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, called Community-Based Care (CBC), centralizes foster care services in a region through one contractor instead of being managed by a state entity. In 2021, the SJRC Texas division Belong was awarded a contract by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to serve as the Community-Based Care provider in a 28-county region. The organization is currently one of 11 regional contractors across the state.

Belong supports children removed from their homes by securing safe placements and by providing case management, kinship and reunification services, and adoption support. In addition, SJRC offers parenting classes and enrichment programs for all families in the region.

Services offered

SJRC Texas | Belong services include:

• Assistance obtaining medical equipment such as blood pressure cuffs and cranial helmets
• Caregiver support groups and group parenting classes
• Family Resource Center
• Fatherhood Initiative, with education and engagement opportunities
• Foster and kinship care
• Mobile health clinics
• Parents as Teachers Home Visiting Program
• Resource Fairs providing health screenings, blood pressure readings, blood sugar testing, vaccines, COVID-19 testing, and nutrition information
• Reunification services

A critical component of SJRC Texas | Belong programming is establishing virtual health clinics to increase access to care in rural communities. Currently, SJRC Texas | Belong houses two clinics through a partnership with UT Health Wellness 360, with additional collaborative efforts underway for future expansion throughout the multi-county region.

Results

In fiscal year 2026:

• Over 3,346 home and virtual visits were conducted by certified Parent Educators
• 197 families and 252 children were served by Parent Educators
• Over 1,207 children and young adults were served
• 621 kinship families were served
• 700 staff were employed across 28 counties
• Over 176 volunteers were engaged, with a total of 1,012 volunteer hours

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. Therefore, there is an intentional and strategic plan to engage in community-building efforts to help develop opportunities to grow service capacity so that resources are readily accessible to all children and families.

As SJRC Texas | Belong transitioned urban Bexar County to CBC, there were additional challenges in ensuring the continuity of services throughout the 28-county region since each community has unique strengths, needs, and available resources. Specifically, the number of resources and nonprofits serving Bexar County and surrounding communities highlighted the need to work with others to build nurturing environments within each neighborhood.

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, Bexar) 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.

Build genuine and authentic relationships with interested parties, youth, and adults who are involved in the child and family well-being system and show interest in improving it. Facilitating opportunities for community mobilizers to identify where they can be part of the solution will help build community connections and begin building stronger and more collaborative relationships.

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

Contact Information