texas law requires school districts & local campuses to notify the students’ educational decision-maker and caseworker regarding events that may significantly impact the education of a student in foster care.

    • Students currently or formerly in foster care generally express a desire to have their foster care status kept private from staff and peers.

    • File forms, tracking logs, notebooks, and data safely out of view of other students.

    • Keep records secure from individuals who do not need to know the student is in foster care.

    • All written information with student names should be password-protected or locked in files in order to avoid confidentiality violations.

    • Protecting a student's privacy applies to oral and written communications 

  • Child Welfare System - Each of the 11 Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) regions has a least one Education Specialist. A map of Texas is divided into eleven regions, each color-coded and numbered. These specialists act as a liaison between DFPS and local schools and LEAs within their DFPS region. The DFPS Regional Education Specialist is an excellent contact for building partnerships with the community and local child welfare system. DFPS Regional Education Specialists also serve as the point of contact for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).  Find your region below for your representative.

    Contact your DFPS Regional Education Specialist for assistance with:

    • Education best-interest decisions

    • Transportation

    • Dispute resolution

    • Cross-system coordination needs, trainings, and requirements

    • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

     

    See Chapter 4 of the Foster Care and Student Success Resource Guide for more information on Regional Education Specialists and the Child Welfare system.

Quick Links for Foster Care Liaisons

Information for Students | Parents and Caregivers

  • Child Welfare Information Gateway: Free resources to help caregivers and professionals understand and address childhood traumatic experiences and approach relationship building from a different perspective.

  • Recognizing and Treating Child Traumatic Stress: Learn about the signs of traumatic stress, its impact on children, treatment options, and how families and caregivers can help.

  • Sesame Street: Provides videos and activities that address coping with traumatic experiences in a kid-friendly way.

  • Establishing Secure Attachment with Your New Foster or Adopted Tween or Teen: Guidance for caregivers on regulating their own emotions and stress in order to be the healthy, nurturing, and safe adult that their foster or adopted children need.

  • Guidance for Foster Parents: Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood
    "The transition to adulthood and self-sufficiency can be challenging for any young person but can be particularly daunting for those who have been living in foster care. Foster parents can help youth in their care prepare for any upcoming challenges. This factsheet provides guidance on how foster parents can help youth build a foundation for a successful transition to adult life outside of foster care. It describes the challenges youth face, how the adolescent brain affects them during this time, and Federal laws and programs. It also provides concrete ways they can partner with youth."

  • Preparation for Adult Living (PAL)
    Provides support for students in DFPS Managing Conservatorship who are at least 16 years or older. PAL benefits can include a transitional living allowance, aftercare room and board assistance, and other support services for independent living.