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 is called Community-Based Care (CBC).

The SJRC Texas division Belong has served over 2,150 children and families in a 28-county region, all but three of which are rural. SJRC Texas | Belong coordinates services for the regional child and family well-being system, which includes family enrichment services and programming, mental health supports, residential care, community-based foster care, and a child placing agency to license foster homes and complete adoptions.

SJRC Texas | Belong is the lead provider for CBC, in which foster care services in a region are centralized through one contractor instead of being managed by a state entity. Belong provides foster and adoption services along with support services for children and families impacted by trauma and involved in the foster care system.

SJRC Texas | Belong was awarded a contract by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for CBC. The organization is currently one of seven regional contractors across the state.

Services offered

SJRC Texas | Belong services include:

• Caregiver support groups and group parenting classes
• Family Resource Center
• Fatherhood Initiative, with education and engagement opportunities
• Foster and kinship care
• Funds for children and families to access medical equipment such as blood pressure cuffs and cranial helmets
• 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 2024:

• 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
• 322 staff were employed across 28 counties, with plans to add 300 staff as CBC transitions to Bexar County
• Over 160 volunteers were engaged

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 works to transition Bexar County to CBC, there will be additional challenges in ensuring the continuity of services throughout the 28-county region since each community has unique strengths, needs, and available resources.

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 to occur.

Build genuine and authentic relationships with community stakeholders, youth, and adults who are involved and show interest in advancing the child and family well-being system. Facilitate opportunities for community mobilizers to identify where they can be part of the solution; this 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

Kane Jaggers, Vice President of Community Enrichment
SJRC Texas
kjaggers@sjrctexas.org